SFH 1-2 Mar6 4/3/09 11:41 Page 45
ttglive.com
career development knowledge
-facing role as general manager of the For agents whose management aspira-
Personal Travel Advisors division. tions relate firmly to their own business
She believes management careers in there are opportunities beyond the stan-
homeworking are particularly rewarding: dard homeworker progression from receiv-
“Because you’re working with a self em- ing sales leads to building a client base.
ployed workforce it’s not like being their Some companies offer greater autonomy
boss, you’re there to help them develop with the same big brand backing.
and grow. When Hays Travel’s Sue Smith lost her
“Helping other people to create their team leader role in a recent restructuring
business is the most amazing experience. . . she decided to create her own brand, A2Z
you see them take off Travel, and move to the
and fly.”
“This is my own
company’s Indepen-
She says having
been a homeworker
business, these
dence Group – a con-
sortium of independent
herself helps: “[Run-
are my customers,
agents operating
ning your own busi-
ness] you’ve got the
let’s just push it a
under Hays’ bonds
and licences, which
emotional swings
bit further”
includes homeworking
and you don’t really firms Holiday Elite
appreciate what they’re like unless you’ve and Holidaysplease.
been there.” An agent for 37 years, Sue says: “When
you’ve been in travel as long as I have, this
Reassuring management recruits is the ultimate goal. I thought ‘this is my
Knowing such opportunities exist can be own business, these are my customers, let’s
reassuring to agents coming to homework- just push it a bit further.’”
ing from management positions. Taking on The main difference for Sue has been
a managerial role needn’t necessarily mean making all her own decisions on issues
losing the advantages of working from such as discounting. She still uses the head
home, either. Shirley attends head office office team as a sounding board but they’re
about once a fortnight and splits the rest careful not to lead her. “It’s not so much a
of her time between agent visits and back-up as a back, back-up,” she explains.
her desk at home. She hasn’t ruled out setting up a shop
Such a career path may not be at- one day and has former colleagues keen to
tractive in every size of company. work for her but says, “at the moment I’m
Holiday Experts managing director happy seeing how everything goes from
Mike Russell says his home because I’ve got no over-
homeworkers earn heads.”
too much them- For top-selling Travel Coun-
selves to be en- sellor Edward Pearson, the abil-
ticed by head ity to employ staff proved a key
office wages. advantage when Travel Coun-
Other agents sellors moved to a franchise set-
may be reluc- up nearly three years ago.
tant to lose “Things were getting too big
customers, to keep up with demand,” he
but for those, says. Now he handles his com-
part-time pany’s business travel sales
roles may ap- from his Isle of Man home
peal. Alicia Redgrave, Hays while a homeworker in Eng-
Travel’s homeworking division land, who he manages by
business development man- phone and email, looks after
ager, says: “We have a home- cruise bookings. He also em-
worker who works at head ploys a part-time administrator
office part-time updating the and may add more staff in fu-
text. We also had a training ture “if the figures stack up.”
manager for homeworkers Like Sue, Edward enjoys the
who’d train the agents when sense of ownership he’s gained.
they were first taken on then “It gives you value in the busi-
goes home in the evening and From top: Edward Pearson, ness,” he says, “You could go
sell holidays as well.” Shirley Bell and Sue Smith on to sell it if you want to.”
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72