Jobs related to tourism Members of the group: Argyro Tsitsiridi Helene Tsourounaki Foteini Terezaki Helene Terezaki Katerina Fiotodimitraki Dina Gouma

Tourism in our country is a major industry and the main source of income. A part of it is the organization of excursions which provides working positions in Greece.

Jobs related to tourism are divided into four categories: Employees in airline companies Employees in shipping companies (anek lines) Tour guides Travel agents

Employee in airlines companies This job due to the quite high salary that it has is very demanding. The applicants apart from previous experience in airlines are essential to have knowledge of at least one foreign language, very good communication skills and absolutely tactful and courteous manners, towards both colleagues and passengers. If someone has all the necessary qualifications he is asked to hand in a CV and after that to give an interview.

An employee in a big airline company has a variety of tasks. One of them is to be the supervisor of the lost and found department, as well as to be responsible for the checking desks. Moreover, he has to be at the gate for boarding and on the ramp for arrivals and departures. They work in shifts, with a minimum of eight hours and the maximum of sixteen hours at overtimes.

The salary is satisfactory and there is definitely the possibility for promotion, depending on job performance, additional skills and behavior. The employees found their job interesting and challenging because they learn something new every day. “It gets my blood pumping” one emploee mentioned! Undoubtedly this job helps their workers to live their life to the full to have tense in their ordinary work-places!

Employees in shipping companies (ANEK lines) The name of the occupation is “shipping agent”. The service that they provide is exclusively the issue of tickets. A necessary qualification for this position is the good knowledge of at least two languages and computer. Having a university degree is optional.

In their workplace, they wear a special uniform which is the same for everybody that is dark blue dress and a jacked, a scarf and black shoes. They work eight hours on daily basis. The agency is open from 9a.m. to 9p.m. every day, even on Sundays. Their salary is approximately €. In each shift they work in groups of two to four. They don’t have to be constantly retrained in regard to their post.

Travel agents The staff that is occupied at a medium sized travel agency is approximately 15 people but it doubles during holidays, as they are in need of tour guides. Five of them are responsible for the reservation. These people most commonly come from countries of the Eastern Europe. There is one general manager who is responsible for the advertisement of the company and supervises all the other employees. Moreover, there are two accounts and another one who supervise them. Finally, there are five more people who are responsible for the booked tickets through the internet, as well as the ones booked from the internet.

The salary differs from past to past, depending on the responsibilities the employee has and their previous experience. The lowest salary is between 900 and 950 Euros.The qualification needed is the good command of at least two foreign languages, a certificate of a university about tourism, and the ability to use a computer. In order to get a job at a travel agency, you need to send a CV and attend an interview.

Tour guides a. non professional guides They can be assistants of a travel agency as well, however, their origin is the same one with the group of tourists they are responsible for. To be hired they have to be familiar with the English language and to have a really good command of their mother tongue.

They are responsible for:  Tackling with any problem their group of tourists is facing as well as being a link between the tourist agency and the tourists.  The safe transfer of the tourists from the airport to the hotel or at the trips.  Being on schedule.  Checking the quality of the accommodation and the food.  Organizing extra trips that are not included in their holiday package.  Guiding tourists.

 For each group they are paid €, while they are also working on commission getting 7%-10% for each tourist they convince to participate in extra activities. They also have free accommodation, meals, transportation and health insurance. They are hired through job advertisements published in their country by sending their CV or giving an interview.

Tour guides b. professional agents Even though they are hired by travel agencies, they belong to guides union. To be hired they have to be licensed guides and be fluent in at least to two foreign languages.

They are mainly responsible for:  Guiding mainly groups of tourists and providing more specific information than the ones provided from non-professional guides.  The transportation of the tourists to the places they are going to guide them, to night clubs or their hotels.  Following strictly the schedule provided by the tourist agency.

There are four (4) types of guiding that they provide: a. For half-a-day (at least 4 hours) b.For the whole day (for 4,5 to 8hours) c.For more than one day d.At night (from 08pm to 12pm)

According to the assistance they provide they get 48€-80€, while they can also get 1€ to 26,5€ if they guide:  Up to 50 tourists  In 2 languages (they are not allowed to guide in up to 2 languages at the same time)  While hicking  Overtime (day or night)  During transportation They also get extra money if they are guiding during holidays (Christmas, Easter), on Sundays, or at national holidays. The travel agency provides them accommodation, meals, transportation and they also have to inform them for any cancellation.

Tour guides c. museum guides They are assistants of the museum they work, so they have a strict schedule working 8 to 10 hours a day. To be hired it is important to know 1 or 2 foreign languages, to have a university degree similar to the theme of the museum they are working at (for example: archeologists, historians, teachers, biologists, conservator of antiques, etc), while post graduate degree is important. They are hired after setting special exams or through special university programs.

They are responsible for:  Guiding the visitors of the museum that they are working at.  Answering tourists’ questions  Preserving the exhibits They are paid € monthly from the museum, while they work on commission for the extra guidance. Moreover they have insurance.

Travel agents The staff that is occupied at a medium sized travel agency is approximately 15 people but it doubles during holidays, as they are in need of tour guides. Five of them are responsible for the reservation. These people most commonly come from countries of the Eastern Europe. There is one general manager who is responsible for the advertisement of the company and supervises all the other employees. Moreover, there are two accounts and another one who supervise them. Finally, there are five more people who are responsible for the booked tickets through the internet, as well as the ones booked from the internet.

The salary differs from post to post, depending on the responsibilities the employee has and their previous experience. The lowest salary is between 900 and 950 Euros. The qualification needed is the good command of at least two foreign languages, a certificate of a university about tourism, and the ability to use a computer. In order to get a job at a travel agency, you need to send a CV and give an interview.