Keen on a career change? Sick of your daily grind and after something new? Love travel, talking about travel and recommending travel? Want to bulk up your trivia knowledge with random facts about foreign currency? Oh boy (or girl), have we got the job for you.
At Travel Money Oz, we are always on the lookout for new foreign currency experts to embody our brand and join the team. Our employees aren't your average bank teller, mechanically rolling through cash transactions bored out of their brains. No way. Our team is more traveller than banker, and we pride ourselves on having fun, offering the best deal and giving our customers a foreign currency solution tailored to their holiday. We're travellers too, and we equip our customers with the money AND knowledge needed to make the most of your overseas adventure.
Now, unfortunately, there is no 'try before you buy' type situation when it comes to getting a new job. We've done the next best thing and outlined a typical day-in-the-life of one of our foreign currency consultants, that way you'll have the best idea of what to expect when sliding into a role as part of our team.
Our team members in stores are the face of our business, spending each day interacting with customers and over 60 foreign currencies. A love of travel and talking to people is mandatory; attention to detail will work in your favour as well. The rest, however, can be taught in training and on the job.
We asked consultant of four years - Marshall, about what his day to day looks like. Here's what you can expect on an average day as a Travel Money Oz foreign currency consultant
I usually start the day by arriving before the store opens so I have plenty of time to get through the opening duties before customers arrive. These include:
- Stocktake and ordering. I make note of how much of each currency we have in stock, before placing an order to ensure we don’t run out. Travel seasonality has a big impact on the demand of different currencies, so ordering volumes will change throughout the year. If you like numbers or counting, this is the fun part (though we do have machine counters as well).
- Checking rate boards and opening rate sheets. These let us know the daily exchange rates for buying and selling foreign currency.
- Cleaning the store. I make sure there is no dust or smudges on the glass. Things can get pretty busy, so there isn't always time to do this during the day.
Finally, I put on my name tag, wipe the sweat off my brow and get ready to serve some customers.
We can assist customers with buying and selling over 60 currencies, purchasing or reloading our Travel Money Oz Currency Pass, international money transfers, travel insurance and Korjo travel products like universal adaptors.
When a customer arrives I make sure to enquire about all aspects of their trip - where they are going, length of the travel, the number of people travelling and how they like to travel (budget vs. luxury). From here, we can work out their travel budget and determine the best means of carrying their money - cash or prepaid travel card. I also like to give as much destination based currency knowledge as possible. After this it's a matter of rinse and repeat with each new customer, only really changing it up if we are processing an international money transfer.
It might sound repetitive - but when you consider everyone is going somewhere new, you can see how much I need to be on my toes. I meet so many people going to weird and wonderful places - I'm always learning about new places I want to visit.
In between customers, I like to read up on current events happening around the world so that I can advise customers of the global climate and what is happening with the Aussie dollar. Geopolitical events have a significant impact on the value of our currency, so I like to know what's happening so I can understand why the dollar is doing what it's doing.
The end of the day mirrors the start - a quick clean and count of money before I close up shop and get ready to do it all again tomorrow.
We also asked Marshall for some pros and cons of the job.
Pros:
Incredible culture - Travel Money Oz is part of Flight Centre Travel group. We have monthly 'buzz nights' to celebrate our success and a yearly ball somewhere in Australia. Top-performing consultants also get to attend the annual 'Global Conference' somewhere in the world. Last year it was Vegas, the year before Berlin!
Fun staff - You'll be working with fun, like-minded people that don't take themselves too seriously.
Encouraged to travel - you can't be an expert without experiencing everything first hand. Travel far and wide to learn more for your job.
We can get excited with our customers about their trips - it's hard not to get excited when talking to people about their holidays.
Cons:
You'll be counting cash all day - this requires a high degree of care and can be pretty stressful… especially when you lose count halfway through and have to start again. Also, paper cuts suck.
Fast-paced environment - you're always on the go serving customers and making sure the shop and your knowledge are in order. If you aren't self-motivated or are keen on a job where you do nothing, this probably isn't for you.
I always want to travel - but can't because I still have to work and live my life. Every day you meet people headed on incredible holidays. The FOMO can be pretty legit, though it does give me plenty of time and information to plan an epic holiday for myself.
So, there you have it. Plenty of pros and only a few cons (that seem pretty manageable if you ask us). If reading this has tickled your fancy and you're interested in joining the team, apply here or visit your local Travel Money Oz store for more info on hiring opportunities in your area.
