Tourism professions are varied and recruit at all levels of study.
Here are some ideas for those who are on the move and don't mind an often intense seasonal work schedule.
Mid-mountain guide
To be on the ground as much as possible and combine nature and human relations, you should become a mid-mountain guide (AMM)!
This mountain professional accompanies tourists who approach their vacation from a sporting perspective.
Independent, he can offer his own day tours or stays of several days, or work for a travel agency.
The
AMM
can take its clients in France and abroad.
He is the guarantor of their comfort and safety, which may involve managing illnesses, delays, weather difficulties, etc. The
mid-mountain guide
also plays a role in raising awareness and discovering wildlife. and flora, but also local ways of life.
Suitable for you if:
you are sporty and responsive, you have a sense of responsibility, you are passionate about nature, you are an educator and have great interpersonal skills.
The path to becoming
a mid-mountain guide
involves training at the CNSNMM and leads to obtaining a state diploma.
You must complete 40 hikes on which you will be questioned, pass a walking test, an orientation test, pass an interview and complete a MCQ.
You must also hold PSC1 (Civic First Aid level 1).
Tourism product manager
The tourism product manager, also called a package specialist, is the person who designs the stay offers.
Working more in the background than sales or animation positions, it is a key profession in tourism.
The
tourism product manager
creates a stay from scratch: duration, choice of accommodation, target audience, activities offered, price.
He must therefore carry out market studies to assess the relevance of his proposal, but also go on site to test the reception structures to ensure that they correspond to the range of difficulty, comfort and price envisaged.
However, the vast majority of work is done via the Internet and telephone.
His negotiation skills are important to obtain the best margin.
Suitable for you if:
you have a sense of commerce and contact, you know the tourist environment and its stakeholders well, you master English or the local language of the target country, you are curious and know how to work independently.
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Obtaining a BTS Tourism is only the first step towards becoming a
tourism product manager
.
You will need to continue with a Bachelor or Master in tourism.
The MBA (Master Business of Administration) Tourism is notably a royal road.
You can also go to a business school specializing in this sector.
Conferral guide
The guide-lecturer is the person who leads tours of museums, castles and other historical monuments in order to introduce tourists to its treasures.
Its scope can also be broader when it is linked to a city discovery tour, for example.
The
guide-lecturer
is knowledgeable about the anecdotes linked to the place he is showing, but must also be able to answer questions from his audience.
Solid knowledge of history and/or art is therefore necessary.
As a
guide-speaker
, you meet a variety of audiences: seniors, schoolchildren, families, history buffs, etc. It is therefore important to know how to adapt your speech and to master digital technologies to also surprise your audience.
Passionate, he knows how to make the visit come alive.
Belleville district in Paris.
A dozen tourists listen attentively to the historical anecdotes of the district told by Théo Abramowicz, a guide-lecturer for around ten years.
Suitable for you if:
you have good general knowledge, you like contact with the public, you are comfortable speaking, you demonstrate creativity and flexibility.
To obtain the professional
guide-lecturer
card and be able to practice your profession in France as well as in the countries of the European Union, you must validate a Master's degree by validating the Teaching Units "skills of guide-lecturers", "implementation practical professional situation” and “living foreign language”.
A professional license allows you to practice in structures that do not require a professional card.
Hotel receptionist
A major figure in the tourism offering, the hotel receptionist welcomes customers who arrive at the accommodation.
It thus manages the flow of tourists as well as reservations, and administrative procedures for arrival and departure, with drop-off and return of room keys.
The receptionist plays an important information role: he helps customers find their way around the establishment (room floors, restaurant locations and times, etc.), provides them with information on places to visit in the surrounding area or the means of transport available, and offers them additional services and hotel activities such as taxi reservations, theme evenings or children's clubs.
He is also on the front line to manage unforeseen events.
Cernay-la-Ville.
Samuel receptionist at the Vaux-de-Cernay abbey, transformed into a luxury hotel by the Paris Society group.
Suitable for you if: you enjoy customer contact, you have excellent interpersonal skills, you are patient, you speak several languages, you know how to cultivate a good presentation and you have endurance (the
receptionist
often spends several hours on his feet).
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The training required to become a
hotel
receptionist essentially depends on the standard of the establishment to which you are applying.
It is thus possible to work after obtaining a professional Baccalaureate in Hospitality, but also after a CAP in Hotel Services, or a BTS in Hospitality and Catering.
For luxury establishments, experience is a major selection factor.
Facilitator
This is the figure you don't forget when you leave your vacation spot, or even that you hope to find again when you come back the following year: the host of a vacation center!
Depending on the holiday center that hires him, his activities can be very varied, from sports sessions to dance classes to the organization of shows and games for children.
His work is intense, but he never loses his good humor.
The objective: to relax customers by livening up their vacation with dynamism.
From the cruise ship to the holiday village by the sea as well as in the mountains via the leisure park or the club hotel, the working environment of an
animator
offers great freedom of choice.
Matches you if:
you have energy to spare, you are creative and charismatic, you have excellent human contact, you are responsive and know how to adapt while having a sense of responsibility.
Many paths lead to the profession of
animator
.
At the earliest, establishments recruit after the Baccalaureate.
The BAFA (Brevet of aptitude for the functions of facilitator) has become almost essential, as has the PSC1 (Civic First Aid level 1) certificate.
Experience in theater or a sporting discipline is also a significant asset, as is bilingualism.
Counter agent
Responsible for welcoming and advising customers in the choice of their trip, the counter agent knows the entire offering of their agency inside out in order to make the most relevant proposals based on the expectations and budget of each client.
The
counter agent
also answers all questions from future travelers.
Depending on the nature of the agency you work for, you may be required to create tailor-made offers.
You must therefore know how to accurately and quickly identify the needs of the person you have in front of you or on the phone.
The reservation procedure is also up to you once the proposal has been accepted.
If the
counter agent
works at the French headquarters of the agency, he or she is regularly invited to test stays or accommodation in order to optimize his or her advisory service.
Travel agent - Getty Images
Suitable for you if:
you know the players in tourism, you demonstrate interpersonal skills, you master a foreign language and are a rigorous person.
You can apply as
a counter agent
after a BTS (Tourism or Negotiation and digitalization of customer relations) or after a Professional License in various fields such as economics, management or hospitality and tourism.
Specialized schools and short training courses of 6 to 12 months are also possible.