I’ve always been focused ob building a life I don’t need to retire from. What can I set up now that can last me forever. For me, at this stage in life It’s rental properties and a career in the golf industry.

Parents and online education (both free and paid)

I just started this new job in the golf industry 6 months ago, I invested in myself and became a certified golf coach, I then pitched to a local business owner to work with him, he accepted - turned out one of his clients owned a tour operator business in the golf industry and needed to hire someone and so I was in the right place at the right time. Get out there and shake hands, network, put yourself out there.

I work 2.5 days in the office 5 minutes from me and 2.5 days at home. I do everything from onboarding the clients to meeting them in Ireland. We build bespoke itineraries for mainly Americans playing golf in Ireland, booking tee times, hotels, transport, invoicing etc. Whether it’s booking helicopters, 5* hotels for the best courses in Ireland we work with clients for generally over a year to make their Irish Gold trip perfect.

We build bespoke itineraries for mainly Americans playing golf in Ireland, booking tee times, hotels, transport, invoicing etc. This includes booking helicopters and 5* hotels for the best courses in Ireland.

Keeping up with all the changes that can happen to an itinerary that’s built over the course of 12 months. You need to be able to switch from itinerary to itinerary and pick up where you left off. Some clients will be incredibly easy and you can book the whole tour within a week, some clients will take up to 2 years when there are over 20 people coming.

The Failte Ireland fam Trips. I’ve been on one and got to experience some of the best hotels and courses in Ireland all while getting paid.

I’ve owned and operated a B&B so I’ve dealt with thousands of customers over the past few years, customer service is one of my strong suits. I took a life coaching course online along with investing in a mentor in 2019, this was invaluable. I learned how to build lasting confidence, self-esteem, perspective along with a variety of others. These are lite skills everyone needs. Once you understand paradigms and how people think, everything changes.

I started Commerce in NUIG in 2015, lasted a year as I listened to other people’s opinions too much then took a year out (one of the best decisions I ever made) then went on and studied Business in Tourism in Cork. This was a 3 year course and one of the years I got to study abroad in Munich (other option was Madrid) this was one of the best years of my life and I met my future wife. If you have the choice to do an Erasmus year DO IT!!!

Secondary - Glenstal Abbey School
Third Level - CIT 3 years (Business in Tourism)

Complete renovation of our B&B (now long term apartments) that I get to pass down to my kids.

It all goes back to understand paradigms and how people think. Being confident enough to go for an opportunity and understanding limiting beliefs.

This is very important to understand but will change as you get older and go through different chapters of life. In your 20’s most people aren’t married and don’t have kids yet so your job can vary. Some people will want to set themselves up for life in their 20’s while others will want to travel as much as possible. In your 30’s/40’s your priorities will change with family etc and therefore your priorities with your career will change. As mentioned above I’m focused on building a career I don’t need to retire from and I’ve been focused on this since my early 20’s.

As a tour operator you need to have a variety of skills: 

• Customer service
• Tech
• Sales
• Along with being patient, organised, focused, and outgoing just to name a few.

Patient, Organised and a good communicator.

Working with a client for so long then they want to change their itinerary (thanks to some passing information) on the day of arrival!

I love on the job training, I worked in sales during my ‘year off’ for a few months and there was real life sales training, not theory. I always aim to upskill, the world is constantly changing and you have to stay relevant in the marketplace. Too many stories of people who ‘got comfortable’ then lost their job and didn’t have the relevant skills to pick up where they left off.

Hospitality or sales

Tour Co-Ordinator at Experience Ireland Golf & Travel