Ok, so there is a job opportunity at Flight Centre. Ive always had a passion for travel and would love to get involved in travel. The job is 5-7 days a week. Ill be working in their call centre taking calls and helping people with their online bookings and so on. Shifts are 8 hours and you can start at either 5am, 6,am, 7am and 8 am for morning shifts or you start 4pm, 6pm, 7pm or 8pm for afternoon/evening ones.

You get paid 30k base salary a year plus whatever commissions you make on sales. It would require plenty of working hours and shit load of work to get commissions up so you can reach your targets. If you dont reach the targets, it comes our of your pay check.

My current job i only work about 8-20 hours a week and get paid nicely, but it suits my lifestyle. I know i need to find a stable job, but dont want a job that will take away from my life so to speak and the travel sector is one i dont mind. I also would love to find something in media but at the moment that looks like never happening in Brisbane or Australia for that matter.


I also want to go England hopefully end of the year to do my coaching badges, so i need money for that. So im not sure if i stick it out at flight centre for a few months and make the effort to get the cash. They said it usually takes about 2-3 months to actually start seeing results. Or maybe i stick with my current job where i have a nice balance or work and free time or how do i ask them for more time so i can earn more, because my current work does pay nicely.

Anyone know of anyone who works or worked with flight centre or what recommendations you can give me.

Flight centre have a reputation for looking after their staff and are really good with their sales training.

I've got a couple of mates who Flight Centre but they're in-store. But if you do it right, all your holidays are tax deductible ;)

You're not going make big money in the travel industry, unless you're signing up big accounts. The culture at flight centre I'd imagine would be pretty good, free stuff, discounts and all that, but I'd imagine they discount your pay as well to fund all that extra stuff and make a fun environment.

If you're going to England you'd probably want full time experience on your résumé, not some part time bs.

They did highlight the holidays and stuff, but the thing is, you only getting those if you pulling in big commissions a lot of the time.

They made it seem like you pretty much gotta be working your socks off for the first six months without any sort of life or free time if you want it.

Im not sure what i want to do. Very exciting opportunity, but just some things that didn't appeal to me.

I have a family member there, it can be very difficult to make your commissions when you start out. Lot of people window shopping and getting quotes done then not buying, but you have spent hours putting the quote together. Plus Flight Centre have the price guarantee, so you have to beat other prices, but it comes out of your commission, not the company's cut.
That said, if you can be good at it, it can be worthwhile. Another friend is a trainer with them and always seems to be on holidays. IMHO, you have to be sure you can survive on the base and consider the commissions a bonus for the first little while.

Sales is hard slog especially when people don't have a lot of money going around. former Flight Centre staff that I know left due to the cut throat environment. my friend would have other staff members poaching their clients and general bitchiness of other members making it difficult to enjoy the work. That said, it will consume you and if you're good at it you can make a lot of money but you'll have to work hard and you won't enjoy your life until you're a proven sales member.

Personally I'd keep the casual work and pick up some part time work else were and enjoy myself, if you're looking to travel O/S then a career in sales is probably not the best thing to get into.

Above you also mention that your wishing to go to England end of the year....
So you jump into a new job - need to learn the ropes, 2-3 months to start seeing results, thats IF you get a grip of the job at hand and actually right up sales.
Have you any sales experience ? phone sales training ?
Lets say none - 2-3 months time its Oct, you got 2mths left to rake up sales gaining commision's IF you pick it all up quick smart.

Unless you have an outspoken easy talking type of personality, have great retention from the phone sales training etc they provide worth a shot and not much lifestyle BUT IF you can get more out of what you currently do seems better odds no.

doesn't sound like much $$ to me.....whats that around $15 an hour????

My current job is phone centre and face to face. Only difference is that im not on commission. I have a set salary regardless of what sales we make in our shift. Its almost similar in that i take calls and inquiries about shows and performances and then book the tickets for that person if they want to or not. Ive been in my current job for 5 years.

I wouldnt say i have sales experience in the sense of having to keep following up or selling the product to the person in the way flight centre seem to make it seem you have to.

The first few weeks are all training and so on. You working towards a certificate 3 in tourism. They teach you how to make the sales and so on apparently and so they emphasised that you can pick up sales tricks and techniques if you feel you not so sales savvy.

How much commission do you get? 30k base for 40+ hours a week doesn't seem like a lot.

My advice would be to work your gut out from now till when you travel - just make sure the place you choose to do it at will reward you what you deserve.

Commission is 10% on sales up $8000, then it goes up to 30%.

They gave me a whole spiel on everything and what the pay structure was. Basically they pay per seat. So your seat is $8000.

Are you in a position where you can do a hard slog by working 5days @ Flight Centre, and a day to day and a half at your current place, for 2 months or so? Would give you a really decent feel for whether or not it's worth leaving your current job for, whilst not leaving your current job

Nah, its one or the other. Flight Centre want 7 days availability.

Not sure what I'd do then mate. The Flight Centre thing sounds like it could create a whole host of opportunities in the future - travel agent (personal or corporate), all that rubbish.

My hesitation would be when it comes to livelihood I'm a worst-case-scenario kind of guy. All my budgets and everything are based around no bonuses being paid and no overtime and all that rubbish. It means on bad weeks, I'm exactly where I expect to be, whilst on good weeks I'm ahead. I couldn't imagine working 40+ hours, being told to be available 7 days a week, for take-home around $500 or less p/w, being THAT much fun. But I guess apprentices get that and less, and putting it into the grand scheme in that you're developing a skills set and something different on your resume, it may be worth it