Whether you’re still considering homeworking, or you’ve decided to join the sector, Tamara Hinson explores the most important factors to think about
Setting your own hours, the prospect of higher, or even uncapped, earnings and working from anywhere are all highly appealing aspects of being a homeworker. But on the other hand, working out whether the more self-reliant lifestyle of running your own business is right for you can require a lot of – well – homework.
Aligning yourself with a well-established homeworking company, and making use of the resources on offer, can be a great way to achieve the benefits of working independently, without some of the risks associated with going it alone and starting your own business from scratch.
“Personalised support and being able to confidently tailor-make holidays with full financial protection are among the most satisfying areas for our members,” says Linda Pyle, director of Brilliant Travel.
Steve Witt, co-founder of Not Just Travel and its recruitment arm, The Travel Franchise, says: “The benefits of buying a homeworking franchise is that there is a well-trodden path, lined with proven strategies and tactics to follow.”
The perfect fit
Generally, being a homeworker means more flexibility in how you work, and finding the right fit to suit your lifestyle, hobbies, family or health can improve wellbeing and help you to achieve a sustainable work-life balance.
“Everyone is different and things like commission levels and monthly costs really aren’t the most important factors, because ultimately you need to find a business that you think will support you to thrive both on a personal and professional level,” says Sheena Whittle, head of Co-op Travel’s The Personal Travel Agents.
The ideal way to do this is by chatting to someone from the company you’re considering working with. “Pick up the phone, talk to homeworkers from that business and get the real view of what it’s like,” she says.
A key thing to consider is company size. While InteleTravel, for example, has 14,000 homeworkers in the UK and 350 in Ireland, Blue Bay Travel has 40 Personal Travel Consultants. It’s worth weighing up if you want to be a part of a larger network or a smaller one.
“I looked at other homeworking companies before I joined, and spoke to their recruitment departments,” says Dawn Neicho, a homeworker at The Personal Travel Agents. “I liked the idea that the Co-op had a smaller number of homeworkers. I didn’t just want to be a number – it was my first homeworking role, so I wanted the support if I needed it.”
A helping hand
Support is crucial: some homeworkers prefer minimum support, while others may appreciate more hands-on help. And this support can come in all different forms, from administrative and operational to help with processing bookings and running their business.
Some homeworkers may also choose to receive marketing and social media support, which can help them to promote their business and generate more bookings.
Participating in the company’s induction is a good chance for homeworkers to find their feet, get familiar with the systems and navigate their way around what support is there.
“Our homeworkers’ journeys begin with full training by our highly experienced head office team, and we give them ongoing support, together with regular business development coaching and webinar training sessions,” says Mark Smith, head of business development at Simplexity Travel.
Lead generation
Some companies provide sales leads for their homeworkers, others allow homeworkers to create their own, or they may have a mixture of both. Personal Holiday Advisors, the homeworking arm of Constant Travel, for example, creates its own leads for homeworkers to build on.
Over at Travel-pa, homeworkers generally find their own leads, but they are also able to access some through the newly created website: mytravelhub.co.uk
“When it comes to leads, our model is a 70:30 split in favour of the homeworker for self-developed leads, and mytravelhub.co.uk will supplement this,” says Hamish Kaumaya, managing director at Travel-pa.
Designer Travel’s homeworkers are also given some leads, but they find the majority themselves.
“We have always recruited on the basis of homeworkers building their own business,” says Karen Pocock, director at Designer Travel.
Money talk
While some companies will ask for a larger initial sum, but offer more favourable commission rates and payment times, as well as providing hardware such as laptops, others might target more experienced homeworkers with smaller set-up fees.
As an example of how much the initial outlay required can vary, Not Just Travel and its recruitment arm, The Travel Franchise, has a Lite Package, which starts from £2,995+ VAT, and an Elite package that costs £14,995+ VAT, with the latter offering 75% commission.
And Travel Specialists by Advantage, part of The Advantage Travel Partnership, was set up in 2020, and offers free membership for its new joiners for the first three months. Then there are also card fees for transactions to be aware of.
When it comes to money you’re bringing in, of course the amount of commission offered and when this is paid is a huge consideration. It varies between companies too, so take the time to see what will work best for you and your cashflow.
Brilliant Travel and The Personal Travel Agents pay up to 75% commission. Blue Bay Travel’s Personal Travel Consultants, for instance, pays homeworkers 65% commission on their own bookings, and 25% on Blue Bay leads. The company pays 50% commission upfront, with 50% six weeks ahead of travel.
At Independent Travel Experts, the homeworker commission split starts at 61% and increases up to 80%, based on the cumulative commission earned. Commission is paid after departure, however there is an option for this to be paid sooner, in which case it’s paid the month after booking.
Hays Travel homeworkers are paid 50% of their commission the following month of booking, and the remaining 50% after the customer’s departure.
Take the time to see what commission model will work best for you and your cashflow
Choosing a company that pays commission after the client has travelled has advantages, too.
Many homeworkers opt to put the chunk of commission they’re paid after the client’s travel date towards the tax they’ll need to pay on their earnings. “I was attracted to the commission model offered by Designer Travel,” says Designer Travel homeworker Gary Wright.
“The company pays you 60% from your initial commission earnings upfront, retaining 40% in a pot, which is then paid once the customer has travelled.”
Paperwork and planning
If you decide homeworking is the right path for you, studying your contract thoroughly is one of several practical things you’ll need to do before joining a company. A particularly important area to watch is whether you will keep ownership of your customer database.
And lastly, don’t underestimate the power of a plan, says InteleTravel’s UK and Ireland managing director Tricia Handley-Hughes. “Start by creating one-year, two-year and five-year plans.
You’ll also need to register your business name at Companies House to ensure you avoid name duplication, and you’ll need to think about who your customers will be.”
Questions to think about
- What commission models are offered? Do any payments come in before the client travels to help with cashflow?
- Are there any monthly costs I need to pay, and what are these for?
- Will I be able to generate my own leads, or will I need some help from the homeworking company with finding enquiries?
- Will there be admin support when I make a booking? What other support can I access?
- Will the company allow me to work whenever I want, around my other commitments?
- Will I have a full induction when I start? How much training is there?
Ask the homeworkers
Heather Lee, Travel Counsellors
“Put aside some money when you’re starting out, so you’re covered for a rainy day”
“At my previous employer I was working ridiculously long hours and not being valued for the hours and commitment I put in.
I saw an advert in Travel Weekly in which Travel Counsellors highlighted opportunities to work from home. This came just at the right time – in fact, it saved my sanity!
This June I celebrate 24 years with Travel Counsellors. I’m an avid reader of all material that comes through the post and online and join in all sorts of Zoom meetings and training that is offered to me.
My first wage as a Travel Counsellor was double what I’d earned and second and third triple, so that was great for me, but when I was starting out, I’d put aside the equivalent of 12 months’ salary as I wanted to be covered for a rainy day.”
Vicky Beck, Brilliant Travel
“Do your research, ask questions and consider your business plan”
“I didn’t know much about homeworking before I met one of my now Brilliant Travel colleagues on an educational trip and we got chatting. She had been a homeworker for 10 years and loved it.
Having a young family and being used to self-employment, being tied to a desk just wasn’t right for me. The other homeworkers are amazing and have helped me so much in my first five months.
In a couple of words: do it! But do your research, ask questions, and write a business plan. Think about what you’d love to be earning, where your clients will come from and that there might be a period of no income. How will you cope with this? Think about how you could get some last-minute bookings in.”
PICTURES: Shutterstock/Yuganov Konstantin, GaudiLab, Monkey Business Images