Tourism encompasses a broad variety of businesses. There is an assumption that it only suits the extroverted but behind every reception desk, tour guide and adventurer is a slew of back-room talent that supports and enables job satisfaction.
From project managers and logistical experts that make the service feel seamless to culinary whizzes, storytellers and those selling Ireland as a destination to visit, the skill sets accrued are utterly transferable lifelong skills to equip you for a successful career, training you to equally adapt to other sectors.
It offers an apprenticeship in the finer things in life, from haute cuisine to five-star hotels.
See the world
Matthew Smith is in sales and marketing as corporate and incentive support at Dublin Convention Bureau (DCB). He loves the travel opportunities that come with his profession: “It’s not your regular desk job,” he says.
Just eight months into this new role and he’s already journeyed to seven cities, including New York, Las Vegas, Istanbul, Vienna, and Hamburg.
Travel also presents opportunities to network and meet people he may one day work with. He represents Dublin and Ireland at events and has also built new friendship networks through these. It feels less like work and more like socialising, Smith explains.
He’s happy to fly the flag, as he puts it, in a role that positions him as an ambassador for Ireland.
He studied international tourism at ATU Galway: “All my friends knew they wanted to be nurses or engineers. I just knew I liked travelling. I liked working with people.”
Following college, he was selected to join Fáilte Ireland’s graduate programme and from there got his first ‘real job’ at DCB and was recently elected to the board of young leaders of the Society of Incentive Travel Excellence.
A lot of his contemporaries had to emigrate to Australia, Canada and beyond to get the same opportunities. He puts the fact that he didn’t down to his career.
Mid-career upskilling
A decision to start driving a bus when he lost his job in construction put Declan Murphy in the driving seat of a whole new career that encouraged professional development.
He moved into tourism in 2008 when building work dried up as a result of the property crash. It was never meant to be a long-term thing, says the commercial executive, who is in charge of operations at DoDublin, a commercial division of Dublin Bus, and a business recognised for its quality people practices in Fáilte Ireland’s Employer Excellence Programme.
On his first day on the job training to become a bus driver he spotted the green-liveried open-top tour buses of DoDublin. “Straight away it was on my radar,” he recalls.
Within a few months, career opportunities presented themselves. He became a mentor, doing a level 6 course in frontline management at the National College of Ireland; and a driving instructor, another level 6 course with Dublin Bus. Already the tour guides were encouraging his keen interest in history. “I didn’t even have the job and already they were helping and pointing me in the right direction,” he says.
The initial training, a tour guide level 8 course with Dublin Bus, lasted six weeks and included training in Microsoft Office.
One of the highlights of his schooling has been treading the boards on the stage of the Abbey Theatre. To help hone their delivery and presentation on the tours he and his colleagues spent time on the stage of the national theatre and had to deliver lines from a script to each other. This has helped him at moments when he might otherwise have been caught off guard and he feels it has made him more confident in his interactions with tourists.
A tour of Dublin’s Docklands is a new addition to DoDublin’s schedule, including Epic Museum and the world-renowned Windmill Lane Recording Studios. U2, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and Sinéad O’Connor are just some of the artists who have recorded there.
Tourism is a place where individuality shines, Murphy says. At parent company Dublin Bus he believes the career ladder is endless.
“You can keep going. You progress through education. You literally send an email, and they will guide you through all the steps,” he says.
Professional development
Karen Fleming, director of sales at Cashel Palace Hotel, oversees one of Ireland’s most stylish new five-star properties. Situated within a former bishop’s palace, the medieval ruins of the Rock of Cashel form a dramatic backdrop to the property.
It’s a people-oriented profession, she says. “It is a hugely human-driven industry and one that makes people feel welcome and happy, especially at events such as weddings. Working in a tourism profession helps improve your social skills.”
Working in a hotel sales role allows you to travel the world, says Fleming. “Nothing here happens without collaboration,” she adds. “The skills you learn here are very transferable to the corporate world.”
For Fleming, one of the benefits of her job is being able to take care of her family and friends and treat them as VIPs occasionally, making their celebrations special. Working in tourism is a great way to constantly evolve as a person and as a professional, she says; a self-professed eternal student, she is a big believer in being able to continue education while working.
“If someone shows an interest in bettering themselves, they will also better the organisation they work for,” says Fleming.
Her own studies began at ATU Galway, where she did a degree in hotel management. Following stints at properties in Killarney and Galway she moved to Cork, and successfully applied for a job in food and beverage at one of the city’s five-star properties while doing an MSc in management and marketing at UCC. There she moved into her current area of expertise in sales and marketing.
Her employer facilitated her continuing to learn on the job, through a master’s in management and marketing at Cork University Business School. Fleming was awarded a scholarship through the 30% Club. She completed the programme at Cashel Palace Hotel, which is also part of the Employer Excellence Programme.
It is busy, she says. “I cannot tell you the last time I was bored. There is no time to be bored.”
Think you have what it takes? For further information on the wide range of professional opportunities visit tourismcareers.ie