Holiday season lasts all year for Hannah

A former College student has been getting to grips with the tourism industry, taking up roles at summer and winter resorts in Europe.

Hannah Chilton, who studied on the College's BA (Hons) Adventure Tourism Management programme, spent the summer working for Sunsail in Greece and Turkey as a kids' rep, kids' hostess on a yacht flotilla and a yacht hostess.

The winter season was spent in the Plan Peisey les Arcs ski resort in France, where she helped set up for the winter season, before working as a chalet host.

She said: "My job involves running a chalet for nine guests, six days a week, cleaning, preparing breakfast, tea and cake and a three-course dinner. I was asked to step in on the first day of the season, so with no training in the job I had to get on with it. It's all going well and I can get about five hours on the slopes if I am quick and organised.

"I have to do a lot of time-keeping, public speaking and communication as well as problem solving. I also reckon you need a certain level of maturity to do it successfully as you can be under a lot of pressure."

As part of her course at the College, Hannah went to Finland for three months to do adventure education in her second year. She also arranged to work in the USA between her first and second years as a boating instructor at a camp in California for underprivileged youngsters.

She said: "I was aiming to take a course in tourism management, when I found adventure tourism management on the UCAS website, which combined my more adventurous sporty nature and need for some management skills for the future. I play water polo, have a background in mountaineering and scouting and had skied from an early age so it seemed like a good course to do.

"I choose Birmingham as I did not want to study the course at a community college and wished to try a city lifestyle. I also needed a local polo team and Birmingham University have a good one!"