A surge in interest from agents looking to make a change or take their first step into self-employed homeworking has been reported.
The Personal Travel Consultants (PTCs) in partnership with Blue Bay Travel saw enquiries from agents about commission structures and general benefits double in January and February over the same two months last year.
The majority of enquiries came from people looking to move into self-employed homeworking for the first time, having enjoyed careers in tour operating or travel retail.
The PTCs has welcomed three new homeworkers since January, with the next induction for new joiners in May.
One example is Erin Nelson, who balances her career as a PTC with a complementary business as a taxi driver, primarily providing an airport transfer service.
The update came as the homeworking business revealed that January saw the highest number of visitors to its website since October, when its annual conference took place. Web traffic peaking on January 5, 6 and 7.
Group manager Abbie Heaton said: “The start of a new year is often when people reconsider their careers and review their work-life balance but this year we are really seeing agents take action, especially those who are looking at self-employed homwworking for the first time.
“These individuals are motivated, not only by the potential to achieve substantial earnings and enjoy greater flexibility, but also by the chance to create and grow their own travel business within the safety net of a well-established and prominent brand like Blue Bay Travel.”
She added: “We’re performing exceptionally well and are in a great position to expand our homeworker team, though our focus will always be on quality rather than quantity.
“On popular agent forums, we’ve already seen numerous requests from agents looking for a change this year.
“We’re confident that our compelling commission structure, which sees agents receive 50% upfront, will be appealing to anyone considering a change.
“This, combined with the support team we have in place provides a real family feel and our new agent committee has also made a positive difference to the agents we work alongside.”