I love my job cos...

The perks of being a travel consultant

Ever wanted to travel the world  - for free? Chani Hood, 27, is a travel consultant and that's exactly what she does. Here, she dishes on the best thing about her not-so-nine-to-five working life.

The perk: Free holidays

The job: Travel consultant

Salary: $20,000 to $28,000

Hours: 8.30am to 5.30pm, five days a week, with two rostered Saturdays a month

Role: Chani Hood, 27, is a team leader for Student Flights (a brand of Flight Centre) in Nedlands, WA. She manages a team of four staff and the centre’s finances as well as booking flights, tours, packages and accommodation for travel customers.

Added extras: $15,000 for discounted travel, plus $20,000 to $50,000-plus in commissions on sales, which totals $85,000 or more.

Job highlights: “I get a 25 per cent discount on plane travel and hotel accommodation, so last year, I went on nine trips. Companies also reward good sales with free airfares or tours. In 2007, I scored a free plane trip to Sri Lanka; this year the same airline is paying my $1600 ticket to Europe to visit England and Amsterdam, then do a short-stop over in Penang, Malaysia. In the last two years, I’ve enjoyed all-expense-paid trips to resorts in Brunei (Darussalam) and Borneo along with discounted trips to Cambodia, New Zealand, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, as well as Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane. Best of all, as a travel agent, I get five-star treatment wherever I stay. With such fantastic rewards, it’s easy to love my job”.

Career roadmap: Route 1: A three-month TAFE certificate course in tourism. Route 2: On-the- job training with a travel agent.

For more 'I love my job cos...' stories, pick up the latest issue of Cosmopolitan, onsale July 7.