Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
It's a chance to see the world |
| Disadvantages: |
It is hard work ! |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
I very nicely asked Ciao if I could review the job of Overseas Holiday Representative. This is a subject very close to my heart, as I worked a total of six years overseas, firstly as a Representative and subsequently as a Resort Manager. In my experience, Holiday Reps get a bad press and I thought it would be nice if I could maybe let people know that there is another, often unseen side to the job and the people that do it. I will apologise ahead of time if this review appears biased, I will try to keep it as neutral as I possibly can, however there may be times when you will pick up on certain bug-bears of mine and I sincerely do not wish to offend anyone that has had cause to be unhappy with their own representatives (Dave, you know I am talking to you!).
***** SO, WHAT IS A HOLIDAY REPRESENTATIVE? ********
Most UK based tour operators employ staff to work in the resorts they use and who act as a liaison between the tour operator and their customers: the holiday makers. The most common type of overseas rep is one that works for mainstream companies, such as Airtours or Thomsons. Working hand in hand with the resort reps are Childrens Reps (fondly referred to as "Kiddie" reps). These are the brave souls who take care of your young rascals, so that you can enjoy the odd moment of peace and quiet whilst sipping your beer by the pool. There are also many "specialist" overseas reps, for example, tour operators that are geared towards the "youth" market, such as Club 18-30 and 2wentys. As different types of people with varying "skills" are required for the more specialist areas, I will concentrate on the mainstream position of Overseas Holiday Representative.
****** RECRUITMENT PROCESS? **********
So, after another boring day at the office, you begin to wonder whether there isn't something far better you could be doing? You have caught a few glimpes of representatives on your holidays and reckon that the job is a piece of cake - how hard can it really be? The first step towards becoming a rep is to apply to the tour operator of your choice. Most tour operators now complete their applications on line and the application form is pretty standard, in that you have to list previous employment. One good thing about being a holiday rep is that you need no formal qualifications in the UK (unlike our Scandinavian counterparts, who usually require you to have studied Tourism). It is also possible for you to come from all kinds of employment backgrounds. However, this said, it does help if you have had some customer service experience (although this can be as diverse as working at Safeways to working in a complaints department), but the emphasis is on the fact that you have dealt with the general public. Although, this doesn't necessarily mean in a face to face capacity, they do want to know whether you have the ability to deal with angry and difficult people, even if this has been via the telephone. Another employment history they look out for is one in sales. Along with a completed application form, most tour operators will also require an up to date photo, although to be honest with you, a smart appearance is much more important than a pretty face.
Out of the thousands upon thousands of applications they receive, they interview something like 5% - if they like what they see, they will call you to an interview and this is where it starts to get hairy. Tour operator interviews are not for the faint hearted and usually consist of a group interview and then a one-to-one. The main objective of the recruiters is not to see how loud or funny you are, but to mainly see how you interact with your fellow group. They want to see that you are an objective listener and that, despite your own (maybe differing) personal beliefs, you have the ability to empathise with someone else. There may also be team building exercises; of course they want to see if you have the capacity to use your own initiative, but likewise they do not want a bossy know it all! And, just as important as these factors, is your ability to stand up in front of people and talk about anything. The way they usually do this is to give you a card with a subject written on it, and your task is to talk about the nominated subject for the alloted time. Not as easy as it might sound - you think of what there is to say about an orange for a full minute! One thing I can not stress enough is that unless you are going for the position of a Club rep, dot not be over-powering! They are not looking for show-offs or loud mouths - a friendly face and easy smile will do you far more favours!
******* SO, THE JOB'S YOURS *********
So, you have excelled in your interview and they offer you a position - what happens next? Well, this depends entirely on who you work for and even which resort you are sent to. Many of the larger tour operators hold their training courses in resort, especially in areas such as Majorca and Turkey where the influx of new recruits every season is extremely high. Some prefer to do their training in the UK and for both, the timeframe is usually a week long course. They cover everything from how to deal with a death in your resort, to how to present a welcome meeting. The courses are informative, but believe me, within hours of being on your own in one of your hotels in resort, you forget everything you have been taught and get by on your own initiative. Also, the only downfall is that there would never be enough hours available to cover every eventuality that COULD occur in a holiday resort.
******** THE JOB ITSELF **********
Contrary to popular belief, reps do not spend 30 minutes on hotel visits, a couple of hours at the airport and then the rest is free time to sunbathe and drink copious amounts of alcohol. Reps work a six day week for months and months on end (some seasons are nine months long) and there is no time off for holidays. Also, you can only return to the UK during the season under dire circumstances, usually the death of a relative. The actual duties of a rep varies enormously from resort to resort, with the deciding factor usually being the airport arrival days. Resorts such as Majorca have new arrivals every day, whereas most resorts will usually have 2-3 airport days. Because of the wide spectrum, I will concentrate on my experiences in the resorts I have personally worked in.
*** Hotel Duties
One of the main roles an overseas rep has is ensuring that the guests in resort are as happy as they can be. A rep will schedule visits to each of their alloted hotels - bear in mind that they do not only look after one particular hotel, but will invariably have at least another four to cover; in some quieter resorts, reps will have upto twelve hotels under their jurisdiction. In each hotel, the tour operator will have an information board and this is where the reps will detail the times they are available in any particular hotel. Now, this is where some of the myths about reps start to surface - the average punter on holiday may think that thirty minutes is not nearly enough time for their rep to visit, but if you multiply that thirty minutes by twelve hotels, you start to see that there is a little more than meets the eye to the job. If it is a quiet day, then the rep can sit in the hotel reception and is there to answer any questions holidaymakers may have about the hotel or the resort. However, if there is an emergency in that particular hotel, she may be called to a certain room to help a particular guest - which happens more frequently than you would think. The biggest complaint that reps receive is that "they were never in the hotel". I have lost count of the amount of times someone said that to me, only for me to ask "oh, I am sorry, were you looking for me?" for the holiday maker to turn round and say "no, I just never saw you". Well, is it any wonder then, in that case?
***** Airport Duties
Airport duties consist of picking up holidaymakers from their hotels and transferring them by coach to the airport for their flight home; meeting new arrivals and escorting them to their designated hotel and basically hanging around the airport in between. Don't forget, if you have been delayed four hours, so have the reps. If you have a night flight and are tired, so are the reps! Now, you may say "well, that's their job", which indeed it is, but add to the fact that it might not be the first time they have been to the airport that day, or that they have actually already been at the airport for twelve hours straight before you actually arrive. Your main job at the airport is to ensure that arriving passengers are directed to the right coach, not so easy when you have three flights landing at exactly the same time and six coaches for each flight - all with identical looking drivers! You may think that your rep at the airport is rude or offhand, but not necessarily the case - she just knows that she has another 1000 people behind you, so she has to deal with you as quickly as she possibly can. It helps enormously if holidaymakers DO know which hotel they are staying in, or even the resort. It is not good responding "Turkey" when asked upon arrival where they are staying! The reps kind of know that already! The representatives job upon departure at the airport is to liase between the check-in staff and handling agents and the holidaymakers themselves. What this basically means is that the reps try to sort out any problems regarding excess luggage or seating. Please bear in mind that many tour operators use airlines that may not be owned by them - many times the seats are sold off amongst all of the tour operators. Therefore, a Britannia flight (owned by Thomson) may have half their alloted seats being used by other holiday companies. This can cause some disruption at the airport, especially where seat allocation is concerned as a rep working for, say, Airtours, would have no control over seating on a Britannia flight.
******* Coach transfer to resort
Depending on where you are based, the transfer to the resort will range from relative luxury to taking your life in your own hands!. If you are in the Greek Islands or Turkey, then do not be surprised if there is no air-conditioning in the coaches. However, most holiday resorts are now up with the times and the coaches are quite comfortably kitted out. It is the representative's job to ensure that she has the right amount of people on her coach before leaving the airport and then to give a little bit of a talk about the country or the resort as the coach travels to its destination. I personally feel that there is nothing worse than a chirpy little rep especially in the dead of night, after a long and tiring journey. However, it is important for the rep to give the newly arrived holidaymakers a few pointers. They should mention the time in resort (many people do not realise there is a time difference), electricity voltage and where to buy some water. Just enough to get the holidaymaker through the night, before they get to speak to their own rep the next day. Upon arriving at the resort, it is the rep's job to see all holidaymakers into their choice of accomodation. Again, the rep is not being rude if she jumps off the coach, sees the holidaymakers into reception and then legs it. She probably has another ten stops on her list!
******* Welcome Meetings
After a holidaymaker arrives in resort, the tour operator has an obligation to offer a Welcome Meeting within 24 hours. I know that many people are of the opinion that they are a waste of time, or that they are quite often too early in the morning. Both may be true, but to be honest, a Welcome Meeting can provide excellent information concerning the resort you are staying in. Bear in mind that this is only really applicable if someone has never been to that particular resort. One of the favourites of perennial visitors to Benidorm is to head to the reps meeting and take great pride in knowing more about the resort than the rep themselves! A representative needs to prepare a "speech" of around 30 minutes duration, which should cover information about the accommodation, resort and country itself. Representatives will also have excursions to flog. Now, bear in mind, you will invariably get reps that go gung-ho into trying to hard sell you an excursion, but in all honesty, most reps only receive a small commission - again dependant on which resort you are working in. If you work in Benidorm for example, you will find it nigh on impossible to sell any excursions on the Lemon Tree Express - they have all been hundreds of times! Also, you may find that holidaymakers think that they can get cheaper boat trips down at the harbour, or discount coach trips from the shop on the corner and this is indeed true. However, one word of warning - if you book an excursion through your tour operator, you have a comeback should anything go wrong. For example, I have lost count of how many people I have seen waiting for coaches to take them on an excursion, only to have been left behind. You try getting your money back from Mustapha's bucket shop, if this should happen to you. On a more serious note, most of the bucket shops and boat trips do not have any insurance - if something terrible were to happen, you wouldn't have a leg to stand on. So, therefore, next time your rep tells you things like this, believe them - they are not only out to make a quick buck!
A welcome meeting is usually the first chance a holidaymaker has to meet their own representative. If you have any problems with the hotel, then this is when you should make your feelings known. Don't leave it until the last day, or until you return home - a rep cannot help you, if she is not aware that there is a problem. Many holidaymakers feel that they may have more luck complaining at home, but most tour operators will not entertain any complaint not logged in resort first. If you have spoken to your rep and are still not happy with the outcome, then it is imperative that you fill out a complaints form whilst still in resort. It is the rep's job to fill in a corresponding report of her own and both are forwarded to the UK. Please bear this in mind when writing your own report - I have read some corkers on complaints forms, with many totally fabricated incidents; the reps always see what is written about them, even if it is sent directly to the UK!
****** Health & Safety
There is also an unbelievable amount of paperwork that a rep needs to get through in her job. Not only the reports mentioned above, but also H&S checks. A few years ago, tourism had a major crack down in this area and it is part of the rep's job to ensure that safety standards are enforced and kept up. The main areas of concern are understandably balconies and swimming pools - at times the reams of paperwork can be ludicrous, but it is all of paramount importance. I once had a gentleman take my company to court because he fell of a balcony with a rail lower than the legal requirement. A rep needs to have eyes in the back of her head - anything that COULD potentially cause an accident or problem needs to be noted. Another area where vigilance is essential is when monitoring building work - no-one likes to arrive in a resort with a building site next to their hotel, but it is a fact of life, especially in a developing resort. Although it may appear that the tour operator will bundle holidaymakers anywhere, regardless of the situation, this is not strictly true. It costs a tour operator a lot of money to compensate holidaymakers affected by building work and therefore they will always attempt to notify holidaymakers whilst they are still in the UK and before they leave for their vacation. Please bear in mind though that the tour operator invariably receives little notification of impending works - many a time I have visited a hotel that had been deathly quiet the day before, only to find that the surrounding area had turned into Beirut! Hotels may be aware of impending building work, but will deliberately not pass on this information to the tour operator - they know that if word gets out about prospective building work, that the hotel will lose business as people that have already booked may choose to go to another hotel, with the help of the tour operator.
******* Guiding Duties
On one or two evenings a week, a rep in a busy resort may be expected to partake in guiding duties. They are occassions whereby the rep joins holidaymakers on an excursion in the evening. Which particular guiding duties again depend on the resort, but are usually to something like a themed Turkish Night or a Rep's Cabaret. Despite the reps having had more than likely a hectic day, they still need to get up and prance around - enticing people to join them in a belly dance, with a smile pasted on their face! At the same time they may need to listen to how awful the food is, or the fact that the free flowing wine is not flowing at all! You would be amazed at how many people on a night out refuse to just enjoy themselves!
****** Office Duties
Once or twice a week, the reps will be called to the office to sort out paperwork and to hand over any money made from excursions. Here they will have to check all of the arrivals and departures for their particular hotels (it is normally the rep's job to ensure that the hotels are aware of how many holidaymakers are arriving and also to ensure that the coach driver knows where to pick up departing guests). I must admit that there is a lot of responsibility required of the rep - believe me, it is not pleasant to have people arrive at 2.00am into a hotel where the staff are not even aware they are coming!
****** The Unexpected
A rep's life is certainly an eventful and unpredictable one. You literally never know what might happen next. Therefore, a clear head and logical thinking is required to be a successful representative. Here are just a handful of events that happened to me personally, which may give you some insight into the endless scenarios reps may have to deal with:
** A guest of mine fell from a third floor balcony when drunk. He was taken to hospital, then refused admission because he was drunk. The next day I was notified and went to his room and had to literally call an ambulance on his behalf because he refused to go to hospital, despite him breaking his leg and injuring his head and chest.
** I was called to a room by a guest whose wife was acting "strangely" - she was suffering a mental breakdown and told me that the world was about to end! I had to arrange for a doctor to visit and to ensure that she was hospitalised - I accompanied her to hospital and made subsequent visits.
** I was sitting in reception one day and was visited by one of my guests. He told me that he thought his Nan had died and would I go and have a look. After going to the room I soon realised he was right, the poor old lady was indeed dead. I had to arrange all of the details regarding repatriation of the body and deal with the bereaved relatives.
** I arrived one morning at one of my hotels after a night at the airport to find 30 newly arrived guests sitting in reception. The hotel had over-booked them and had no available rooms. Seeing as it was peak season, the only place we could put them was a lower standard than they had booked and they all refused to go! It was my job to pacify them as best I could!
** I arrived at the airport one day and after checking in all our passengers, we were informed that the flight had gone "technical" and had not even left the UK. We had to go up to the departure lounge and gather all of our guests together to inform them that they had collect their luggage and that they would not be leaving the airport that night. We had to find rooms overnight for 120 people, including an evening meal and breakfast. They were then ferried back to the airport the next day and left 24 hours later than expected.
** I worked in a resort that had a terrible coach accident. One of my colleagues was onboard a coach from the airport to resort, when a little boy ran into the road and was killed instantly by the coach. The coach driver was beaten up by locals who had witnessed the event and it was my colleague's job to prevent them killing him at the same time ensuring all 40 passengers were okay.
These are just a few of the things that have happened. In every resort I have worked in there have been tragedies - every season in Benidorm for example, many people either fall or jump of balconies - it is the rep's job to look after the people left behind. And, an easy job it is not.
****** STILL INTERESTED??!! *******
The job, however stressful, is not all bad - otherwise no-one would do it! Here are some pros and cons:
** Positives
- It is a tremendously social job: If you like meeting new people and talking, you will be in your element. You live in close proximity to the other reps in your company and you can build some terrific, long lasting relationships. Also, all of the reps from every company form alliances and usually hang out at the same places.
- You will be living in a holiday resort: Which usually means beaches, sun and nightlife. Although reps work bloody hard, they also play hard too. The nightlife in resort can go on until morning, so although reps often finish work late, they can still go out and let their hair down.
- It is the experience of a lifetime: I look back on my time as a rep with immense fondness and also sadness sometimes, because I am no longer part of that lifestyle. Although it may sound naff and cliched, I learned a hell of a lot from it and became a better, more self-assured person because of it.
- A chance to travel: Although in your first couple of years you may not get to choose which resorts you work in, the longer you work for the company, the more choice you do have. Winter destinations these days include Cuba, Thailand and other equally as exotic places.
- Time to work under your own initiative: Many people hate being told what to do and long to flex their own initiatives. This is a job that will allow just that. Of course there are rules to abide by, but the majority of the time you need to go with your own instinct and this provides a real ego boost!
- The ability to help people: Although most reps are seen in an unfavourable light, the majority of them are caring people. Although quite often the job is a thankless one, there are times when you really can make a difference. I will never forget the flowers I received from the lady who suffered a breakdown, nor will I forget the appreciation for helping the family whose Nan had died. Okay, it is not the Nobel Peace Prize, but it is a great feeling to know you have truly helped someone that genuinely needed it.
- Perks: Your accommodation is paid for, so all you need to fork out for is food and entertainment. Dependinging on which resort you work in can determine what "freebies" you may receive. Many bars and restaurants are aware of the "power" of reps, in so much as they are the people in the frontline meeting new holidaymakers - if a rep likes a particular bar, then she may be more likely to recommend the place to the guests she has in resort. However, this is a very fine line. Reps in most resorts are not allowed to endorse particular establishments, but the restauranteurs and bar owners do not necessarily know that and therefore are more than happy to give away a free drink or a meal here and there!
** Negatives
- The wages: The money paid to reps as their basic wage is pretty diabolical. However, this said, most people do not do the job for the money, more for the lifestyle.
- You are never anonymous: That uniform makes you stand out of any crowd; you are never off duty whilst wearing it and will be asked questions wherever you may go! However, it doesn't matter how tired you are, or whether you have just worked 24 hours straight, you still need to smile and be polite. In the uniform, you ARE the company.
- You will get blamed for everything: Seeing as you are the only point of contact for a holidaymaker with a problem, you may find that you personally get blamed for every little thing that happens. Unhappy people can be nasty people! Rather than realising you are solely a representative of the company they are unhappy with, you will be shouted at, sworn at and in some rare cases, physically abused. Although some things are in the control of the tour operator, many aren't. For example, if someone likes a cooked English breakfast with bacon, it is probably better for them to go to Blackpool than Turkey (where the pig is not generally eaten). However, it will be YOUR fault that there is only a Continental breakfast available. If it rains, yes, it is invariably YOUR fault and if they have not had any clean towels that day, well, you've guessed it!
- You will be expected to know EVERYTHING: Whether you have just stepped off the plane yourself, or whether you have been in resort for months, holidaymakers will expect you to know the answer to every question they ask! Oh, and you are not allowed to be a new rep: this is one job where being new is not an excuse!
- People will just not like you: I am really not sure why about this one; I am a pretty likeable person but there would always be people that just totally hated me! Sometimes you could tell by the way they looked at you, or sometimes it wasn't as simple as that. I have lost count of the times that people would search me out during my hotel visits for a daily chat, only to complete a customer service questionnaire saying that my service was diabolical! Go figure! No-one expects everyone to like you all of the time, but I could never get my head around the fact that they would go out of their way to talk to me if they didn't like me!
- It is most definitely not a 9-5 job: You are on call 24 hours a day and you do not clock off at a precise time - you stay until your work is complete. This may take the form of accompanying someone to hospital, or it could be an 8 hour delay at the airport. Needless to say, no overtime is paid!
- Holidaymakers do not expect you to have free time: Despite working a 6 day week, there will be the odd occassion when a rep gets some free time! Woe-betide a holidaymaker actually spotting you having a quick coffee in between hotel duties and the airport or even worse, seeing you on the beach on your day off. This just reinforces the myth that reps have it so easy!
- It is not an easy job: The hours can be gruelling, your work thankless and however hard you try, you will not be able to please every single holidaymaker, all of the time. It is a stressful job and you have to be 100% committed to make it work for you.
- You will encounter idiots: And this time I am not talking about the holidaymakers! Reps are a mixed bunch, I will admit that. As much as I sing their praises, there are some that do not deserve to wear the uniform. Some are lazy, many more are loud-mouthed obnoxious dim-wits and unfortunately although in the minority, it is these who give the job a bad name.
So, to summarise - this is a job of a lifetime! If you are young and carefree, with nothing to tie you down, well, what are you waiting for? Although the job is definitely not ALL sun, sea and sex, there certainly are times when some of them are available!
