10 May 2019

Sophie Scriven has secured the job of her dreams at iTravel in Muswellbook after completing a Certificate III in Tourism with TAFE Digital, while completing her HSC.

Ms Scriven said, “I’m not going to lie – the HSC part of my studies was hard work. On the other hand, completing the tourism qualification was enjoyable, as I was incredibly motivated to establish my career in the travel sector as soon as I completed my HSC.”

It was very important for Ms Scriven to further her studies online so that she could work at her own pace, while focusing on her HSC. “It was great that I didn’t have to physically attend classes, could set my own schedule and do assessments at midnight if I wanted to, while still focusing on the HSC,” she said.

As part of her school-based traineeship, Ms Scriven secured a spot with iTravel in Muswellbrook to work part-time with the team. “My manager saw how committed I was to work hard at being the best travel agent I could be and because I was doing so well with my TAFE Digital work and assessments, offered me full-time work when I completed the certificate,” she said.

Determined to become a travel agent, choosing this course was easy for Ms Scriven. “I get a real kick out of helping people plan their holidays and sharing my stories of places I’ve visited,” she said. “Traveling has always been a passion of mine, and if I get to talk about travel every day, that’s pretty amazing!”

According to Ms Scriven, the teachers were fantastic, took her under their wings and were quick to answer emails or call her back if she had any questions. “They went out of their way to make my online study experience an absolute pleasure,” she said.

A highlight of Ms Scriven’s work life is providing advice on international destinations, which was a course unit in which she excelled. “I’ve always had an interest in Spain and Iceland and I got to do so much research on these countries that I can now say they’re firmly on my bucket list,” she said. “This particular assessment has also been of enormous advantage at work when people say they want to go to either of those places, as I can help them with detailed itineraries and highlight landmarks not to be missed.”

Ms Scriven plans to go mobile and travel more after she’s worked for a few years. “I’d like to do a working holiday in New Zealand, work as a travel agent in Queenstown and travel around the South Island,” she enthused. “I’d also like to do a working holiday in Europe and become a tour guide for a well-known company like Contiki or Topdeck.”

To find out more about our hundreds of online courses, please visit https://www.tafensw.edu.au/digital

Media contact: Bonny Gunn, TAFE Digital Media and Communications Business Partner. M: 0417 134 048