[MrsDark]

Originally Posted by Lobelia

Well, when I said they get paid "relatively" lower, I mean that when you consider all the factors involved, the pay is lower than some other jobs with similar requirements, skills, stress level, etc. I did a quick search to see if the figures I had in my head were at least in the same ball park, and I found some conflicting information but from what I can glean, I wasn't off-base. But what constitutes a high salary or a low salary is purely subjective. It's a respectable salary, but you won't get rich.

Even so, I think that anybody who works in field that focuses on travel either in or out of the US has probably been more stressed during the last few years, as has already been mentioned. I wouldn't be surprised if agents have had to undergo a lot more training, meetings, etc. Nobody likes that. And they have to be "on" the whole time they're working. I would go bonkers if I had to stand on my feet all day & be hypervigilant, looking for problems, & being serious all day. It takes a certain type of person to be successful in this job, and there's got to be an up-side & a down-side to that.

You're definitely right about all this. In my FIL's case, he's pushing 60, already retired from another job plus a war vet, so the money (which isn't quite as bad as all that, though it could certainly be better given the job requirements) may not be as much of an issue as a younger person still raising kids. But the benefits are really good, I know this was as important for him as salary. Maybe being older and having worked hard for most of his life he has a tad more patience than some others might. This job is a pretty easy one for him. With the military background being hypervigilant is practically second nature. But there are all types of people who do this job. Cleary not all of them cut out for it. If I think about it next time, I'm gonna ask him if there's a high turnover there (maybe not outright quitting but putting in for transfers) for what he does.