Steep rise in homeworking interest, claims Travel Counsellors

High street travel agents are showing an increasing interest in moving into homeworking, according to Travel Counsellors.

The Bolton-based company, that employs around 800 home-based agents in the UK, has claimed a 41% increase in enquiries in January and a 56% increase in February over the same months last year. The firm is responding with 12 recruitment roadshows and three mini conferences in Bolton, Birmingham and London.

Managing director Steve Byrne said: “We are seeing interest from travel professionals from a wide variety of backgrounds, with particular interest from high street agents as many still face uncertainty in such a turbulent climate.

“We have certainly seen a dramatic increase in recruitment enquiries as more and more travel professionals see the benefits in running their own travel businesses from home with the support and technology of an international yet still independent and very personal company.

“It’s also interesting to see the benefit in reaching people through social media with many potential recruits visiting us on our Facebook page to interact with us.”

The 12 roadshows run between April 6 and May 25, preceded by the mini conferences on April 4-6.

Potential recruits will be able to see latest technology including a back office system launch four months ago that integrates the company’s own customer management system and payment processing, which claims to save time for agents while making the booking process more efficient. Travel Counsellors Roadshows dates and locations:

London - Wednesday April 6?
Sheffield - Wednesday April 13
Hull - Thursday April 14
Brighton - Wednesday April 27
Southampton - Thursday April 28
Swindon - Wednesday May 4
Cheltenham - Thursday May 5
Norwich - Wednesday May 11
Peterborough - Thursday May 12
Wednesday May 18 Belfast
Thursday May 19 Edinburgh
Wednesday May 25 Stoke

Anyone interested in attending these roadshows or mini conferences should call: 0800 195 7882.