Tempted to try out
travel and tourism?

To view this video your browser must support javaScript and have at least Flash plugin v7.

Mark and Amy's stories

Mark Freeman, Amy Jones and tutor Sean Clarke, talking tourism at Barnsley College, Barnsley.

Mark
I'm Mark, I'm from Barnsley College and I'm studying travel and tourism. It's a two-year course and we started it last September and we studied different aspects of the industry. I want to be a holiday rep, so we did that last year. We're doing marketing which is the business side of travel and tourism. We're organising our own event as well so we get to practise for when we leave college and go into the real world.Amy
Hi I'm Amy and I'm on the travel and tourism course, and I'm 17. I want to go into the business side of travel and tourism like management and working with customers. I'm really interested in travel and that so I thought, why not? Go straight into it and get the experience now rather than later. Tutor
The overall theme would be to get the students to enjoy travel and tourism - to become familiar with the different aspects of the industry - just learning simple things about transport and accommodation. About the geographical elements to travel and tourism as well. So it's to get that experience of the different parts of the industry, to help prepare them for, hopefully, employment or higher education. Amy
The course covers a lot of different sectors in the industry, cruise sector, management business, holiday rep and even cabin crew. It gives you a lot of opportunities.Mark
I want to be a holiday rep because every day is different, you get to meet new people and it's a challenge and I like challenges.Tutor
Before this I was a travel agent. I spent upwards of 13 or 14 years learning the trade. Selling holidays, selling the beaches and the blue sky.Mark
Some of the tutors have been holiday reps, some have worked in travel agents and been air cabin crew, so they can bring that experience and teach us. Amy
They're really kind, they're like your friends so you can go and talk to them, and if you've got any problems go and see them straight away and they're always there for you. Mark
Even commuting to college is something you have to do in the real world, so even simple things like that, plus you get to learn about different work in the industry and put it into practice as well.Tutor
The students that come here are a combination of students. Some are keen to roll their sleeves up and get into the industry as quickly as possible with the qualifications and experiences that they learn. Others successfully apply to higher education. There are literally dozens and dozens of courses across the country that are offered within higher education. Amy
The more I learn about it the more I want to do it. It makes you really confident about higher education as well. We go on lots of trips and we have visitors in talking about their experience in the industry. There's always something different going on. Mark
You get to talk to people you never would have met at school. There are a lot of different characters, and people make you laugh. People will lift your spirits up if you do feel down. It's a good mix of people.Amy
In my job, they've always said, since I've come to college I've developed more, and I'm more confident around customers. I'm really glad I made the choice to come to college.

Amy
Hi I'm Amy and I'm on the travel and tourism course, and I'm 17. I want to go into the business side of travel and tourism like management and working with customers. I'm really interested in travel and that so I thought, why not? Go straight into it and get the experience now rather than later.

Tutor
The overall theme would be to get the students to enjoy travel and tourism - to become familiar with the different aspects of the industry - just learning simple things about transport and accommodation. About the geographical elements to travel and tourism as well. So it's to get that experience of the different parts of the industry, to help prepare them for, hopefully, employment or higher education.

Amy
The course covers a lot of different sectors in the industry, cruise sector, management business, holiday rep and even cabin crew. It gives you a lot of opportunities.

Mark
I want to be a holiday rep because every day is different, you get to meet new people and it's a challenge and I like challenges.

Tutor
Before this I was a travel agent. I spent upwards of 13 or 14 years learning the trade. Selling holidays, selling the beaches and the blue sky.

Mark
Some of the tutors have been holiday reps, some have worked in travel agents and been air cabin crew, so they can bring that experience and teach us.

Amy
They're really kind, they're like your friends so you can go and talk to them, and if you've got any problems go and see them straight away and they're always there for you.

Mark
Even commuting to college is something you have to do in the real world, so even simple things like that, plus you get to learn about different work in the industry and put it into practice as well.

Tutor
The students that come here are a combination of students. Some are keen to roll their sleeves up and get into the industry as quickly as possible with the qualifications and experiences that they learn. Others successfully apply to higher education. There are literally dozens and dozens of courses across the country that are offered within higher education.

Amy
The more I learn about it the more I want to do it. It makes you really confident about higher education as well. We go on lots of trips and we have visitors in talking about their experience in the industry. There's always something different going on.

Mark
You get to talk to people you never would have met at school. There are a lot of different characters, and people make you laugh. People will lift your spirits up if you do feel down. It's a good mix of people.

Amy
In my job, they've always said, since I've come to college I've developed more, and I'm more confident around customers. I'm really glad I made the choice to come to college.