Anglia Tours run guided history tours, mainly for schools but also for adult and military groups. Founded in 1997, they’re now one of the largest independent schools’ history tours operators in the country, designing thought-provoking and engaging trips across the UK and Ireland, Europe and America.

Anglia Tours employ just under 50 expert guides, based across the UK and in Europe. Their vision is to  be the partner of choice for a range of high-quality educational tours and experiences. They also want to enhance educational outcomes for young people through inspiring, content-rich learning experiences, created by experts who care. Their people are their single most important asset – so they offer strong and clear leadership, fair terms and conditions, good internal communications, comprehensive training, and understanding that inspires commitment and loyalty.

The challenge

The travel and tourism industry was particularly badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. School travel stopped completely for a time, which meant Anglia Tours were forced to dramatically reduce their team. And even once it restarted, foreign travel was off the table because the Department of Education wouldn’t authorise it. So, the company were forced to quickly adapt, creating UK tours to replace those they would have originally done overseas.

As time went on and foreign travel restarted, many schools were itching to get children out of the classroom and back into the open air. That increased demand meant Anglia Tours were ready to start recruiting again. And the most pressing position they needed to fill was that of tour coordinator – someone who could support their team by dealing with enquiries, answering questions and helping to deliver a growing tour programme, all while being able to adapt quickly to change. It was a highly skilled job in a niche company and required an intelligent person who’d be able to get up and running quickly.

The solution

We already had an existing relationship with Anglia Tours having helped them find people for several positions over the years. In fact, someone we recruited for them recently celebrated her ten-year anniversary. So, we were perfectly placed to find their tour coordinator. 

We listened to what they told us then used this information to find people who fit Anglia Tours’ culture and values. ‘We could never have achieved the quality of applications that Pure did if we’d tried to recruit directly,’ says Alison Biegel, Head of Anglia at Anglia Tours. ‘We were so pleased with the people they put forward for the role.’ In fact, the quality of our shortlist was so good that they couldn’t choose – and we’re pleased to say they decided to take on two people rather than just one.

Karen Ives was the first successful candidate, followed a few months later by Yasmin Herbert. ‘Karen and Yasmin have fitted in to the team really well, and settled in quickly,’ Alison tells us. ‘They’re both fully engaged in their roles and our business, and really enjoying their new jobs.’

How did Pure make a difference?

We used our existing relationship and understanding of the Anglia Tours’ business to find people we knew would gel with their ethos. The biggest challenge for Laura Turner, a recruitment consultant at our Chelmsford office, was making sure they had the right amount of travel experience. ‘Luckily we have an extensive network of people in all industries,’ Laura says. ‘That meant it didn’t take us too long to locate the perfect candidates.’

Alison was really pleased with how we ran the process. ‘We’re delighted with the recent placements,’ she tells us. ‘And Karen and Yasmin also told us how much they appreciated the way Pure treated them and looked after them during the recruitment process.’

The newest recruits are now firmly ensconced in their new roles. And Anglia Tours are finding it much easier to manage increasing customer and client enquiries, and tours. With more experienced employees now able to focus on their roles rather than having to deal with these themselves, the company as a whole is more efficient and productive. That means everyone’s able to deliver even better service to their customers.

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