TravelDuties

Becoming an airline flight attendant is one of the most rewarding careers you can choose from. You will be able to travel the world, while experiencing things that many people would never have the chance to experience in their lifetime. When it comes to being an airline flight attendant, there is no other job quite like it. You will have the opportunity to meet hundreds of people who are all unique, and will most likely have a story or two to share with you.

Flying as a flight attendant will definitely open your eyes up to a world you have never seen before, as you become immersed in the culture of many countries around the world. However, there are some downsides to being a flight attendant.

First of all, you may have to work on public holidays, week ends, and 24 hour shifts if you are on a trans-Atlantic flight. For many the thought of having to work on Easter and Christmas is a turn off, however, if you are willing to sacrifice your holidays, you will be rewarded generously in your career as a flight attendant. Similarly, you may have to travel for weeks spending time away from home and your family. In most cases this won’t be the case, but if you are unlucky enough (or luck enough, depending on how you look at it), you may be required to travel from the United States to places as far off as Europe and Asia. In these cases, you will be working for over 24 hours non stop.

Photo by: Ariel da Silva Parreira

In a time when American labor is being outsourced to cheaper markets such as China and India, it is good to know that one of America’s largest industries does not outsource their jobs, and that it is one of the largest industries where money comes from both foreign and domestic sources. The industry that I am speaking about is travel.

Travel contains a range of activities that stimulate spending, such as dining, sightseeing, accommodations, transportation, and entertainment. It is no wonder than that according to the Travel Industry Association (TIA), that travel is a $1.3 trillion industry which generates over $105 billion in tax revenue for local, state, and federal governments, let alone the countless billions of dollars it creates for local businesses. Similarly, the travel industry accounts for 17 million domestic jobs, making it the third largest employer in the private sector. It is important to remember that these jobs will remain in the domestic market as the goods and services produced by the travel industry do not leave the country.

If we look past the obvious economic benefits, we will see that travel also has a huge range of other benefits. Travel creates a culture of goodwill, sharing, understanding, and open-mindedness. It is one of the only industries that can be used to promote diplomacy and foreign relations. Additionally, cultures and customs are passed on in such a way that the traveler leaves with a greater understanding for the culture as well as memories that will last a lifetime.

Typically, I write about career options in the travel industry that involve cruise ships but today I want to talk a bit about another job option: teaching English in a foreign country.

There are a lot of opportunities all around the world for these types of jobs but some of the best are in Argentina. To teach English Argentina you need to find a good program to get your foot in the door. Luckily it’s not difficult to find a TEFL Argentina that’s going to get you on your way.

The chance for Spanish immersion Argentina is perfect for people who found the language and the culture interesting when they were in school but never thought of exploring things further. Argentina has so many attractions for tourists that it’s difficult for visitors to see everything in a short time. If you’re living in the country for your job though you have a great chance to totally enjoy all that Argentina has to offer.

Teaching English in a country like Argentina is a great way to experience life abroad for an extended period of time. Many people without a career they’re happy with explore the option of teaching English as a way to try something new and exciting for employment.

If you are looking to become a flight attendant, now is the time. With a recent announcement made by United Airlines that they will be hiring over 2000 new flight attendants, the outlook for flight attendants has brightened a great deal over the last few months, and has catapulted the market to the best it has been in five years.

If you are hoping to land a job as a flight attendant, the first place you should start is with the legacy airlines. Legacy airlines are defined as any airline that has influenced the US airline industry. Due to high employment costs, skyrocketing fuel prices, competition for discount airlines, and an overall inefficiency, two of the United Sates’ largest airlines, United Airlines and Continental Airlines are looking to hire thousands of flight attendants.

If you are unable to find a legacy airline willing to hire you, your best bet is to move to the discount airlines. In an attempt to strengthen their image and holding in the airline market, almost every discount airline is hiring flight attendants, specifically, Southwest, AirTran, Alaska Airlines, and Mesa.

If you still haven’t found any airlines willing to hire you, a great option may be start up carriers. Two of the newest airlines, EOS Airlines and MaxJet Airways, have both recently hired, and are expected to hire again as they become more established in the industry. The one major advantage of start up airlines is that they always need new flight attendants, as compared to other airlines who only hire flight attendants when they are expanding their routes or growing faster than expected.

Photo by: Rodolfo Clix

Becoming a travel agent is one of the most exciting careers you can undertake if you enjoy traveling and you are keen on helping people make their dream vacation a reality.

If you have ever thought about becoming a travel agent, or have already decided that you want to become a travel agent, the first thing you are going to want to ask yourself is whether you want to work for a large travel agency, or whether you want to work from home and be your own boss. Obviously, if you choose to work for a large agency, you will be entitled to benefits, a generous salary, and many other benefits. Starting your own travel agency may be harder to get going, and you may need to put some extra effort to get things running smoothly. However, once you are off the ground, you will have the freedom of being your own boss while working from the comfort of your own home.

The number one benefit of becoming a travel agent is the fact that you can travel where ever you want, whenever you want. Oh, and did I mention you get paid for it as well. There are many large agencies offering huge bonuses to people willing to take the time and effort to become a travel agent. And most importantly you can be earning a six or seven figure salary in less than a year. At the moment, the travel industry is booming, creating the perfect opportunity for you to get on board with the dream job that you have always wanted.

Becoming an employee in the travel or tourism can be a life changing experience. The travel industry has experienced some rapid growth over the last few years, and can provide you with a chance to see the world.

One of the most exciting and unique jobs in the travel industry is as a travel writer of travel photographer. As a travel writer or photographer, you can travel the world, visiting some of the most beautiful and striking places on Earth, from the diverse culture of the far east, to history rich cities like Athens and London. However, it is rather difficult to become a travel writer or photographer, but if you are able to break into the industry, you will be well rewarded.

If you want to be a world traveler, seeing the world while you work, then becoming a flight attendant may be up your path. As a flight attendant, you will have the opportunity to live in multiple cities and also earn a generous salary, with around $18 an hour for the first year, to $28 the fifth year. The one downside to becoming an airline flight attendant is that there is a lot of competition in the industry, with most people failing to make it past the initial interview. Additionally, most airlines require their flight attendants to be fluent in two or more languages.

Because the cruise line industry is one of the most rapidly developing in the industry, becoming an employee on a cruise ship has become a renowned career. The main advantage of working on a cruise ship is that it offers many job opportunities in a large variety of industries, including food and beverage, security, entertainment, and even retail, while traveling and seeing the world. Additionally, working on a cruise ship covers your room and board, making even the lowest paying jobs more enticing.

For a traveler, there are probably few things greater than a relaxing vacation on a cruise ship.

If you’re thinking about finding work on a cruise ship, however, don’t expect to have the same experience. Working on a cruise ship can be tough. Here are a few things to be aware of before you decide to dive right in and find work on a cruise ship.

Long Hours

Life on a cruise ship is about long hours working to make everyone on board’s vacation as pleasurable as possible. When you start working on a cruise ship you’re essentially “at work” for 24 hours a day until your contract is up.

Speaking of the contract, be prepared to not have any days off until the agreed upon term in your contract is over. Do a good job on board and you’ll probably be offered another contract. Perform in a lackluster fashion and expect to be going home and never coming back.

Living Conditions

Are you seasick or afraid of close quarters? You might want to reconsider working on a cruise ship. Living on a boat for weeks, or months, straight is not the same as living on the mainland. If you don’t think you can handle being at sea that long then maybe you should look at other employment options.

The internet has changed the way people research and apply for jobs, a phenomenon that has been gaining strength over the past decade. Career Builder, Monster and Indeed are some of the largest portals featuring jobs while local online classifieds and craigslist are some other options for job seekers.

Unfortunately, just because an opportunity is posted to a respected site, doesn’t mean that the job is decent or even real. Employment scams abound and job seekers should be diligent when applying for any job. Some are obvious and outright lies while others are much more subtle, even couched in truth.

How Can I Avoid Being Scammed?

The following tips can help you avoid being taken by a con artist:

Advance Fee — In exchange for work or for a list of job opportunities, someone will want you to wire money to them for special access to “available” opportunities. Unfortunately, your Western Union wire will be received and kept by an unscrupulous party leaving you $100-200 poorer.

Resume Blasting — For a set fee, someone promises to “blast” your resume to thousands of employers. The thinking here is that more people will find your resume, increasing the chances you’ll get hired. Even if the company follows through, most email accounts will recognize this ploy as spam.

Other Variations — Of course, just as soon as you figure out the two most popular scams, others will crop up which are usually a variation on an existing theme. Some will seem much more legitimate, inviting you to a hotel for a career session. While there, you’ll learn about possible job openings, but they may not be with that employer. You don’t need to pay an agency to find work that you can obtain on your own!

Use Wisdom

If responding to an online ad, you’ll want to make sure that the job:

• Actually exists.

• The company or person interviewing you has the authority to actually hire you.

• The job is located in the US (or Canada) and you have the right to work for the company. Even if the ship is registered in Panama or elsewhere, they are subject to state or federal oversight, including for employing staff.

Never go to an interview that doesn’t sound right or accept a job where someone wants you to pay them with the promise of paying you back later. Legitimate companies keep everything above board while scammers skirt the truth and leave you wondering.

Ultimately, go with your intuition and avoid those “employers” who promise something that sounds too good to deliver.