Richard Wright
BA(Hons) International Tourism Management, 2002
First of all, I’d like to say how much fun I had writing this and remembering all the great times I had whilst studying at the University of Brighton. A lot has happened since the day I first came across the School of Service Management (SSM) in the small, yet vivacious, seaside town of Eastbourne.
So, why did I choose Brighton? … Or, should I say Eastbourne?! Ultimately, the decision to accept the offer of a place at the University of Brighton was made easy due to the following three ‘pull’ factors:
- The SSM is located less than 10 minutes walk from the beach;
- Everyone I spoke to during the Open Day was clearly having a great time, including the staff;
- The SSM offered me an unconditional place based on my interview, showing they had sufficient faith in my ability, regardless of whether I got the necessary grade at sixth form. The other universities made it clear they only wanted me if I got a distinction in my GNVQ.
Truth being told, until the morning of my interview, I didn’t even know the SSM campus was in Eastbourne. However, in the end, my mind was made up just hours after I arrived for the Open Day. Furthermore, the fact it rained so hard that my parents vowed never to come and visit, was the icing on the cake. Sorry mum!
Living away from home for the first time really helped me to mature and take a bit of responsibility for my life. In addition, completing the BA (Hons) International Tourism Management, allowed me to identify and develop some effective administration skills (many of which have come in very handy on a number of subsequent occasions; especially the ability to cope with pending deadlines and not-so-efficient work colleagues). Finally, completing the numerous individual and group-related assignments also increased my confidence, particularly when it came to producing professional written documents (i.e. essays and reports), giving presentations (whether formal or informal) and, my personal favourite activity, ‘networking’ (both professionally and socially).
The degree incorporated a lot of management theory (i.e. accounting, marketing, HRM and business law), along with a range of special interest tourism-focused subjects. Towards the end of my second year, the university’s careers advisory service helped me organise a 32-week industrial placement as a Tourism Information Officer for Cambridge City Council. After spending a year gaining some invaluable first hand knowledge of the public tourism sector, I found numerous opportunities to apply these practical experiences upon my return to Eastbourne and throughout my final year of study.
After leaving Eastbourne in the summer of 2002, with First Class Honours, I walked straight into a full-time position at the Cambridge City Council. Unlike those students that finish university and go off travelling the world for a year (or two), I arrived back home Saturday and commenced work on the Monday morning. The job involved applying a number of the management skills I had learned, in a range of roles and responsibilities. My principle duties included assisting with the daily running of the Tourism Information Centre, along with all its additional services (i.e. the souvenir shop, conference bookings and tour guiding service). I also got regular opportunities to promote the district at a number of public events, including an international travel exhibition held in The Hague.
Despite absolutely loving my job, not to mention all the responsibility that went with it, I soon began to get aspirations for new challenges. Basically, to cut a very long story (and an even longer journey) short, I said goodbye to the Tourist Office in January 2004, jumped on a big plane and began postgraduate study at the University of Otago, New Zealand. Based in the South Island town of Dunedin, I opted to complete a Graduate Diploma during the first year of my overseas adventure, with the aim of spending the second year completing a Masters thesis. In order to gain some experience, and a bit of extra money, I took up an offer to tutor a first year undergraduate tourism module, and in 2005 I was offered a job as a Teaching Assistant. After the completion of my Masters thesis in February 2006, I was awarded a University of Otago International Scholarship, which has enabled me to stay in Dunedin for at least another three years to complete a PhD.
As I sit in my office and reminisce about all the things I’ve been lucky enough to do, not to mention the places I’ve been able to visit over the past few years, it’s quite scary to think that none of it would have been possible had I not travelled down the A22 to Eastbourne on that wet November day back in 1997!
Good luck guys and go enjoy Eastbourne
