20 November 2019

Muswellbrook local, Sophie Scriven, is flying high after completing a Certificate III in Tourism at TAFE NSW before graduating from high school.

Ms Scriven undertook a school-based traineeship at iTravel in Muswellbrook and her employers were so impressed, she is now employed full-time in her dream job.

“It’s tremendous that I can incorporate what I learnt studying online with TAFE Digital into my everyday work environment when speaking with customers, helping them plan exciting holidays and providing them with quotes,” Ms Scriven said.

“The great rapport I’ve built with my customers makes them feel more comfortable and helps me maintain long-term relationships. Being knowledgeable and professional, yet still fun, is really a great balance.”

During Ms Scriven’s studies, one of her assignments was to liaise with Jess, Jetstar’s messenger app. 

“Jess was of help to me for generic advice, but I think dealing directly with a travel agent is so much more personal and meeting people face-to-face when possible.  There also aren’t any hidden fees, which often pop up on the internet with online bookings,” she said.

Ms Scriven recently put her money where her mouth is and booked a return trip to the United States through iTravel.  “Two years ago I spent time in Seattle as an exchange student, so was keen to go back and visit, and was incredibly happy to take my parents too!,” she said.

“We flew into San Francisco and had a connecting flight to Los Angeles, where we stayed for a week and took up the opportunity to spend exciting time at Disneyland, Universal Studios, Hollywood Celebrity Homes Tour and Santa Monica before flying to Seattle”

 “It was fantastic seeing my host family again, reminiscing and getting to show my parents where I lived. After four days, my parents left and went on to Las Vegas followed by San Francisco, and a friend and I caught a flight to New York,” she said.

“Although we only stayed in New York for three nights, it was enough time to see the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Times Square and the Rockefeller Centre.  I definitely want to go back to New York to explore that magnificent city more.”

Ms Scriven said her TAFE Digital studies helped her a lot during the trip, as she navigated conversations with a variety of people with different accents.  “We had to have a lot of patience and often used hand gestures,” she said.  “It was quite funny that many people thought my Australian accent was British.”

Since returning home, Ms Scriven has been delighted to share her travel experiences with customers.  “The travel bug has definitely bitten,” she said.  “Spain and Iceland are huge on my bucket list, but so is India, Egypt, Jordon, South America for its ancient architecture, and Japan, Russia and Alaska, to name but a few!”

To see TAFE Digital’s hundreds of online courses across a range of modern industries, please visit https://www.tafensw.edu.au/digital

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