Holiday representative : Employers and vacancy sources

The major employers of holiday representatives are tour operators. In the UK the main players in the tour operator industry are:

• TUI, which owns First Choice and Thomson Holidays;
• Thomas Cook Group, which includes My Travel, Airtours, Going Places and Direct Holidays;
• Cosmos.

These operators offer a variety of package holidays and employ hundreds of holiday representatives each year to work in their resorts.

In addition to the large tour operators, there are hundreds of smaller, more specialised operators. These may specialise in one particular region or may focus on particular activities, e.g. skiing or trekking. The websites for the big tour operators will also tell you which of the smaller brands they own, for example Thomas Cook owns the brand Neilson, which provides activity packed holidays throughout the year.

Other employers of holiday representatives include:

• camping holiday firms;
• overseas agents;
• private villa or apartment owners;
• sporting and sailing clubs;
• coach operators;
• hotels.

Sources of vacancies

• Search graduate jobs on this site.
• Adventure Jobs  
• Anywork Anywhere  
• Career in Travel  
• Thomas Cook Recruitment  
• Travel Jobsearch  
• Travel Trade Gazette  
• Travel Weekly  
• Tourism Work  
• TUI Travel Jobs  

Recruitment agencies rarely handle vacancies.

Get tips on job hunting, CVs and covering letters and interviews.