Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Unit 6 has more information on interview skills in travel
and tourism (see page 225).
sure that there are no spelling mistakes or grammatical
errors and that the letter is presented in a professional
manner.
Setting objectives
Activity 22.5
To get the best out of a period of work experience
it's important to have a clear idea of what you want
to achieve. You do this by setting objectives for the
placement. These could be related to you as an
individual (personal objectives), where you would like
to work in the future (career objectives) or related to the
BTEC course you are following (curriculum objectives).
Figure 22.2 gives some examples of these objectives.
Working in small groups, role play a series of
placement interviews for the following scenarios:
•
A student hoping to secure a placement at a
tourist information centre;
•
A student wanting a period of work experience
in the Marketing Department of a major mass-
market tour operator;
As you have learned elsewhere on your course,
objectives should always be SMART, i.e. specifi c,
measurable, achievable, realistic and timed. Remember
also that setting objectives is not a 'one off' activity -
they must be regularly monitored and updated in the
light of changing circumstances. Your work experience
is a good opportunity to gain more information
about travel and tourism and its different component
industries. Don't be too downhearted if the placement
doesn't live up to your expectations and you decide
that it's not the type of organisation you want to
work for in the future. At least you will have gained
experience of the workplace and can concentrate on
other organisations for future placements and jobs. If
you do well on the placement, despite the fact that it
may not be your fi rst choice of career, the employer
is likely to offer to provide a reference for you in the
future - this is very valuable when moving on to other
employment, training or education opportunities.
•
A student being interviewed by the owner of a
travel agency for a one-week placement.
You should take it in turns to play the role of the
interviewer and interviewee. Tips on interview skills
for both the interviewer and interviewee can be
found in Unit 6 Preparing for Employment in Travel
and Tourism.
This activity is designed to provide evidence for P2.
Acceptance of of er
When offered a work placement, it is only polite and
professional to acknowledge receipt of the offer and
send a formal offer of acceptance by letter. As with
all documentation to do with your placement, make
Personal
Career
Curriculum
• Learn more about yourself as a
person at work
• Gain extra confi dence in dealing
with people
• Develop telephone technique
• Learn customer service skills
• Make contacts for the future
• Learn more about the organisation
• Learn more about the travel and
tourism industry
• Find out about qualifi cations and
training from work colleagues at
the placement
• Getting a good reference
• Gather information to complete
the assignment for the work
experience unit
• Collect information that could be
useful for other unit assignments
• Use information from any special
projects that you complete to
help with your studies back at
college/school
Fig 22.2 - Objectives for work experience
