Meet the facilitator: Brent Chesworth

Brent is one of our VIC Course Facilitators and has been in the travel industry for over 8 years. Today we chat with Brent about his journey in the industry and his tips for students on how to create a successful career in travel too!

How many years have you worked in travel and could you please tell us a little bit about the different roles you have worked in the industry?

I’ve worked in the travel industry for 8 ½ years now, working as a consultant for Flight Centre for 3 years & a leader in the business for 1 year.

Each of those years we made global all together and went to various places like Paris, Singapore, Cancun & Macau. It was amazing working in such an amazing team and group of friends.

For the next 4 years I worked as a facilitator in the Welcome Aboard program for new employees of Flight Centre, there we taught novices the philosophies of Flight Centre, the sales process & a crash course on how to use our complicated computer systems.

Before all of that I travelled the world. I went to Asia, Europe, Africa & North America. I am lucky enough to have an English passport so I lived in England for a year as a backpacker worked in hospitality.

What has kept you in this industry for so long?

If you ever go to a restaurant and listen to other conversations people are having they always end up talking about travel! It is the one topic that can really bond any one no matter who you are!

The industry is so easy to get passionate about and the people in the industry are just as passionate about it as you are, it is so easy to make friends in a company like this.

What lead you to become a trainer at Flight Centre Travel Academy?

I decided to move to the Travel Academy as I love the idea of teaching topics that relate more in general to the travel industry & I love the fact that you could move in to other areas of the industry. Learning about where the travel industry is heading is a pretty cool job.

I love that we teach to a university standard but you don’t get the mainstream university experience of multiple lectures that aren’t for you. You get real hands on experience that they use in the industry – like the computer systems!

Is there a particular conference, work trip, global or buzz night that has been a standout?

I’ve been on some fairly amazing trips, but the one that stands out has to be winning the Contiki™ 50th year anniversary ‘Rock around the world’ in 2012.

Imagine 50 other travel agents that are just as into music as you are and spending the weekend listening to the Black Keys, Bon Iver, Frank Ocean, Swedish House Mafia, Radiohead, Florence + Machine. We even got to go right up the front for Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg & Tupac Shakur’s hologram!

We toured around the Californian wine country to San Francisco, Sacramento and ended up in Las Vegas and a private party in an exclusive club overlooking the strip.

What advice do you give your classes when talking to them about landing a job after they graduate?

Simple – you are always on show, treat every moment you meet someone like an interview & learn how to network.

What do you think is important for our students to know to creating a successful, life-long career in travel?

Have an open mind with what you want to do with your life, if you don’t know – that is okay! Just be open to anything and don’t say no to new experiences.

Travelling whilst young is so important; you learn more about yourself and others. That life experience is something that jumps off the page on a resume. Good luck!