Frequently asked questions
Our help desk receives many questions about working as a Holiday Rep or the recruitment process. Here are some of the most common questions.
Holiday Rep Career Questions (8)
The majority of the major tour operators provide you with the uniform free of charge. Some tour operators may ask you for money towards it. This is taken out in small sums from your first few pay packets.
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The majority of tour operators do ask if you have a resort that you would prefer to work in. However, it is not always guaranteed that you will get placed there. They will take into consideration factors like speaking the local language, having a good understanding of lots of personal experience of the area, or having relatives/close friends living there.
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Once your summer season is over and you have proved yourself as being a good rep, the tour operators will normally offer you winter work. Winter work can be either in a winter sun or ski resort if offered in the tour operators brochure. If you fancy coming home for the winter to see friends and family then they will normally offer you work somewhere within the company in the UK either in their offices or their travel shops until the next summer season starts again.
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Yes a high number of tour operators recruit high season reps. High season reps are reps that are sent out to a busy resort in the height of the summer season to help the other reps already in resort. High season reps will normally go out to resort between July-September.
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The tour operator will always provide you with accommodation. This can either be a room within the hotel that you are representing or shared accommodation with other reps. Shared accommodation is normally a villa with all the mod cons you may even be lucky enough to have a pool!!
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No, the tour operator will provide you with the flights to your resort and back again at the end of the season. If for any reason you have to return back to the UK for an emergency before your season has ended, they will still pay for your flights.
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This really depends on the tour operator you are working for to the contract they offer you. Some tour operators do not offer any paid holiday as you may be on a seasonal contract. Others will allow you a week off that you can either go back and visit the UK or stay within the resort.
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Once you have been successfully accepted by a tour operator to work as a holiday rep you will normally have to complete a 2-4 week training course. Normally the first half of the training will be conducted in the UK then the second half within the resort you are sent too. With some companies training can be conducted in the resort where you are sent too. During this time you will be trained on:
· Health and Safety Audits
· How to complete paperwork
· How to conduct a welcome meeting/transfer speech
· Organising entertainment and guiding excursions
· How to deal with holiday makers and resolve complaints/queries
· Information on the company you will be working for
· Information on the resort you will be working in
· Currency conversion and exchange rates
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Holiday Rep Courses (4)
Although not having a qualification or training relating to the role of a holiday rep is mandatory. The tour operators do prefer to recruit people who have a knowledge of the role they are applying for. If you are a school leaver then it may be worth enrolling on a Travel and Tourism course at your local college. Alternatively we recommend the online training course Holiday Rep Diploma. This course is all studied online and can be accessed using your smartphone or tablet.
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To enrol on any college courses, you do normally need to be a minimum age of 16. The online Holiday Rep Diploma course you can also enrol from 16.
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If you are receiving any job seekers allowance or benefits, you may find that you are eligible for receiving funding for the Holiday Rep Diploma, however this is not the same for everyone and each circumstance is different.
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If you do not live in the UK you are able to complete the online Holiday Rep Diploma Course. However, to be recruited by the Tour Operators you will be required to hold an EU passport without travel restrictions. Some Universities maybe able to offer international student places on their Travel and Tourism courses.
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Holiday Rep Recruitment Questions (6)
For the summer season, tour operators generally tend to have their main recruitment drives between October to April. Winter recruitment takes place between April to November. Nowadays, the tour operators are accepting application forms even if they have don’t have any current vacancies. They will hold potential candidates on file and then call them up when their recruitment starts again.
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The current minimum age to become a holiday rep is 18. However, some tour operators recruit at 19, 20 or even 21.
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Apart from Club rep positions which the maximum age is normally 35, there is no current maximum age to become a holiday rep. In fact the tour operators actually encourage more mature candidates to apply as they have more life experience to offer the role.
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Although speaking another language, especially a European one is desirable. It is not an essential requirement to becoming a holiday rep.
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Tour operators do understand that not everybody excels at school but may still have the ability to become a rep. If you do not have any qualifications gained at school but have gained a higher education or extensive customer service experience then the tour operators will still consider your application.
Club rep positions generally do not require any formal qualifications to apply.
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Normally you can only re-apply to a tour operator after 6 months of your first application. Many reps that were not successful the first time they apply, go onto be invited to an interview second time round. During the 6 month period it is advised to really focus on building up your customer service experience and knowledge on being a rep.
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