Heleen

You’re almost 60, grandma, often home after a 37-year teaching career, crying out that life should be celebrated. So what do you do? Hang out in the pub until 2am or are you going to change your priorities? Are you going to turn your life around by pursuing another studies and then go into travel?

Yes, that’s what I was going to do.

Of course keeping in mind the pristine white beaches with swaying palm trees and cool encounters.

But also with the reality in mind that you don’t travel alone, but are in the service of the group you have to accompany with a smile.

Okay, so towards my 60s, I felt very much like exploring the world of travel, this time from a different angle than the many trips I made myself. I discovered IVOR via the internet with a short yet intensive training course to get ready for the profession as a tour guide. First there was an introductory intake interview. Exciting! I received the results by e-mail within a week. Yeahhh, I was allowed to start training. Phew, the first ballot. Full of enthusiasm, I then went to Tilburg every Saturday. We had a very pleasant group in which we could stimulate each other, support each other and sometimes be critical of each other. My initial ‘oo, I can do that with my 37 years of teaching’, soon got a justified dent: no, the guests are not children you sometimes have to point the finger at. They are people you have to be smilingly subservient to! Oh, that was a learning moment, as we actually had constantly. Especially when ‘Mr Pieterse’ (the teacher), came into the picture as an attention-seeking, complaining guest. All in all, we had a lot of fun. The practical days are also great to look back on. After the initial trepidation of ‘how is this all going to work out’, we got to work as a fanatical group and it turned into two wonderful days.

And then the exam date soon approached. That meant fanatical learning. The group app we had flooded with questions, uncertainties and cheers. First written, then oral exam. Well, Mr Pieterse, bring it on! We are ready for it!

Exactly on my 60th birthday, 30 January, I received the envelope at home containing the coveted diploma. Yeahhhhhh, I had a new profession. I am a Travel Manager!

Okay, even before the exam, I had done some browsing among the vacancies in the travel industry. On 15 February, I was allowed to go to an application/selection day of a travel organisation and that same day I knew that I had been accepted and could start working as a tour guide on trips abroad. I got the impression that they like working with IVOR people. Within six months everything was complete: started training, passed the exam and got a job. Gee, 60 years old, but not too old for a career switch.

Sometimes life is too good to be true. And I hope to keep that last sentence in there for a very long time, during my tour guide activities abroad.

Heleen

IVOR comment: Heleen is an ANVR certified tour manager