By Zappa Hauughton
We headed to St Dominic’s Grammar School in Brewood for their annual Careers Day, and what a day it turned out to be. If you caught our pre-event blog post. you’ll know we had big plans. And while things didn’t go entirely to script, we think it all came together rather beautifully.
Best-Laid Plans (and a 6,000-Mile Time Difference)
You might remember that Gilly was due to join us virtually, live from Hermanus in South Africa, as part of her Grand Tour. The plan was very much for her to radio in and say a few words to the students, which, knowing Gilly, would have been brilliant. But South Africa had other ideas.
So Stephanie and I took the reins. Between us, we represented everything Gilly Bachelor Travel Expert is about: the warmth, the expertise, the passion for travel as a genuine career, and we did Gilly proud. She was very much there in spirit.
Setting the Scene
A huge thank you to Dan and Phil from the Van Guru Fleet Specialists, who were absolutely instrumental in making the day look as professional as it did. They helped with transport and took care of erecting our beautiful branded sign, which looked fantastic and really drew people in.
We also had a very special guest helping on the day, Olly, Head Boy at St Dom’s, who many of you will recognise as a star of our Christmas film. Olly actually arranged the entire event for the whole school to participate in, and we hope the students took something from that event. We’re all very proud of him!.
Wide Eyes and Big Ambitions
The morning was set up in an exhibition-style format, with students circulating around various stalls and speaking to representatives from different industries, and we were flooded by wonderful waves of nervous, wide-eyed students, full of ambition, making their way over to us.
They always came across a little shy at first. But they warmed up quickly. We talked them through who Gilly Bachelor Travel Expert are, what we do on a day-to-day basis, everyone’s roles and how the team operates, career paths within the travel industry, and the different ways into the profession, from apprenticeships to placements to degree routes and beyond.
Our ‘Guess the Flag’ game was a big hit. We tried to make it properly tricky (and we did) but these kids were sharp! They were guessing flags that most adults would struggle with. Impressive stuff. We also had an assortment of free treats on the table which, we can confirm, helps enormously with footfall.
The Afternoon: Presentations and Real Conversations
After a well-earned lunch break, we moved into the afternoon session, a live presentation to a smaller group of students who had specifically expressed interest in what we do. This felt like a much more intimate, honest conversation, and we loved it.
We introduced them to our upcoming Travel Open Day on 28th March, where they’ll have the chance to come behind the scenes, meet the team properly, and explore whether a career in travel is the right fit for them. If you know a young person who’d benefit from attending, please do share it with them.
The Year 12 and 13 students in particular were genuinely curious, and there was real, meaningful interest in our brand-new Travel Apprenticeship Programme. This is something we’re incredibly excited about: the opportunity for young people to earn, learn and build a real career from day one, without the pressure of the traditional university path.
Both the apprenticeship and open day will be discussed in more detail at our Travel Open Day on 28th March. So, if you or someone you know is finishing school and wondering what comes next, this is worth signing up for.
Why This Matters to Us
Events like this aren’t just a nice thing to do. They’re an important part of who we are. Gilly has always believed that a business is only as strong as the community around it, and we’ve been proud to call Brewood and the wider South Staffordshire area home for many years. Investing in the next generation, in local young people, local schools, local talent, is something we feel genuinely passionate about.
We thrive when our community thrives. It’s as simple as that.
Gilly Bachelor
Interested in a Visit from Gilly?
Gilly is available for speaking engagements at schools, colleges, and local business networking. Whether you’d like her to talk about building a travel business from scratch, scaling, partnerships, branding, or careers in the industry, she’d love to hear from you. Send her a message directly, here.
We just want to express a final thank you to St Dominic’s Grammar School for having us, to Dan and Phil for going above and beyond, to Olly for being such a wonderful host, and to every single student who came to speak to us. You were brilliant, every one of you. The future of travel is in very good hands.
