Becoming a Disney Travel Agent - Salary and Business Question

griffinthecat · Jan 31, 2017

Hello,

I have been researching to see if becoming a Disney Travel Agent is the right path for me. I know it will take time, effort, time management skills, etc. I have been able to find posts about what the commission split would be if I were to join an Earmarked Travel Agency as an Independent Agent. What I haven't been able to locate is what the salary range would be. I would be able to work full time as an Agent. Would it be 20k a year? 40k? 60k? 80k?

Also, I have read many posts about TA needing to drum up their own business. Would that also be the case if I were luck enough to be part of an Earmarked Agency? Wouldn't people request quotes and that's how you would get the majority of your business?

Thanks for any help or insight!

halfpintpeggy · Feb 1, 2017

following

rachelsmom97 · Feb 1, 2017

Agents do not work on salary, only commissions. Also you would most likely have to market to get your clients. Most agencies do not give you leads at the beginning. You have to prove yourself before you are handed quotes.

I would suggest that if you are serious about being a travel agent, that you look into agencies that sell other travel products along with the Disney Destinations. Also, keep in mind that you don't get paid until after your clients travel.

wilkeliza · Feb 1, 2017

griffinthecat said:
Hello,

I have been researching to see if becoming a Disney Travel Agent is the right path for me. I know it will take time, effort, time management skills, etc. I have been able to find posts about what the commission split would be if I were to join an Earmarked Travel Agency as an Independent Agent. What I haven't been able to locate is what the salary range would be. I would be able to work full time as an Agent. Would it be 20k a year? 40k? 60k? 80k?

Also, I have read many posts about TA needing to drum up their own business. Would that also be the case if I were luck enough to be part of an Earmarked Agency? Wouldn't people request quotes and that's how you would get the majority of your business?

Thanks for any help or insight!

99% of travel agencys are not salaried based. I'm sure there has got to be one or two out there that are but you will take a cut to your percentage. Sales based jobs are just that. You work for comission and there is nothing contractually obligating the agency to pay you a minimum or maximum. Some agents make as little as 10K a year so make upwards of 6 figures.

If you need to drum up your own business or not really depends on the agency. Dreams brings clients to you as well as allowing you to drum up youe own however other agencies give you no leads it is all up to you as an individual.

Also remember travel agents do not make a cent until their clients complete travel so you could spent 6 months to a year with little to no income while doing a ton of work because of the structure of how Disney likes people to book early.

I looked very hard into this and not just Disney but being a travel agent in general bookings as well but the reality of needing avout a years worth of my current salary in savings was an eye opener since I would still need to pay bills, pay for medical insurance, and pay for marketing tools all while getting no income.

griffinthecat · Feb 1, 2017

Thank you everyone! That's kind of what I was thinking the answer would be!

(I used the wrong term, I didn't mean salary, I meant yearly compensation to see if it was reasonably enough so I could make sure all my bills were paid.)

Bree · Feb 1, 2017

According to a DIS podcast I listened to, you will start seeing income 6-12 months after you become an agent. It's not an easy job. Here's the video version of the podcast. It was a real eye opener.

tvguy · Feb 1, 2017

rachelsmom97 said:
Agents do not work on salary, only commissions. .

The mix of Federal and State laws makes it far to complicated to make a general statement, but the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act says this "An employer cannot create a commission standard that is so low that it makes it impossible for you to be paid the minimum wage when your weekly pay is averaged by the number of hours worked."

SureAsLiz · Feb 1, 2017

tvguy said:
The mix of Federal and State laws makes it far to complicated to make a general statement, but the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act says this "An employer cannot create a commission standard that is so low that it makes it impossible for you to be paid the minimum wage when your weekly pay is averaged by the number of hours worked."

Are most Travel Agents considered employees though? I imagine they would be independent contractors for their host agency/self-employed (depending on the agencies structure of course)

tvguy · Feb 1, 2017

SureAsLiz said:
Are most Travel Agents considered employees though? I imagine they would be independent contractors for their host agency/self-employed (depending on the agencies structure of course)

That would be my thought. A lot of companies since the passage of the Affordable Health Care Act have switched from employees to independent contractors to avoid the health insurance requirements.

SirDuff · Feb 1, 2017

tvguy said:
That would be my thought. A lot of companies since the passage of the Affordable Health Care Act have switched from employees to independent contractors to avoid the health insurance requirements.

A lot were already doing so to avoid the wage restrictions you quoted (and other employee rules). But, hey, let's blame it all on ACA.

tvguy · Feb 1, 2017

SirDuff said:
A lot were already doing so to avoid the wage restrictions you quoted (and other employee rules). But, hey, let's blame it all on ACA.

The Dish Network, Home Depot and Pest Control people at my house in the past few years have all said that is what happened to them. Switched from employee with benefits, to contractor with no benefits doing the same job, and their bosses made no secret about why.

usnuzuloose · Feb 1, 2017

Being an agent you are full time no matter what. People will call you at all hours and then book and even then after all the research could cancel. You will not get paid until the travel is over. So that needs to be considered.

kymom99 · Feb 1, 2017

I watched the podcast referred to by the PP. previous information stated here is accurate. You may not see any payout for 6 months. You are responsible for your own IT. There is no part time. Watch the video. It answers a lot of questions.

rachelsmom97 · Feb 1, 2017

With most agencies you are an independent contractor. This means your source of income will be commissions from clients travel. The split between agency and agent varies by company. Some companies charge a yearly fee that includes your E&O insurance, and other fees. You are responsible for all your business costs - basically you are your own small business. The ACA has no bearing on this, most agencies who follow this business model have home based agents. There may be some brick and mortar agencies that do pay a small salary, but I do not know anything about them.

As far as what you can earn, the most successful agents have a wide pool of people to advertise or get referrals from. Working with groups helps as well. The clients are not going to fall into your lap. There are many agencies out there competing for business.

And, you really are on call for your clients, especially when they are traveling. If something goes wrong, you need to fix it for them. It does not matter what is happening in your personal life, the client comes first in that moment.

I actually love what I do, but it took a good couple of years to really build up my business. I am not trying to discourage you, but just give you an idea of the realities of the profession. Definitely look into what training the agencies offer you, some are better than others.

DisneyMadre · Mar 1, 2017

Hi, I am going to piggy back off the original post. I am really wanting to be a independent contractor for a Disney Travel Agency. I know all of the hard work and long hours that are required, and I am ready and willing to take it on. Does anyone have any pointers on what will give you a leg up on applying at an agencies? What specifically are they looking for and what will make you stand out? I only have 4 trips under my belt but I am ready and willing to book a 5th if it will really help me get a position. Thanks for an advice!

wilkeliza · Mar 1, 2017

DisneyMadre said:
Hi, I am going to piggy back off the original post. I am really wanting to be a independent contractor for a Disney Travel Agency. I know all of the hard work and long hours that are required, and I am ready and willing to take it on. Does anyone have any pointers on what will give you a leg up on applying at an agencies? What specifically are they looking for and what will make you stand out? I only have 4 trips under my belt but I am ready and willing to book a 5th if it will really help me get a position. Thanks for an advice!

Some agencies will take you with little experience and others require roughly a trip a year so it is really up to thE agency. It will also depend on how many agents they already have in your area and if they feel like taking another on will drum up enough business for them.

Tricializ · Aug 18, 2017

Thanks for the posts. Jumping in here because I also am interested in doing this. I just sold my dance business and am technically retired. (but still young LOL). It is my passion as is developing business. So I think it could be a great way to combine the two. What do you all think are the best host agencies to look for in terms of buy in, splits, mentoring time etc. ? Thank you.

lancermom · Aug 19, 2017

usnuzuloose said:
Being an agent you are full time no matter what. People will call you at all hours and then book and even then after all the research could cancel. You will not get paid until the travel is over. So that needs to be considered.

I cannot stress this enough. You will be full-time. You need to be prepared for a client to call you at 11:00pm because they received a notification of a flight change. You need to be prepared for a client to call you first thing in the morning because they missed their flight for their honeymoon (both things happened to me recently). I sat at my kids' HS soccer game last year on the phone the whole time adjusting a client's Disney trip because he was there during Hurricane Matthew. You are responsible for a client's trip from the moment they start working with you until they return.

You need to be customer service oriented and willing to not just plan a trip, but go the extra mile. You need to dedicate yourself to constant professional development and continuing education, especially if you decide to do other vacations besides Disney. As mentioned above, you will get paid AFTER they travel (except most cruises - you get paid after final payment). So while it's great to have many bookings for 2018, you can't rely on that money before then.

It is a rewarding fun business as long as you are aware of every aspect it entails and that it is way different than planning for your family.

lancermom · Aug 19, 2017

Another thing to consider is that you need to be able to set aside your personal preferences when planning a trip to Disney (or anywhere else for that matter) in order to book your client. You need to be able to tailor a trip according to their needs and wants. So, you may be someone who plans a trip to Disney like it's a death march (and I have no idea if that's true for you or not), but your client may not be like that and you have to take that into account.

You also need to be able to plan a trip according to their budget, not your own. For example, you may pinch a penny until it screams on your vacation, but your client may not.

Just some things to think about.

Tricializ · Aug 20, 2017

I see some agencies require a course (600 ish) in order to sign up by say they provide leads. Others require very little. I am a big believer in you get what you pay for, but also am wary of scams. Any insight would be very appreciated. (PM me if you are more comfortable that way). Thank you so much.
Tricia

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