Careers Brief - Tourism & Spa Management FdA

Overview

The Tourism industry (travel, leisure and entertainment, accommodation, catering and transport) is one of the largest in the UK with excellent career prospects. It is a growing and fast-moving, customer-orientated environment. For success you would need to be mobile, adaptable and prepared to work flexible hours, which can be long and often unsocial.

Your course provides the knowledge and training to develop effective business management skills and competencies. These skills provide you with an excellent portfolio for a variety of careers both inside and outside this sector. You would improve your employment prospects by gaining appropriate work experience.

Tourism provides a wide range of job opportunities, including:

tourism marketing officer; tour leader/trek leader; travel consultant; travel agency manager; tour operator resort representative; tour operator product manager; tour operator contracts manager; tour operator product development co-ordinator; tourist information centre manager; events manager or sales executive; attractions sales and marketing administrator; public relations officer; hotel marketing executive; arts administrator; conference organiser; lifestyle consultant; magazine journalist; FE college lecturer; catering manager; retail manager; Human Resources/Training officer; passenger service agents; airline and airport management; ferry or cruise manager and many others.

There has been a growing interest in health and fitness and wellness in the UK, which has contributed to recent expansion in the spa market. Spa facilities are dedicated to physical and emotional well-being and use water for the delivery of a wide range of therapies and treatments, such as for sports injuries, de-stressing and relaxation, beauty and pampering. In spa operational management, you could be working in a variety of locations, such as in a purpose built health spa resort, a stately home, leisure club, hotel and country club, spa town or cruise ship.

Use the website links below to find out more.

To consider a wider choice of careers, matched to your interests, use Prospects Planner and other tools listed in the Career Planning section of this Careers Guide.

Further Study

You will be able to apply for a Top-up degree. Top-up degrees are designed as a direct progression from Foundation degree to achieve an Ordinary or Honours degree.

Alternatively, you could transfer into a related Honours degree. Entry point would depend on your grades, experience and overlap between courses but could be into the final year.

Go to the Links on the HE Home page for information on the BA (Hons) International Hospitality and Tourism Management Top-up degree at Bournemouth University (click on sub-heading 'Courses').

Go to the Course Briefs for Tourism Management + Tourism & Hospitality Management for other institutions offering related Top-ups.

To search for degree courses go to www.ucas.com/ (UCAS - Universities and Colleges Admissions Service for the UK). Use the university/college links for course details.

You will need to use UCAS to apply for courses. Contact the Course Tutor of your chosen course to find out your position, before you make your formal application.

Find out how much this will cost you. Where is the funding coming from? Go to the university/college website for information on course costs and finance and to www.direct.gov.uk/uni/ for additional help with student support.

With a good Honours degree (First or 2.1), you could progress onto an appropriate higher level Masters and/or PhD doctorate. This could be to develop your area of study to a more in-depth practical and/or academic level or to gain other specialist training.

For information on all postgraduate courses and research, go to the national online directory at www.prospects.ac.uk/links/pgstudy/ .

Go to the main section Further Study of this Guide for more information and help.

Resources

www.spabusinessassociation.co.uk/

Spa Business Association

www.experienceispa.com/

International Spa Association

www.goodspaguide.co.uk/

Good Spa Guide -  independent comprehensive guide to UK spas, therapies and treatments

www.spabusiness.com/

Spa Business magazine online for spa news and jobs

www.spaopportunities.co.uk/

Spa Opportunities online magazine for spa news and jobs

www.health-club.co.uk/

Health Club Management magazine online for news and jobs in the health and fitness industry

www.caterersearch.com/

Online information source for hospitality

http://springboarduk.net/

Springboard promoting careers in hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism - go to sub-heading ‘Careerscope'

www.uksp.co.uk/

UKSP– Hospitality, Leisure, Travel and Tourism jobs, careers and qualifications

http://jobseekers.direct.gov.uk/

Careers database and links to jobs nationally. Search by either clicking on side-heading 'Careers' and choose a category or type in job title.

www.prospects.ac.uk/

Graduate Prospects - online national careers service for HE students studying in the UK:

  • Drop down ‘Careers advice’ and click on ‘Use your qualification’ for ‘Your foundation degree…what next?’
  • Drop down 'Sectors' to click on 'Hospitality, tourism & sport'
  • Drop down ‘Jobs & work’ and click on ‘Explore types of jobs’
  • Drop down ‘Jobs & work' and click on ‘What jobs would suit me?’ for Prospects Planner

http://careersadvice.direct.gov.uk/helpwithyourcareer/jobprofiles/

Careers Advice Service

www.connexions-direct.com/jobs4u/

Jobs4U Careers Database - click on sub-heading ‘Job Families & Articles’ for occupations in ‘Leisure, Sport and Tourism’

www.itt.co.uk/

The Institute of Travel & Tourism - representing individuals employed in the travel and tourism industry

www.ispal.org.uk/

ISPAL (The Institute for Sport, Parks and Leisure) - go to sub-heading ‘Information Hub’ to click on ‘A career in sport, parks & leisure’

www.instituteofhospitality.org/

The Institute of Hospitality - professional body for managers (& aspiring managers) in the hospitality, leisure and tourism industries

www.careerintravel.co.uk/

Career in Travel – information for aspiring Overseas Holiday Reps and Air Cabin Crew

www.abta.com/

The Travel Association

www.tmi.org.uk/

Tourism Management Institute - professional institute for people working in destination management

www.tourismsociety.org/

The Tourism Society - professional membership body for people working in all sectors of the travel and tourism industry

www.fto.co.uk/

Federation of Tour Operators

www.travelweekly.co.uk/

Travel Weekly online magazine for news and jobs

www.ttglive.com/

Travel Trade Gazette magazine online

www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/

Leisure Opportunities magazine online for news and jobs - drop down 'Jump to other Leisure Media publications' for other useful online magazines

www.get.hobsons.co.uk/advice/

Hobsons/GTI graduate careers publication - Careers advice section

http://targetjobs.co.uk/

GTI publication online - go to sub-headings 'Career sectors' + 'Careers advice'

Go to the Job Applications section of this Careers Guide for additional help and advice wit making applications.

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