The Tourism & Hospitality Sector is a very important part of the Irish economy, employing up to 250,000 people. Ireland’s Tourism industry is rebounding very quickly again after the pandemic and as a result, there are many career opportunities available. The sheer size of the industry means that it contains a very diverse range of careers, from Leisure to Business, from Marketing to Management and from Event Organising to Tour Guides & Attractions.
This week we take a look at another example of the excellent career paths available within the wider Tourism industry - Outdoor Activities Instructor.
Stephanie Walls is an Activity Instructor with Eco Atlantic Adventures in Cranford, Co. Donegal. In the video below she speaks about the different activities she leads as part of her role, from hill climbing to being out on the water and how she just loves her ‘office’. Naomi Hunter, another of the instructors, also speaks of her father telling her when she was a child that if she found a job she loved, then she would never have to work a day in her life. She says that she ‘just couldn’t see herself stuck in an office’ and she intends to continue her studies with an Outdoor Pursuits course in Castlebar.
Outdoor Activity Instructor is just one of the dozens of different career paths available in the broader Tourism & Hospitality industry. If you would like to discover more about the careers available, visit our excellent Career Explorer and check the Tourism & Hospitality filter.
FÁILTE IRELAND have produced a series of excellent interactive Flipbooks that highlight the many career paths in Tourism & Hospitality and the skills that can be developed along the way. Check out the Activity Provider flipbook through the link below-
https://online.flippingbook.com/view/349556066
Develop the essential skills for the modern world of work
The Tourism & Hospitality industry is the perfect learning ground for many of the key skills required for the modern world of work. Working with the public and helping them to enjoy their experience during their outdoor activities requires a wide variety of both soft and hard skills. Empathy and Emotional Intelligence, Ability to Enthuse Groups and First Aid are just some of the skills that can be honed during a Surf Instructor job within the industry. Check out the list of skills below which can be developed while working as an Activity Instructor.
Progression towards Management as an Outdoor Activity Instructor can further develop these skills as well as learning how to manage both people and also how the business operates on a management level. Again, all of these skills, listed below, are highly sought after in most of today’s workplaces and are very transferrable.
Within the Tourism and Hospitality industry, there is so much scope for progression and promotion. Those who excel and show interest during their entry-level positions can quickly progress to other areas of the industry and are very often facilitated along the way in terms of being provided with training or encouraged to continue further in education. The graphic below illustrates a potential career path as an Outdoor Activity Instructor.
Educational pathways into the Tourism & Hospitality industry
There are a wide variety of educational pathways available that can lead to a fulfilling career in Tourism & Hospitality. There are almost 80 Higher Education courses, over 100 PLC courses as well as a number of Apprenticeship and over 30 other FET options. The nature of these courses means that Work Experience forms an integral part as well as the opportunity to travel as part of your studies. Information on all of these courses can be found in our CourseFinder.
Just some examples of these pathways are-
Level 5 in Outdoor Activity Instructor with Donegal ETB (Churchill/Gartan Outdoor Education Centre)
Level 6 in Outdoor Adventure Management-Shackelton HND in Colaiste Dhúlaigh
Level 8 in Outdoor Education in ATU Galway/Mayo (Castlebar Campus)
Discover the range of career opportunities currently available
The Tourism & Hospitality industry is booming and as a result, there is a huge amount of employment opportunities available all over the country. These can easily be accessed through the Live Jobs page on TourismCareers.ie. Below is just a sample of the excellent opportunities available all around the country.
Supervisor Manager in Redhills Adventure in Redhills, Co. Kildare.
Adventure Tour Driver-Guide with Vagabond in Newtownmountkennedy, Co. Wicklow.
Activity Coordinator in Mountpleasent Lodge in Kilcock, Co. Kildare.
Assistant Activities Manager in The Avon in Blessington, Co. Wicklow.