Courtney Talks Tourism at SERC

It is always great to have our students return to SERC, not only to let us know how they are getting on, but to share insights from their chosen career paths with current students.   Over the next couple of weeks, we are going to feature two past students who recently returned to the College for guest speaker spots  with Level 2 TraineeshipNI Travel & Tourism students at our Bangor Campus. 

Courtney McBurney (Bangor), progressed to SERC from St Columbanus in Bangor following her GCSEs.   She completed a Level 3 in Travel and Tourism, a Level 3 in Food and Beverage Service and an Ulster University Foundation Degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management with Specialisms.   She then took on a summer position as a Customer Helper with Jet 2 at George Best Belfast City Airport before landing her dream job start in tourism.

Courtney said, “I have no doubt all my qualifications gained at SERC, and customer service experience, helped me secure my current position as a travel advisor with Tui at our office in Newtownards.   In fact, it was the College’s connections with Tui that brought the position to my attention!”

“My role as a Travel Advisor for Tui involves dealing with customers face-to-face, helping them choose their holiday and making all the bookings, administration and dealing with complaints.   It is a varied job, and no two days are the same.   You could be dealing with a flight delay one day or something that is impacting the whole travel industry the next, so you need to have good communication skills, excellent customer service and a pleasant disposition.”

Courtney added, “I have great colleagues in Tui and there is lots of training and support to do your role.   I have been with Tui over a year now and I am very happy here; keen to gain more experience and build on my role within the organisation. I recently returned from an educational trip to Greece which was fantastic.   We get very generous staff travel discounts and I am not long back from Tenerife, which is incredibly popular with our customers. Tui also offer city breaks and long hauls to the Caribbean and Mexico.   My dream destination, at the minute, is to visit Las Vegas.”

She concluded, “One of the best parts of my job is working with customers who are booking their honeymoon or perhaps a once-in-a-life-time trip or a much anticipated holiday.   I get to help make their dreams and wishes a reality, and it is nice to be part of that ‘feel good’ experience.   It’s lovely when a customer pops in to thank us or tell us they had the best time.”