Stella Jinks, training manager, ARTAC Worldchoice
Education: O’ levels; BA ticketing papers levels 1 and 2, Certificate Of Travel Agents’ Competence (now called ABTACertificate), City and Guilds travel and tourism course.
First travel job: during a work placement arranged as part of the City and Guilds course, Stella was offered a job at Yorks Travel Agency, an independent chain of agencies in Northamptonshire.
Career path: in 1990, she moved to RCI Europe, the timeshare exchange company now owned by Cedant. She joined the membership services department as travel consultant, advising timeshare owners on the exchange system and booking travel arrangements.Three years later, Stella was promoted to RCI Europe’s Cruise Club, as specialist travel consultant. Responsibilities included tailor-made holiday arrangements for members. In 1996 she was promoted to resort account representative looking after a portfolio of affiliated timeshare resorts. Afterwards she joined Tresham Institute as a travel and tourism lecturer. This role required the design and delivery of training to cover the ABTA Certificate syllabus to prepare students for their primary or advanced level examinations. In June 1999, she was appointed as training manager at Worldchoice.
Advice for people wishing to develop a career in travel: “On-going training at whatever stage in your career is essential as the industry is forever changing. Keep an open mind. You’ll need to be able to adapt to changes in technology and marketing strategy continually. It’s not a nine to five job but it’s a rewarding one.”