Profession travel and tourism vocational teacher

Travel and tourism vocational teachers instruct students in their specialised field of study, travel and tourism, which is predominantly practical in nature. They provide theoretical instruction in service of the practical skills and techniques the students must subsequently master for a travel and tourism-related profession. Travel and tourism vocational teachers monitor the students' progress, assist individually when necessary, and evaluate their knowledge and performance on the subject of travel and tourism through assignments, tests and examinations.

Personality Type

• Social / Realistic
• Social / Artistic
• Social / Investigative

Knowledge

• Travel bookings processes

  The various steps that constitute a booking made for travelling purposes, its execution, and any additional relevant actions.

• Tourism market

  The study of the tourism market on a international, regional and local level and considering worldwide tourist destinations.

• Geographical areas relevant to tourism

  The field of tourism geography in Europe as well as the rest of the world in order to point out relevant tourism areas and attractions.

• Teamwork principles

  The cooperation between people characterised by a unified commitment to achieving a given goal, participating equally, maintaining open communication, facilitating effective usage of ideas etc.

• Customer service

  Processes and principles related to the customer, client, service user and to personal services; these may include procedures to evaluate customer's or service user's satisfaction.

• Local area tourism industry

  The characteristics of local sights and events, accommodation, bars and restaurants and leisure activities.

• Curriculum objectives

  The goals identified in curricula and defined learning outcomes.

Skills

• Maintain students' discipline

  Make sure students follow the rules and code of behaviour established in the school and take the appropriate measures in case of violation or misbehaviour.

• Provide lesson materials

  Ensure that the necessary materials for teaching a class, such as visual aids, are prepared, up-to-date, and present in the instruction space.

• Manage student relationships

  Manage the relations between students and between student and teacher. Act as a just authority and create an environment of trust and stability.

• Work in vocational school

  Work in a vocational school that instructs students in practical courses.

• Assess students

  Evaluate the students' (academic) progress, achievements, course knowledge and skills through assignments, tests, and examinations. Diagnose their needs and track their progress, strengths, and weaknesses. Formulate a summative statement of the goals the student achieved.

• Deliver presentations on tourism

  Make presentations about the tourism industry in general and about specific tourist attractions.

• Adapt teaching to student's capabilities

  Identify the learning struggles and successes of students. Select teaching and learning strategies that support students’ individual learning needs and goals.

• Teach customer service techniques

  Teach techniques designed to maintain customer service standards at a satisfactory level.

• Monitor developments in field of expertise

  Keep up with new research, regulations, and other significant changes, labour market related or otherwise, occurring within the field of specialisation.

• Apply intercultural teaching strategies

  Ensure that the content, methods, materials and the general learning experience is inclusive for all students and takes into account the expectations and experiences of learners from diverse cultural backgrounds. Explore individual and social stereotypes and develop cross-cultural teaching strategies.

• Facilitate teamwork between students

  Encourage students to cooperate with others in their learning by working in teams, for example through group activities.

• Perform classroom management

  Maintain discipline and engage students during instruction.

• Develop course outline

  Research and establish an outline of the course to be taught and calculate a time frame for the instructional plan in accordance with school regulations and curriculum objectives.

• Give constructive feedback

  Provide founded feedback through both criticism and praise in a respectful, clear, and consistent manner. Highlight achievements as well as mistakes and set up methods of formative assessment to evaluate work.

• Observe student's progress

  Follow up on students’ learning progress and assess their achievements and needs.

• Assist students in their learning

  Support and coach students in their work, give learners practical support and encouragement.

• Assign homework

  Provide additional exercises and assignments that the students will prepare at home, explain them in a clear way, and determine the deadline and evaluation method.

• Teach tourism principles

  Instruct students in the theory and practice of the subject travel and tourism, with the aim of assisting them in pursuing a future career in this field, and more specifically in topics such as tourism locations, customer service and booking techniques.

• Prepare lesson content

  Prepare content to be taught in class in accordance with curriculum objectives by drafting exercises, researching up-to-date examples etc.

• Apply teaching strategies

  Employ various approaches, learning styles, and channels to instruct students, such as communicating content in terms they can understand, organising talking points for clarity, and repeating arguments when necessary. Use a wide range of teaching devices and methodologies appropriate to the class content, the learners' level, goals, and priorities.

• Adapt instruction to labour market

  Identify developments in the labour market and recognise their relevance to the training of students.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB