Highflying student Bethany gets her wings

An International Tourism Management student from the University of Northampton celebrates as her career takes off before she’s even graduated.

Twenty-two-year-old student, Bethany Hughes, from Northampton, has always embraced her wanderlust, and now, her passion for travel and her career complement each other, as she joins easyJet.

Speaking about her time at the University, Bethany said: “I loved my time at the University of Northampton, my degree in International Tourism Management has set the path for my career in the industry.

“Although for the majority of my studies, the industry has been in a huge state of flux, because of the pandemic, I have always felt confident in the skills and connections I’ve been developing while studying. Throughout the course, we have been able to hear from people working in the industry, we have been lucky enough to hear from inspiring people who are planning for the future of the industry.”

Bethany credits the University of Northampton with helping her career soar to 35,000 feet in the air, as she starts her new role as Cabin Crew. She said: “I think the Northampton degree gives you a good grounding in the tourism industry. Throughout the course my academic studies have been very varied, and thanks to the way the programme is structured, I have always been confident I would get a job after I finished.”

Alongside her studies, Bethany was the Course Advocate, which saw her represent her fellow students’ views and work with programme leaders to address concerns, and to try to bring about change to support her fellow students. Bethany believes that this role has built her communications skills and confidence. She said: “I started, and then left, another university before I came to Northampton, I know how daunting it can be, I wanted to be able to help fellow students who were struggling. I’m a people person, so being a course advocate has helped me hone my communication skills.

“I feel very fortunate that the University has such a strong focus on developing your employability skills while you study too. I was able to get support from the Changemaker Hub to work on my CV, and interview techniques, ahead of my interview with easyJet. This boosted my confidence and made the interview process less daunting.”

Now, after completing her training with easyJet, Bethany is preparing to take to the skies and is excited for what the future holds. She said, “I’m excited about my first flight, I’m going on a round trip, Luton to Inverness, then on to Belfast and back. I’m looking forward to when international travel opens up again, and I’ll be able to explore some more of the world and meet people from the different countries I fly into.”