"Be open to the world around you!"

Matty: Since August this year, we have both been working at BUas as Teaching Assistants for the first-year tourism students. 

How did you actually come into contact with BUas? 

Lotte: Well Matty, I studied at BUas. I did my bachelor’s here, which was the FBTR track at the time. In my final year, I worked at NewWays where I learnt a lot. That was definitely my highlight of the study programme. In 2015, I graduated, took a gap year, and then went on to do the Master Tourism Destination Management at BUas, through an indirect route via KU Leuven. Eventually, I graduated in 2018. So yes, I was a student at BUas myself. 

How did you get into tourism?

Matty: I got into tourism because I studied at BUas myself; the International Tourism Management programme and the Aviation minor. I graduated in 2019. During my studies, I had several side jobs in tourism, both on weekends and holidays. First at the ANWB shop, selling car vignettes for Austria and Switzerland, among other things, and then at the call centre of Travix, the company behind CheapTickets.nl, for instance. During that job, I already learned to work with programs like Amadeus, rebook flights, and answer all kinds of difficult questions from customers. I also wrote my graduation thesis for Travix on the possibilities of offering B2B instead of just B2C, an interesting project. After this, I got the chance to continue working at Travix in the Flight Team after my studies. 

Lotte: How nice! 

So you have a keen interest in aviation within tourism? 

Matty: Yes indeed! That is a really dynamic world, much like the entire industry, where something new happens every day. 

Lotte: Sure, there's never a dull day in tourism, right? 

Matty: Definitely not! And now we are back at BUas. 

Would you like to explain what we are doing here now? 

Lotte: Yes, of course, we were hired as Teaching Assistants and we mainly support the students, they are our number one priority. We offer them support in collaboration and self-regulation. We participate in all four different thematic blocks throughout the first year. This way, we follow the students throughout the year and can monitor the entire process of their personal development.

Matty: That’s right, and our role is still evolving, so we are also learning how to best guide students. 

How do you like working with the students? 

Lotte: I like it very much! Very different from what I was doing before, of course. 

Matty: And what was that? 

Lotte: I was Programme Manager at the TUI Care Foundation. This foundation, an initiative of travel organisation TUI, aims to build on tourism as a force for good. After my master’s in Tourism Destination Management, I wanted to do something with sustainable tourism. When I graduated in 2018, that turned out not to be very easy and those specific jobs were not up for grabs. I decided to apply to TUI's Groups & Incentives department. There I could put my experience from NewWays to good use and it was good to just start somewhere. Once I joined TUI, I was able to grow quickly and started working as a Sustainability Associate within the sustainability team to make the business more sustainable. When everything – and with it my job in the sustainability team – came to a standstill during the Covid-19 pandemic, a new opportunity presented itself. I became Programme Manager at the TUI Care Foundation. For me, a dream come true! It gave me the opportunity to support collaborations and projects that provide better opportunities for young people and contribute to the development of holiday destinations. During that period, the TUI Care Foundation approached me to set up a special training and mentoring programme as part of their Covid-19 emergency relief initiative. After the pandemic, I shifted my focus to projects centred around education, supporting the local population, and protecting nature and the environment. This role was quite different – very project-oriented and involving cooperation with various international partners, which made it especially exciting. Now, I enjoy bringing all these experiences into the classroom and sharing them with my students. 

Matty: Students are really curious about those experiences, often asking, ‘What did you do after your studies, and how did you end up back here?’ 

Lotte: Yes, exactly! To follow up on that, I thought it was super fun to give guest lectures to impart that knowledge and give students valuable insights into the impact of tourism, beyond just the travel product. 

Matty, what makes your day at BUas successful? 

Matty: That's also a good question. The days with students are quite intense, because they spend the entire day working with the same group on Project-Based Learning. They don’t move from subject to subject, but instead, focus deeply on their projects. You can see a lot happening in group dynamics on those days. The best moments are when you're talking to the students, and you see the penny drop—they understand something and can continue with their assignment or learn how to tackle a situation. It's also fun when students sometimes lose their filter and talk about all kinds of things, including how their previous evening out. While these moments are amusing, it's the learning moments and the awareness that allow students to grow that make me happy. Of course, there are challenges too. I've had instances where I wanted to give feedback, but the students didn't want to hear it and walked away. In those moments, you sit there thinking, ‘well, this was strange’. It's interesting to then revisit the situation with the students and ask why they walked away. The next time you talk about it, they often admit it was strange to react that way.

Do you also experience it differently now than when you were a student yourself?  

Matty: I am now more mature, more confident. I know more what I’m doing than when I went here to study myself just after secondary school. And you? 

Lotte: I think we’ve unconsciously gained a lot of experience along the way. Of course, as a student we were here for a different purpose than we are now. I’ve also noticed that working in education is a different environment compared to my previous job. For one thing, the pace of the day is different. I do believe it’s important to have industry experience, as we are training students for professional careers. 

So that industry experience is something you carry with you into your career at BUas? 

Lotte: Yes, I certainly do!  

As a student, what did you remember most about BUas?

Lotte: The friendships, most of all. I really made friends for life, people I met and still see often now, so that's really cool. My year at NewWays was also very valuable. I learned so much there – I was thrown in at the deep end, guided when needed, and given all the support I could ask for. That was very inspiring and sometimes exciting. Even now, in my daily work, I often think back and go, ‘Oh right, at NewWays, we used to handle it this way.’ Thanks, Sabine van Steen :) It really was a good foundation for getting started in the tourism industry. 

During my master’s studies, I realised how much I enjoyed delving into Destination Management and the impact of tourism. I am ultimately very proud of my thesis publication and the collaboration with my supervisor, Erdinç Çakmak. 

Do you have a special moment, Matty? A moment you’ll never forget?  

Matty: Yes, it's definitely about the people you get to know. You notice that you come from the same crowd, so to speak, sharing the same interests. This is something you also see with the students. They quickly connect with each other because they have similar interests and motivations. It's great to see now, and it was wonderful to experience at the time. This included working with fellow students, including international ones. While this sometimes presented challenges, I learned a lot from it. I now pass this on to current students when collaborations don't go as smoothly as they should. It might be difficult now, but try to learn from it because it gives you a big head start in future projects and later in your career when working with colleagues.

During my studies, I also had the opportunity to organise a guest lecture with the editor-in-chief of National Geographic Traveler and attend the International Student Tourism Conference. These were unique experiences.

You mentioned that you had the opportunity to give some guest lectures yourself when you worked at the TUI Care Foundation. I myself gave guest lectures when I worked at Travix. Additionally, as a student, attending guest lectures and getting a behind-the-scenes look at the industry was incredibly interesting and valuable. It helped me understand what the industry is really like outside of BUas and consider where I might want to work in the future.

To conclude, Lotte, how did we get to know each other? Because there are three of us with whom we do this job. Our third colleague is Casimir Meulendijks who has a slightly different background and is an alumnus of the Facility Management programme within BUas. 

Lotte: True, yes. I think we have a really great team. The three of us are a bit like the three musketeers. It's nice that we can rely on each other. We met for the first time last August. Despite our different backgrounds, we click well, complement each other, and can be open and honest. 

Matty: True indeed. It’s a great mix for us to work together, allowing each of us to offer the students something unique. 

In your role as a Teaching Assistant, what would you like to pass on to the students? 

Lotte: That's a fun question! Networking and maintaining relationships. It may sound a bit standard but relationships are crucial in tourism. The network I have gained from both lecturers and industry professionals has been very useful to me in finding a job. And you see, for both of us, that is kind of why we are here now. Don't be afraid to take a step back once and then move forward again. Finally, above all, be curious, ask questions, enjoy and celebrate your successes! What is your message Matty? 

Matty: Be open to the world around you. Make connections with the people around you, with the people you feel comfortable with. You don't have to know yet what exactly you want to do after BUas and, above all, enjoy this time. 

Read more about our tourism programmes on buas.nl