Last month, two of the biggest homeworking companies, Future Travel and Travel Counsellors, conducted staff surveys which sparked a war of words over who offered the best pay and benefits.
Here, Travel Weekly gives both firms the chance to clarify their offerings while Hays Travel, which also employs homeworkers, sheds some light of its own.
Hays Travel
What is the average annual salary across all agents?
£14,500 – we have a high percentage of part-time homeworkers.
What does the top seller earn?
£45,000.
What percentage earns more than the average salary across all workers?
39%.
Average hours worked in a week?
We do not monitor working hours.
How do agents get leads and what are your commission levels?
We have a £2 million marketing budget with Teletext, and the Internet provides telephone and e-commerce leads for new homeworkers who earn 30 to 40% [of total] commission. Homeworkers can choose to build up a database using Hays Travel-generated leads, or earn 60% commission from their own client base.
What benefits do agents have working for you?
A fully-funded overseas conference every year, plus summer garden and Christmas parties. The majority of fam trips and educationals are also funded.
What on the job training is offered?
Paid three day training course at head office in Sunderland.
Is there a support network in place?
Homeworkers have peer support from team leaders as well as a 24-hour dedicated homeworker support team at head office and further IT, administrative and customer service teams who are on hand at all times.
What is the initial set up fee?
£295 plus VAT.
Is it different for homeworkers who live abroad?
We don’t have any homeworkers that are based overseas as yet, but we would be more than happy to recruit from outside the UK.
Future Travel
What is the average annual salary across all agents?
£15,600.
What does the top seller earn?
In excess of £120,000.
What percentage earns more than the average salary across all workers?
More than 65%.
Average hours worked in a week?
Most of our homeworkers work between 35 and 50 hours per week.
How do agents get leads and what are your commission levels?
About 25% are personal travel advisors who sell to their own clients and have three levels of commission: 45%, 60% and 75% [of the total commission]. For the Teletext divisions they have all marketing, communication and stationery costs met and earn 30% commission with bonus payments of up to 10%.
What benefits do agents have working for you?
As part of the Co-operative Travel Trading Group, agents gain from its buying power. Agents also benefit from educational and fully-funded conferences, as well as a central helpdesk to provide technical and administrative support.
What on the job training is offered?
On joining the company, agents undergo three days of training which includes sales techniques, administration and technical training. This year we have introduced two new trainers to visit homes.
Is there a support network in place?
A sales development team supports the homeworkers in teams of up to 30 people. Homeworkers also regularly receive individual and conference calls.
What is the initial set up fee?
£295 plus VAT.
Is it different for homeworkers who live abroad?
We have no homeworkers overseas, though the technology is in place.
Travel Counsellors
What is the average annual salary across all agents?
£16,819 – this includes new starters.
What does the top seller earn?
£120,000.
What percentage earns more than the average salary across all workers?
40%.
Average hours worked in a week?
41% work 31-40 hours per week.
How do agents get leads and what are your commission levels?
Agents generate their own leads and earn 60% of the total commission.
What benefits do agents have working for you?
As well as private health care, agents have access to financial counsellors to arrange mortgages, life insurance and pension arrangements. Our contact centre helps agents manage their databases. We encourage agents to attend educationals, and treat top sellers to a weekend away every year. Conferences are heavily subsidised.
What on the job training is offered?
New starters have three days’ training at head office with no charge for hotel accommodation. They feature in the audience of TCTV and are introduced to all our agents in the UK and overseas.
Is there a support network in place?
Agents have access to message boards, a 24-hour helpdesk and two business development managers who visit agents in their own area.
What is the initial set up fee?
£495 plus VAT.
Is it different for homeworkers who live abroad?
Counsellors who join us in the UK and then move overseas pay the joining fee in the UK at the time.