Pictured: Chief executive Gary Pridmore
Luxury homeworking company The Travel Directors is planning to run induction courses in Mauritius to stand out from rivals and attract new recruits as it targets steady growth.
The agency, part of Aquilium Travel Group, launched last September, touting a no-fee offering and giving MacBooks to all agents who signed up and “instant” commission payments.
Generally, agents receive commission around eight weeks ahead of clients’ departures.
The firm has 12 homeworkers and is targeting between 50 and 100 agents in the longer term, but said it was “very selective” about who it took on.
It hopes to attract recruits by hosting sales training as part of an induction educational trip of five to seven days in Mauritius in addition to its two-day training in Cheshire.
The company aims to take 25 homeworkers on its first overseas course, co-hosted by Beachcomber, in December – and plans two such trips a year.
Chief executive Gary Pridmore said agents who were not top sellers often missed out on educationals.
“A lot of companies spend a lot on recruiting and educationals always go to their favourite agents,” he said. “If you nurture other agents too, you don’t need to spend so much on recruitment. Anybody who joins us will get the chance to go on our trip.”
The Mauritius trip will include resort visits and seminars on sales training. Agents will be charged for flights but Pridmore said there would be ways to offset the cost.
The Travel Directors originally targeted 20 agents by March 31 but said take-up had been slower than predicted – despite having had about 150 applications.
“We want people with travel experience,” Pridmore said, noting: “In January and February, no one thinks about leaving [their current job] as they are busy.”
