Even before graduating from our Diploma of Travel and Tourism, Rebecca was able to use the knowledge and skills she'd gained during her study, plus the connection and advice from her facilitators, to land a job as ground crew at an airport.
Hear directly from Rebecca on exactly how she achieved this, and how you can too!
My decision to study with Flight Centre Travel Academy (FCTA) was actually suggested to me by my partner. It was the very start of COVID and I was feeling very stuck in life. My partner saw an ad for FCTA and told me it would be perfect for me. My love for anything travel related is strong, so I looked into it. After a few days of thinking, should I do this, I submitted my interest for the course.
Having come from a stage in life where I felt stuck, it has felt so rewarding being able to get my brain working again and to be able to find and grow my passion in life. I have also enjoyed learning about the ins and outs of the travel industry, as there is so much more to it than I ever thought.
Pictured: Rebecca while travelling in Japan
This course and the teachers in it are super flexible and understanding. I was able to go over the modules that are taught in class in my own time so that I could catch up on the learning that I had missed due to working part-time. This is doable as everything is online right there for you. Even though I was busy with work, I was still able to work around it and catch up with my studies at an acceptable pace, allowing me to still meet my assessment deadlines. My teachers also offered me one-on-one phone calls and zoom sessions to catch up on things if I needed it.
Coming into this course, I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted from it. All I really knew was that I could become a travel consultant, so that was my first initial goal. As the course went on, my career goal changed. I discovered a hidden passion and understanding for the airline and airport industry. Having teachers that have come from those careers, I learnt directly from them what pathways I can take to make my goals a reality.
Firstly I needed to gain more customer service experience. I got to learn all about customer service in my studies; how to handle and present myself, how to speak, and what to say, all things I did not know prior to this course. I ended up landing the perfect customer service role within retail during my studies. With the knowledge and confidence I gained from learning the ins and outs of customer service, I was thriving in my job with my new found skills.
After a couple of months I started applying for ground crew positions at the airport, as this was the pathway I wanted to get to my ultimate dream job. I did this through ads that were posted by one of my teachers on LinkedIn. This particular teacher knew my goals and helped out by sending me jobs in my area to apply for. Initially I wasn't having much luck, but my teacher reassured me and told me not to give up and to keep trying. After updating my resume with knowledge I learnt from my last class of the semester about what employers look for on a resume and what makes you stand out to them.
I then came across a job ad from a third party ground crew recruiting agency, which I applied for and ended up getting through to the interview stage. I was told by the interviewer that my resume had all the right things they were looking for and that I presented myself confidently and in the proper manner.
And success, I landed the job! I have so far had my first day of induction and am now only just starting the training for the role now.
Pictured: Rebecca admiring ancient sites on her travels
For the future, my goal is to continue working as a ground crew specialist. I plan to work my way up within the job and gain as much experience and knowledge as I can. Then get into my end goal of becoming an air hostess.
I believe that once borders are opened up again, the travel and tourism industry is going to be super busy. I think this time throughout COVID and restricted borders has made people realise the power of travel. People understand and appreciate travel so much more now than ever before.
Lastly, I honestly can not praise my teachers enough. They have been so helpful and friendly every step of the way throughout this course. They are always there to help with anything they can, and are just great to talk to in general. I would not have gotten this far within my course or my career journey without these guys. I am so proud of the strong and confident person I have become, and that is largely due to the knowledge and understanding given to me from my teachers. They will literally go out of their way to help you.