OVERSEAS REP JOBS

Our Overseas Representatives (Reps) are employed to take care of customers on our self-guided walking, cycling and canoeing holidays in France, Italy, Spain and Austria. This includes transporting customers from the airport/rail station, providing an introductory briefing session and moving their luggage between hotels. Reps are also responsible for maintaining bike (and canoe) equipment, checking route notes, and liaising with hotels.

WORKING AS A HOLIDAY REPRESENTATIVE

Person specification:

  • Full clean (Category B”) driving licence and at least 3 years driving experience. Experience of driving a large vehicle (9-seater) on European roads desirable.
  • A good working knowledge of the local language
  • Reliable and self-motivated - able to work alone and autonomously
  • Flexible - able to respond positively and flexibly to changing circumstances
  • Able to plan and organise schedules to ensure customer requirements are correctly interpreted and responded to
  • Excellent communication skills, able to deal proactively and confidently with customers and local supply agents (e.g. hoteliers, restauranteurs and taxi companies).
  • Ability to undertake routine cycle maintenance (training will be provided)
  • Map reading skills - sufficient to verify route notes and resolve any problems
  • Interested in walking and cycling (and where appropriate, canoeing).
  • Physical fitness – sufficient to undertake the checking and verification of walking and cycling route notes and to lift and carry luggage between hotels and lift bicycles into vans/onto rear mounted bicycle carriers.
  • In addition, Reps in regions with Canoe holidays must have canoe or kayak experience (we will provide additional training in appropriate circumstances) and will need to be licensed to tow a canoe trailer.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Transfers: Customers can arrive to start their holiday every 2 days on a typical Headwater holiday. For the Rep, this means that every other day is a “Transfer Day” involving both inbound and outbound transfers. Customers can make their own travel arrangements, but generally customers will be collected from and returned to the airport/station in a minibus by the Rep. Reps are responsible for the maintenance and cleanliness of company vehicles.

Customer Briefings and de-briefs: Reps are responsible for providing all customers with a ‘briefing' at the start of their holiday. This consists of going through general information about the area, giving tips on refreshment possibilities during their ‘move-on' days, going through maps and route notes to ensure any updates are passed on.

If the customers are on a cycling holiday, then the briefing will also include issuing a correctly sized bike, instructing the customer on its key features (e.g. explaining how to use the gears) and providing a puncture repair demonstration.

For canoe holidays, the Rep will drive customers to their first landing bay and provide “on the river” instruction to ensure that they can paddle safely and efficiently.

On most holidays, it is likely that the Rep will not see the guests again until they arrive at their final hotel on their last day. It is there that the Rep will meet them for a “de-brief” to check everything has gone ok with the holiday and to confirm departure arrangements.

Luggage Transfers: On non-transfer days, customers will generally be “moving-on” independently to their next hotels (by bike, foot or canoe). On these days, the Rep is responsible for moving their baggage. As well as getting the bags to the correct hotel, this is also an excellent time for Reps to liaise with hoteliers, checking hotel reservations and ensuring that the Hotel is maintaining required standards.

Bike Maintenance: Throughout the season, Reps are responsible for managing their bike stocks to ensure that all customers receive a clean, safe and well maintained bike. Reps will also need to respond to “call-out” requests from customers with technical difficulties. Training is provided at the beginning of the season to ensure that all Reps have the appropriate skills and knowledge to undertake these responsibilities.

Health and Safety Inspections: Reps are responsible for completing a detailed Health and Safety check-list for all hotels and restaurants at the beginning of each season.

Route notes: Headwater customers are provided with detailed route notes for the holidays that they are undertaking and it is the Reps responsibility to check and monitor the accuracy of these notes at the beginning of the season and throughout the summer.

Checking Bookings and Reservations: Reps are responsible for checking and verifying all bookings, reservations and special arrangements (e.g. dietary requirements) with the hotels and restaurants throughout the season to ensure that any problems are resolved well in advance of customer’s arrivals.

In some regions, Reps will also be responsible for making restaurant reservations and arranging taxi transfers.

In a nutshell:

All regions are different, but on average it’s estimated that Reps spend 40% of their time driving minibuses (i.e. Station/airport transfers and transporting luggage from hotel to hotel), 20% of their time briefing customers and dealing with administrative matters and another 40% of their time cleaning and repairing bikes.

If you'd like to find out more about working as rep for Headwater then please see our Frequenty Asked Questions section to find out more. To apply for an overseas position, please email your CV and a covering letter of application to zoe.raftery@exodus.co.uk

If you have any further questions regarding working as an overseas representative for Headwater, please e-mail zoe.raftery@exodus.co.uk