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Apprenticeship Travel & Tourism Jobs

Leading apprenticeship employers

Helping you find a career in travel & tourism

The travel and tourism industry is popular, and for good reason. It's a wonderfully fun and lively sector to be in, with national and international travel opportunities available as part of your job!

The industry is incredibly broad, covering everything from travel agents, to hotel chains. There are plenty of roles available within the UK tourism industry.

Some roles in this industry include:

Travel agent
Tour manager
Airline customer service agent
Holiday Rep

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Skills required for a career in the Travel & tourism industry

A large number of roles in the travel and tourism industry are customer-facing, so you'll need strong communication skills and a positive attitude.

As with any industry, it's important that you're aware of the market you're operating in and keeping up with business trends, particularly if you're aiming to be in a management position.

Other skills that will benefit you throughout your career in travel and tourism include:

Typical Travel & tourism career progression routes

You should be in a position to apply for assistant level roles in travel and tourism after you complete your apprenticeship if this is the route you decide to go down.

In large organisations, there's typically a very clear hierarchical structure, so you can see what the next step in your career would be. With each step up, you will take on more responsibilities, such as managing a team of people or a project. Eventually, you could find yourself managing whole regions, product portfolios and campaigns.

Typical Career Development for the Travel & tourism industry

Large travel or tourism organisations usually provide training for their staff to ensure they're knowledge is up-to-date and they can remain competitive in the market.

There are also lots of opportunities to train independently, any of which are provided by the Institute of Travel & Tourism. Some of these courses include:

Writing and design
Social media
Customer service
Sales
Coaching
Management and leadership
Finance for non-financial managers
Project management If you've completed an apprenticeship in this area, you could also consider going on to university afterwards in order to increase your professional standing.

How much do Travel & tourism professionals get paid?

As an apprentice, you'll earn a minimum of £3.90 per hour if you're under 19 or in the first year of your apprenticeship, or the National Minimum Wage if you're over 19. This works out at around £150 - £240 per week.

If you're starting out in the industry (even after your apprenticeship) your wage is likely to be modest, your salary may increase as you take on more responsibilities.

In most cases, roles in the head office of a travel company pay more than in a hotel or resort.

Here are sample salaries for certain jobs within the travel and tourism industry, according to Payscale:

Assistant hotel manager - £18,873 - £27,349
General hotel manager - £17,234 - £58,378
Head chef - £25,444
Concierge - £19,636
Hotel receptionist - £18,596
Travel agent - £15,538 - £25,215
Travel agency operations manager - £28,161
Travel campaign manager - £36,389
Travel social media manager - £33,255
Strategic partnerships manager - £35,049
Marketing manager - £27,839
Customer service manager - £18,576
Assistant product manager - £24,254

What qualifications do I need for a Travel & tourism career

There aren't any particular academic qualifications you need to get a job in this industry, although some companies may require at least a pass in GCSE Maths and English. Being able to demonstrate your communication skills is likely to be more important than your grades.

If you've completed a travel and tourism GCSE or A-level, this will stand you in good stead. Other subjects that may benefit you include business and events management.

To get a job in this sector as a school leaver, it's a good idea to undertake a vocational qualification. A diploma, certificate or short course can give you the practical skills you need to get a job in this sector.

Alternatively, you could look at apprenticeships in the travel industry. Apprenticeships involve studying and working for a company at the same time. This can be a great route for those who definitely want to work in this sector, and don't want to burden themselves with the time and debt of university.

Travel & tourism industry bodies

Institute of Travel and Tourism
Take Off in Travel
Association of Leading Visitor Attractions
The British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions
British Destinations
British Educational Travel Association (BETA)
Tourism Management Institute
The Tourism Society
Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA)
Tourism Alliance
UKInbound

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