Tripcentral.ca Employment Opportunities

Download and complete an employment application and either email it or fax it to us IN CONFIDENCE.

Even if you have no intention of changing jobs now, fill one in anyway! Take the opportunity to tell us about yourself – we’ll keep it on file, and we can stay in touch if things change.

Employment Application Form (PDF)
Employment Application Form (Word Doc)
About tripcentral.ca

About The Process

How and when will I be contacted?
We will only contact you by the methods you suggest, and we will never contact you at work unless you specifically indicate that it is okay.

What happens when I send in an application?
There is no need to send us a resume and covering letter if you fill this form out. You can if you like, but we’ve designed the form to get the relevant information we need. You’ll get a confirmation that we received your form, and if there is interest on our part, we will contact you for a telephone interview. Based on this interview, we would proceed to an in person meeting. Prior to hiring, you will have an opportunity to spend some time in one of our offices while the office is either open or closed, and even talk with our staff if you like.

What positions are open now, and what will be in the future?
We are always recruiting for good agents and if the conditions are right, we will hire. There are certain times of year that are better than others to start with us, depending on your experience level. The more experienced you are, and the better fit your background is with us, the more flexibility we have in start times.

What locations are you hiring for?
We have locations in Hamilton, Burlington, Guelph, Kitchener, Waterloo, Orangeville, Sarnia, Aurora, Ottawa, Sudbury, Moncton, Dartmouth, Bedford, Wolfville, Greenwood and Digby. We are planning to open in Barrie at some point. We are always looking for good agents that match our needs in any of our locations.

Why would I want to work for tripcentral.ca?
You will be working with state of the art productivity tools that allow you to work faster and smarter than our competitors. Sales leads will be sent to you from innovative marketing on our website and traditional media. Our pricing strategy is good value for customers making closing easier. We can offer good pricing because we are more efficient in operations: no invoice checking, no ticket checking, no followup on documents – our admin staff support you so you can focus on customers. We want “agents who’ve been there” and we believe that good agents should be well paid. We offer an environment where those with drive and desire will be rewarded.

About Who we are Seeking to Hire

Sales Oriented
In the past, before travel information was public on websites, a successful travel agent was extremely service oriented and could efficiently command the GDS systems. Competition was based on service level, as the level of discounting and the ease of consumer comparison was less prevalent.

Today’s successful travel agent must be more sales oriented. In the face of competitors, tripadvisor, and direct hotel websites, it’s less about the content itself and transmission of information, as helping the customer select what is right for them. Web booking engines have taken the knowledge of GDS formats away as an impediment to a successful agent. It’s now more about your communication ability, and your confidence in making recommendations and asking for the sale.

You’ve Travelled
Our system directs prospective clients to agents who’ve been to selected hotels, destinations, cruise lines, and itineraries. The more places you have been that are relevant to the Canadian leisure travel consumer, the more success you will have with us with new customers. In particular, the ITC package and mass market cruises are a heavy part of our business.

You Like to Travel
Because you like to travel yourself, you take interest in your prospect’s travel plans. Being interested and engaged means that you stand out from the many order takers in the market. You understand that creating interest makes you stand out from your competitors.

You’ve got Hustle
Our environment gives you a stream of leads including walk in, telephone from the web and other advertising, and web requests. Add to this any past clientele you have, and your ability to juggle priorities, multi-task, and move quickly will increase your earning capability. Our theory is, if you have to come to work for eight hours, you might as well work hard and earn as much as possible in that time. This makes your leisure time more rewarding.

You want to do the best you can
People that want to work at a leisurely pace, or to whom success is not important may find tripcentral.ca a stressful place to work. If you believe that selling travel is a credible and professional way to earn a good living, we want you. If you think that selling travel is a retirement project, a sideline or hobby, or something that helps pay the bills as a second income – then we are probably not for you. We have some travel agents that earn more than teachers and government workers. Desire to succeed is important, because we give you tools and marketing to action.

You know it takes two years to see repeat clients
“Stick-with-it-ness” and tenacity are important. If you service your sales well, and ask for referrals, you will become less dependent on new business. Repeat business is much less stressful than winning new customers. If you have a client base to bring to tripcentral.ca, it will make this easier. But we all understand that it’s important to build and maintain a repeat clientele – and it takes time.

You are computer savvy
Your ability to navigate Windows applications, conduct web searches, copy, paste, and type reasonably well will all help to navigate and maximize the tools tripcentral.ca will give you to manage your time and close sales.

You’re not afraid to try new things
More than anything, the business and the expectations of our customers are changing. Tripcentral.ca has developed an innovative way of doing business that requires an open mind. Those who are willing to try new things, and work towards mastering new skills and methods are more successful.

You’ve been around the block
Our preference is to hire people with experience in retail travel, and enhance that experience. It’s important that you are familiar with the business enough to avoid pitfalls and areas of liability. Knowing your obligations under TICO, understanding the ins and outs of Travel Insurance, understanding the basics of travel agency accounting, knowing the suppliers in the market, having attended product launches and training, and operating a GDS (we use SABRE) are essential building blocks to enhancing these skills with tripcentral.ca’s tools and methods. If you don’t have travel agency experience, it is possible to overcome with strong first hand travel experience and a strong sales orientation, but it is more challenging.

About the Work Arrangements

Full Time: Our store locations require full time agents willing to work a rotation of Saturdays and nights depending upon the location. Our full time agents receive up to 20 paid days off per year subject to booking and time restrictions. Full time agents are paid bi-weekly based on expected performance with an incentive to over achieve the associated revenue target.

Winter Season (Oct-Mar): We are looking for experienced agents interested in working during the busiest months of the year. This period accounts for in excess of 60% of the year’s revenue allowing you to enjoy the balance of the year for other important things in life. Perhaps you have other seasonal work during the better weather. A successful winter agent may make as much as an average full time agent in half the time.

Peak Season (Jan-Mar): There is a need for specialized sales functions during our peak season that can be tailored to your experience level. The sales process can be broken into modules and you could be supporting the sales process in a different way. Retired agents and former owners may enjoy doing something productive during our peak period when the weather is bad.

Part Time: Many of our locations are open Saturdays and nights, which requires us to rotate agents to cover these hours. Part time agents working 2, 3, or 4 days a week, and selected nights, alternating weeks, assist us in covering the retail hours. Perhaps you were a full time agent before having children and wish to re-enter the workforce. Maybe you’re experienced with clients but want to slow down a bit.

At Home – We Do the Marketing: If you do not live in a city where tripcentral.ca has a location, we’re still interested in talking to you. You must demonstrate a proven track record of performance and be savvy enough to deal with our IT department for computer issues that arise. Straight commission would be paid and costs recovered on computer and telephone equipment, and connectivity. A commitment to customer service and core hours, with a minimum sales productivity, will be required.

At Home – You have Established Clientele: You can also work on a closed environment where you are using all the tripcentral.ca systems except for the marketing and referral of new clients. A minimum $50,000 annual net revenue commitment would be required.

About tripcentral.ca

We are an innovative retail travel agency with a strong online presence, that operates 22 stores in Ontario and Atlantic Canada. The innovation comes through the systematic approach to marketing and selling travel, through systems designed to increase productivity. There is a blend of sales leads being generated from the web (phone and electronic), local phone, and walk in. The business was started in 1989 by Richard Vanderlubbe (former ACTA and TICO Chair), and in May 2005 Transat A.T. Inc. invested to take a 50.1% position in the company. The company is based in Hamilton where centralized accounting, documentation, ticketing, and IT systems support sales agents in our offices. A decentralized call centre has been layered onto the retail stores, and all agents have access to sales leads from the web.