Become an Independent Travel Consultant in the UK
Build your own travel business from home with the training, systems, suppliers and ongoing support of Jamie Wake Travel behind you.
The Independent Travel Consultants is the homeworking division of Jamie Wake Travel. We support people who want to become self-employed independent travel consultants, whether they are completely new to the travel industry or already have professional travel experience.
You build your own client base and customer relationships. We provide the wider travel infrastructure that helps you operate professionally, including training, booking systems, supplier access, customer payment processes, compliance support and an experienced team to turn to when you need help.
There is no joining fee. Standard membership is £50 per month, and consultants start with an 80% share of commission after applicable booking costs and payment-processing charges.
This is a self-employed business opportunity rather than an employed travel-agent job. There is no guaranteed income or automatic stream of customers: you are building a genuine travel business, with support behind you.
What Does Becoming an Independent Travel Consultant Actually Mean?
As an Independent Travel Consultant, you are self-employed and develop your own travel business while operating within the professional structure of Jamie Wake Travel.
You can work from home, build your own client base, develop areas of travel expertise and create your own compliant customer-facing business identity.
You are not buying a travel franchise, and you are not becoming an employee of Jamie Wake Travel.
Instead, you have access to the commercial and operational infrastructure behind an established travel agency while taking responsibility for developing your own business.
In practice, that means you will learn how to:
- understand and qualify customer enquiries;
- research and quote suitable holidays;
- make and administer bookings;
- communicate booking conditions and protection correctly;
- build lasting client relationships;
- market your travel business;
- manage leads and follow-ups;
- and provide professional service before, during and after travel.
The CAA describes a homeworking travel agent as a self-employed travel professional operating their business from home and offering travel booking services to consumers. Where a homeworker does not hold their own ATOL, they must operate within an appropriate permitted arrangement, such as acting as an agent for an ATOL holder.
Want to understand the role before deciding? Read
What Does an Independent Travel Agent Really Do?
Why We Built The Independent Travel Consultants
The Independent Travel Consultants was created because we believed there was room for a different kind of travel homeworking model.
We wanted consultants to be able to build genuine travel businesses without having to pay a large joining fee or buy an expensive franchise package simply to enter the industry.
We also wanted to remain small enough to provide meaningful operational support rather than creating a model where consultants are simply given logins and left to work everything out for themselves.
That does not mean we promise instant success.
Building a client base takes time. You need to learn, market yourself, follow up enquiries and provide a level of service that makes customers want to return and recommend you.
Our role is to make sure you do not have to build the
travel infrastructure from scratch while you are building the
business.
Why Choose the independent Travel consultants for Your Homeworking Career?
1
Flexible Work-Life Balance
As a self-employed consultant, you decide when you work and how you organise your business. Some consultants build their business full-time, while others begin alongside employment or other commitments. Flexibility does not remove the need to look after customers professionally, but it does give you far greater control over when and how you build your business.
2
80% Starting Commission Share
Our standard consultant share starts at 80% of the commission generated after applicable booking costs and payment-processing charges.
The important figure is not simply the percentage: consultants are shown how the booking economics work so they can understand the margin and what they are expected to earn.
3
NO JOINING FEE
There is no joining fee to become an Independent Travel Consultant.
We do not believe someone should have to purchase an expensive startup package simply to find out whether they can build a successful career in travel.
4
£50 Monthly Memebrship
Standard membership is £50 per month and contributes towards the systems, training, commercial infrastructure and ongoing support provided through The Independent Travel Consultants and Jamie Wake Travel.
We want costs to be transparent before somebody joins rather than revealed gradually afterwards.
5
Professional Customer Payment and Protection Structure
Customer money is processed through the professional payment and protection arrangements behind Jamie Wake Travel rather than consultants needing to create their own merchant or client-money system.
Jamie Wake Travel is a member of Protected Trust Services (PTS), which uses a trust-account structure for customer money. ATOL protection also applies to qualifying flight-inclusive bookings where appropriate to the arrangements being sold.
Consultants are trained to understand the structure behind the bookings they make and what they should tell customers about the protection that applies.
6
Access to a Wide Range of Travel Suppliers
Consultants gain access to the supplier relationships available through Jamie Wake Travel, covering a broad range of holidays, cruises and other travel arrangements.
Supplier access matters because your job is not simply to find a holiday. It is to identify an appropriate option for the customer in front of you.
Available suppliers and commercial arrangements can change over time, so we focus on giving consultants a useful range of professional booking options rather than promising that every supplier or every product will always be available.
7
Training And Support
We accept both newcomers and experienced travel professionals, so training is designed around the knowledge consultants actually need to operate professionally.
New consultants learn the foundations of running a travel business, including systems, enquiries, quoting, bookings, customer service, compliance and business development.
Training does not stop at go-live. Consultants also have access to ongoing operational support, supplier learning and our wider consultant community as they develop their businesses.
We use dedicated support channels for business and booking support so important questions do not disappear into social chat.
8
Build a Flexible, Home-Based Travel Business
The business is designed to operate remotely, so you do not need a high-street shop or traditional office.
You can organise your working location flexibly, provided you can work professionally, securely and maintain appropriate access to your customers and booking systems.
Being self-employed gives you flexibility. It does not remove your responsibilities around customer service, data, booking processes or business continuity.
Do You Need Travel Experience to Become an Independent Travel Consultant?
No. We accept applications from both experienced travel professionals and people who are completely new to the industry.
Previous travel-industry experience can certainly help, but many of the skills needed to build a successful travel business also come from other careers: customer service, sales, hospitality, administration, marketing, events and other people-focused roles.
What matters is your willingness to learn, communicate professionally, pay attention to detail and take responsibility for building your own client base.
Beginners receive structured training before going live and continue learning as their business develops.
If this is one of your biggest questions, read our full guide: Do You Need Travel Experience to Become a Homeworker?
Independent Doesn't Mean Alone
Building your own business does not mean you should have to do it in isolation.
We want consultants to feel able to ask questions, suggest improvements and contribute ideas about the tools, training and support they use.
You are responsible for developing your business, but there is a wider team and consultant community behind you when you need advice or operational support.
That balance - independence without isolation - is central to how we want The Independent Travel Consultants to grow.
What Happens When You Apply?
1. Submit Your Application
Tell us about yourself, your background and what interests you about building a travel business.
2. We Review Your Application
We want to understand what you are hoping to build and make sure the self-employed homeworking model is suitable for you.
3. Complete Your Agreement and Onboarding
If you decide to proceed and your application is accepted, we will take you through the required agreement and onboarding steps.
4. Complete Your Training
New consultants work through the relevant training before they begin making bookings. Experienced agents can still familiarise themselves with Jamie Wake Travel's systems, processes and commercial arrangements.
5. Get Your Systems and Business Ready
You will be introduced to the systems and processes used to manage clients, bookings, payments and supplier access, together with the requirements around your customer-facing business and branding.
6. Go Live
Once the relevant onboarding requirements are complete, you can begin developing your client base and making bookings with ongoing support behind you.
What We Don't Promise
We would rather somebody join with realistic expectations than sign up because of an income claim or lifestyle promise.
We do not promise:
- guaranteed earnings;
- an automatic client base;
- instant bookings;
- free holidays;
- passive income;
- or success without consistent work.
We provide training, systems, supplier access and support.
You build the business.
That means marketing yourself, responding to enquiries, following up, learning continuously and giving customers a reason to book with you again.
For the right person, that can create a genuinely flexible and rewarding travel business. But it is still a business.
Is The Independent Travel Consultants Right for You?
This opportunity may suit you if you:
- enjoy helping and communicating with people;
- are willing to learn;
- want to build your own client relationships;
- are comfortable being self-employed;
- can organise your own time;
- understand that customers will not simply appear automatically;
- want flexibility without operating completely alone;
- and are prepared to treat your travel business professionally.
It may not be the right fit if you are looking for:
- a guaranteed salary;
- fixed employee hours and benefits;
- a company that supplies every customer;
- passive income;
- or a business requiring little ongoing effort.
If what you actually want is an employed work-from-home travel job, a self-employed homeworking business is a different proposition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Am I employed by Jamie Wake Travel?
No. Independent Travel Consultants operate on a self-employed basis. You are responsible for building and managing your own business while operating through the wider travel infrastructure provided by Jamie Wake Travel.
Do I need to register as self-employed?
If you are trading as a self-employed individual, you are responsible for meeting the applicable HMRC requirements for your circumstances. Joining a homeworking travel company does not make you an employee for tax purposes.
Can I Become an Independent Travel Agent for Free in the UK?
There is no joining fee to become an Independent Travel Consultant with ITC. Our standard membership is currently £50 per month, which contributes towards the training, systems, commercial infrastructure and ongoing support provided through The Independent Travel Consultants and Jamie Wake Travel.
So, while you can start without paying a joining fee, running an ITC travel business is not completely free. You should also allow for any normal costs you choose to incur as a self-employed business, such as equipment, marketing or developing your own customer-facing brand.
If you are comparing travel homeworking opportunities, look beyond the headline joining fee and check the ongoing costs, commission structure, training, systems and support included.
Do I need my own ATOL?
Not necessarily. The CAA specifically recognises self-employed homeworking travel agents and explains that a homeworker without their own ATOL can operate as an agent for an ATOL holder or within another applicable exemption.
Where does the customer's money go?
Customers pay through the booking and payment structure behind Jamie Wake Travel rather than into the consultant's ordinary personal account. Consultants are trained in the correct payment process and in explaining the protection that applies to each booking.
When am I paid my commission?
Consultant commission is paid once the client has paid their booking in full and the relevant suppliers have been paid.
The timing can vary between bookings. Some suppliers invoice and can be paid before the client travels, while others do not issue their final invoice until the client has checked in or checked out of their accommodation.
Where a supplier cannot be paid and the booking fully reconciled until that point, the consultant's commission may not be payable until after the client has travelled.
Making a booking therefore does not necessarily mean receiving the commission immediately, and consultants should take this into account when planning their business cash flow.
Will ITC give me customers or leads?
You should join on the basis that you are responsible for building your own client base. Marketing support and opportunities may help you develop your business, but you should not base your income plans on being handed a guaranteed stream of customers.
Can I start part-time?
Yes. A travel business can be developed alongside other commitments, provided you can give customers the professional service they need and organise appropriate cover and support when required.
Can I use my own travel business name?
Yes, subject to the branding and compliance requirements that make your relationship with Jamie Wake Travel clear to customers.
What happens if I want to leave?
Your consultant agreement explains the applicable notice arrangements, responsibilities for existing bookings and how outstanding commission is handled. Read those terms before joining rather than assuming that a self-employed arrangement means there are no contractual obligations.
Do FAM trips and travel discounts come automatically?
No. Supplier events, FAM trips and agent rates may become available, but they are not guaranteed benefits of joining and can depend on supplier criteria, sales activity, availability or other requirements.
Ready to Build Your Travel Business?
If you want to become an Independent Travel Consultant and build a self-employed travel business with professional training, systems and support behind you, the next step is to apply.
Read the information on this page carefully, explore our guides if you still have questions, and contact us when you are ready to discuss whether The Independent Travel Consultants is the right fit for you.
