Originally Posted by
Kagehitokiri
1. network!
2. try and move to a Virtuoso travel agency in the not too distant future
3. keep building luxury market knowledge, and really leverage it
there are TAs on FT, including 1-2 Virtuoso TAs in the luxury hotels forum for example. you might try talking to them, or check out the website(s) that one of them has.
if you want to live in Dubai and work for Emirates, you might also want to consider getting some other job in Dubai. Corporate travel, sales, PR, marketing, plenty of related fields..
not sure why you want to go back to uni, but you should definitely explore whether it would be possible to get a job where your employer would pay for all/part of it.
I had a look at the Virtuoso website and there is only one agency in New Zealand. Might have to wait until I move overseas to explore that option. I enjoy luxury travel (both doing it and expanding my knowledge of it) so no problems with that part.
Problem with me going straight into something at this point is that I basically did the wrong degree at university and am stumped at how to get into marketing with a B Arts (major in sociology, minor in public relations). Basically it's really overwhelming trying to work out where to start and how to sell myself on these roles (let alone get in the door for a face-to-face interview which is where I feel I can shine).
What I've said above is part of the reason I want to go back to uni. I also love being at uni and love learning and studying. I'm really interested in doing some further studies in business and if I could somehow get into an organisation that would pay for part/all of it in a few years time that would be awesome.
Also re Dubai, how the heck do you get a job there?! I've done the odd Google search (haven't devoted a tonne of effort to it yet) but could only pull up some pretty crappy looking websites that didn't seem to offer much reliable info.
Anyway, thanks for the input - much appreciated.