The role of Tour Manager for Contiki is a demanding yet fulfilling one. Our Tour Managers are responsible for the day to day running of our European tours – getting our clients from city to city, pointing out the best sights and sounds of Europe and making sure everyone has a great time along the way. We look for people with personality and passion, who are fun, friendly, and approachable and most of all who enjoy looking after other people.

Why work for Contiki?

Contiki is the world’s leading tour operator for 18-35’s. When working for us you’re undertaking not only a job but a lifestyle. A life that involves travelling to some of the most exotic destinations in the world with some of the most amazing people you’ll ever meet.

As a member of our road crew, you will be the face of Contiki – dealing with our passengers each day and ensuring that they have the holiday of a lifetime! We have high expectations of our road crew – only the best will do. We’ve been at the top of our game for the last 46 years and that’s where we intend to stay!

To be a part of our team you’ll need to:

• Have great time management skills.
• Be enthusiastic and motivated – we expect you to work hard for our company and for our clients.
• Be passionate about travel and Europe.
• Willing to learn and have the desire to keep on learning.
• Be responsible and professional at all times.
• Have the ability to deal with all types of people – our clients come from all around the globe; they speak many languages and have many different expectations.
• Enjoy a challenge – our training trip and the job itself will constantly present you with many different and difficult situations.
• Be positive and have the ability to deal with all situations in a calm and mature manner.
• Be a problem solver – you will have to deal with lost passports, clients with injuries who need to visit a hospital, conflict of personalities etc.
• Work well as part of a team – when you are on tour you will be working with your Driver, Supercook, on-site Reps, Local suppliers and guides – you will be part of a very big picture.

What are the requirements?

You must be able to work in Europe. This means being the holder of one of the following:

• European Passport
• “Right of Abode” for the United Kingdom
• “Residency” for the United Kingdom
• Valid work visa for the United Kingdom.

If you do not currently have any of the above but you are eligible, you may still apply for the position of Tour Manager.

Although not required, the following will be of help to you in your application for this position:

• Experience working with and leading groups
• Confidence when speaking in front of a group
• Previous travel in Europe
• Having previously travelled with Contiki or participated in a group tour of some description

How do I apply?

To apply for the position of Tour Manager click on the “Apply Now” icon at the end of this page. To complete your application you will need an electronic copy of your CV and passport. Applications that do not have both of these items uploaded (as specified on the application form) will be considered incomplete and will not be processed.

What happens next?

Once we have received your application we will contact you via email so please make sure that you check your email account regularly.

If we think that you may be suitable for a position, we will invite you to an interview. Our interview process is divided into two parts; a group interview followed by an individual interview. The group interview will be made up of a number of your fellow applicants. For this interview you will all be asked to prepare a short talk on a subject concerning European history/geography etc. Your presentation allows us to assess your communication skills and your research abilities. Notes and electronic equipment may not be used during your presentation. The strength of your presentation combined with your participation during the group interview will determine whether you are offered an individual interview. The group interview is not a competition; we do not have a quota of positions to fill from each group interview, individual interviews will be offered to all promising applicants. Individual interviews will general be held the afternoon of or day following your group interview. Please note: not all applicants who attend a group interview will be offered an individual interview.

Interview dates are as follows:

• London: September 30th 2008 – February 11th 2009
• Applications for interviews in Australia have now closed

Following a successful individual interview you will be offered a position on one of our 2009 European Training Trips (training will commence in late February 2009, exact dates will be confirmed at the time of your group interview). To secure your place on this training trip you will be required to pay a bond of €300.00. This amount is fully refundable upon the successful completion of your training trip. Refunds will not be given to those who change their mind about attending or who do not successfully complete the training trip.

In preparation for your training trip you will be required to complete a pre-training trip assignment. This is a comprehensive body of work that will help you prepare for the role of a Tour Manager and in particular the talks that you will deliver to your clients. The assignment covers many aspects of Europe including the history, geography, languages, customs, culture and current events. The preparation of this assignment will take up a lot of your time however done properly it is a solid foundation for the training trip where you will go on to learn even more about Europe.

The training trip involves one week in London and approximately 8 weeks in Europe. You will visit all of our major destinations throughout Europe and along the way learn the skills of Tour Managing. Our training trips are renowned for being intense and very challenging so the more advance preparation you undertake the better off you will be. The training programme will be discussed in more detail during the group interview.

A definite offer of contract work will not be made until you have successfully completed the full training programme.

Successful recruits are expected to make a commitment of at least two summer seasons.

When you work for Contiki you are joining a global brand; your opportunities to further your expertise stretch from Russia and Scandinavia to Australia and New Zealand. Given the reputation of our training programme, you will always go far in the fields of travel, tourism and beyond.

Apply Now!