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The Local Foreigner

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Please look elsewhere - Travel Operations Coordinator The Local Foreigner Employee Review

1.0
10 Apr 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Exposure to the travel industry and FAM opportunities

Cons

The company is oligarchic in nature, run by a group of individuals. There is seemingly an unwritten policy of not speaking up. Doing so may cast you in a bad light and negatively impact how you are treated by management. Any constructive criticism brought to management may be perceived as a personal attack. Depending on the feedback provided by the employee, the managing group may collectively determine that the employee is overstepping boundaries and reprimand you. While it isn't explicitly stated (they verbally encourage the opposite in fact), it is likely that the act of speaking up for oneself may be looked down upon. There seems to be a working belief that being employed by Local Foreigner is a great privilege. Any perceived pros to the position can come at a high personal cost. The working environment may be detrimental to certain individuals' mental health. Furthermore, it can be difficult to achieve a healthy work/life balance at the company. You may be expected to bring your work home with you and be available during weeknights and weekends. While office hours are typically 9:30am to 6:30pm, the de facto office hours may feel closer to 9:00am to 7:00pm. If anything does arise after those hours or the weekend, there's a chance that responsibility will fall to you. Finally during your paid time off, you are expected to be keeping up with emails and client issues so it may feel like you actually worked the entire time instead of relaxing. If you were to ever start a job here, it may feel like you are working non-stop until the day you quit.

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The Local Foreigner Response
5y
Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry that you did not have the experience you hoped for, but we appreciate you acknowledging the exposure to the industry and opportunity to learn first-hand about luxury travel around the world. We take a lot of pride in the education of our employees, especially those who are new to the industry. We take your feedback regarding the amount of hours and time spent working seriously, and you’re correct that seasonal periods often add to our office hours. We recognize this might not be for everyone, which is why we are very transparent and explicit about what to expect during our hiring process – we know that a culture fit goes both ways. We strive to be an organization dedicated to constant improvement, and we will continue to encourage our entire team to voice their suggestions and feedback. We take all feedback to heart, although as business owners, we do not enact every idea put forth. As a business with four owners who each bring a different skill set and perspective, we believe our “oligarchy” style to be unique and a competitive advantage—a refreshing modern update to the typical autocratic business structure. Thank you again for taking the time to share this feedback with us. We wish you the best in your future career path and are grateful for your contributions to Local Foreigner.

Explore other reviews about The Local Foreigner

5.0
18 Sept 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I have worked as a luxury travel advisor for 7 years now at three different companies and I have to admit that the Local Foreigner is by far the most impressive in many ways. The 4 partners at Local Foreigner are driven, smart, and engaged. They each bring a different perspective and strength to the business which provides their ICs with the most well-rounded support to grow and manage their own businesses. They always make themselves available for any question you have and spend the time to make sure you are successful in every way they can. The team and energy in the office are fun, collaborative, and supportive. Questions, creativity, and ideas are encouraged and always well received by all. Their systems, databases, and marketing far surpass any in the industry. There are numerous tools and resources that Local Foreigner provides that allow you to do your work faster and more efficiently. I truly have never felt more confident in my work and proud of the company I work for than I do at Local Foreigner, especially in the time of Covid when our industry has been pushed to the lowest place it’s ever been!

Cons

There are always ways to improve as you grow, especially being a small and young company. The partners recognize this and are always asking what they can do to be the most supportive and best version of themselves, constantly willing to innovate to provide you with the best service.

1
5.0
4 Sept 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The team at TLF is immensely unique and one of a kind in the travel industry. The company is led by four women and each owner brings a unique perspective and leadership style to the business. Unlike other hosting agencies out there, The Local Foreigner's dynamic leadership team focuses on business strategies that empowers all employees and ICs to succeed. The leaders methodically built a tech focused infrastructure to ensure their employees, ICs , and clients have a transparent business relationship and seamless planning experience. The Local Foreigner is a champion of ensuring quality over quantity in every aspect of the business relationship. The level of transparency between the leaders, employees, ICs and clients is one of a kind in the travel planning space. The Local Foreigner's platform for planning offers the best experience for both travel consultants and their clients. They have thoughtfully designed a career evolving platform for employees and ICs that embodies comprehensive onboarding training, ongoing education and unwavering support through a dedicated contact and open dialogue with team members. After four years of experience in the travel planning industry I am excited to finally partner with a hosting agency that provides the necessary foundation for a fulfilling and lucrative career as a travel consultant.

Cons

Look, no business is perfect. Every start-up or small business has growing pains. The key to evolving is welcoming some mistakes and learning from them to make better decisions in the future. TLF recognizes the strategies that have worked and the ones that have not worked. They've done a terrific job focusing on what strategies will empower their team to succeed, so everyone can move forward together in a positive way.

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