Homeworking agency Personal Holiday Advisors has seen a surge in applicants as more travel staff turn to home-based roles in the wake of lockdown.
The homeworking division of Leeds-based Constant Travel Group has 10 agents and hopes to recruit a further 10 or more in the next two months.
Before lockdown, it was receiving about 10 applications a week, which rose to 25-30 per week in May and June.
Last week, following an e-shot to the Travel Weekly database, it received a record 70 applicants, said Jason Williams, business development manager.
Personal Holiday Advisors launched 18 months ago and had two homeworkers when Williams joined in December 2019 with a remit to recruit agents.
It had been part of Thomas Cook’s Freedom Travel Group but moved to Hays Travel Independence Group when Thomas Cook went out of business last September.
Williams also worked for Freedom, as BDM for the northern region, and knew Constant Travel as a client.
“More people are seeing homeworking as a way of simplifying their work-life balance,” he said.
“We’ve seen a huge increase in interest from all sectors, including leisure and business travel as well as airline staff due to the uncertainty of their positions within existing travel businesses.
“Candidates are looking at homeworking as a viable alternative.”
He said the homeworking industry was “a crowded market” and more agents are switching to the model.
But he said a wide choice of large and small options means different models will suit different individuals, so he advised job hunters to speak to a range of companies as part of their research.