The Global Work & Travel Co.

The Global Work & Travel Co. is an Australian travel company. The company was founded in 2008, and provides working holiday, teaching abroad, volunteer, au pair, and student internship packages and helps travellers with travel insurance, flights, and travel visas. With three offices in Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Vancouver, and London, it operates primarily in five countries: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. As of 2018, the company had organised gap-year trips for over 40,000 people.[2]

The Global Work & Travel Co.
TypePrivate
IndustryTravel
Volunteer work
Gap year
FoundedSeptember 2008 (September 2008) in Gold Coast, Queensland
FoundersJürgen Himmelmann, CEO
Pierre Himmelmann, CFO
Headquarters
50 Cavill Avenue Surfers Paradise, Queensland
,
Australia
Area served
Australia
Canada
New Zealand
United Kingdom
United States
Number of employees
100+ [1] (2019)
ParentThe Global Work & Travel Group Pty Ltd
Websitewww.globalworkandtravel.com

A joint investigation by CBC News and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation found several dozen complaints from customers of The Global Work & Travel Co. who could not find employment through the company's programs. The Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney-General's Office of Fair Trading (OFT) conducted a 13-month probe that resulted in a $20 thousand settlement to pay back 29 customers, while Queensland's Office of Industrial Relations (OIR) levied another fine and reached a separate agreement to pay back the remaining customers.

History

The Global Work & Travel Co. was founded in 2008 by father and son duo Pierre and Jürgen Himmelmann.[3] They and Jürgen's mother Caryl Himmelmann own the company.[4] Based in Surfers Paradise, Queensland, it has offices in three cities: Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Vancouver, and London.[5]

The Global Work & Travel Co. offers working holiday, au pair, internship, volunteer and teaching abroad packages for people between the ages of 18 and 35.[3][4][6] It helps travellers with flights, travel visas, and travel insurance.[2] It provides services primarily in five countries: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.[7] Trips can last up to 24 months, depending on arrival countries visa specifications.[5][8] In 2015, it had 100 employees and served over 20,000 travellers,[9] by 2018 it had served over 40,000.[2]

Criticism and controversy

In November 2014,[10] the company was investigated jointly by CBC News and Australian Broadcasting Corporation, which found several dozen accusations from consumers who travelled internationally and were unable to find employment.[11] The travellers described The Global Work & Travel Co.'s high-pressure sales techniques, misleading job pledges, and massive markups.[12] The Global Work & Travel Co. settled with OFT after a 13-month probe.[12] The company agreed to refund over $20,000 to 29 customers.[12]

In February 2015, the Federal Circuit Court of Australia fined The Global Work & Travel Co. and its owners $138,000 for not refunding a prior agreed upon sum to six workers they had misclassified as independent contractors.[13] The Global Work & Travel Co. also was investigated by the Queensland's Office of Industrial Relations (OIR). OIR levied a fine on the company in February 2016 for violations of the Private Employment Agents Act of 2005. The company settled with OIR in March 2016 to have all charges resolved after repayment of all fines.[14]

References
  1. Himmelmann, Jürgen. "'One team, one dream'". Smart Company. Smart Company. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  2. Busby, Cec. "Working holidays prove a winner for Global Work & Travel Co". Kochie's Business Builders. Kochie's Business Builders. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  3. Clancy, Natalie (13 November 2014). "Exclusive. Global Work & Travel trains salespeople to lie, ex-employees say. Former staff tell CBC they were told to lie to clients who wanted to work abroad". CBC.ca. Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  4. Clancy, Natalie (12 November 2014). "Exclusive. Global Work & Travel customers describe working-holiday nightmares. Many travellers say they ended up with no job after buying packages from company, CBC probe finds". CBC.ca. Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  5. Simons, David. "A decade of hard work pays off for working travel entrepreneur". Business News Australia. Business News Australia. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  6. Coates, Sally. "Gold Coast millennials more likely to choose volunteering over boozy holidays". The Courier Mail. The Courier Mail. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  7. Bainbridge, Amy; Ford, Mazoe (11 November 2014). "Authorities investigate The Global Work and Travel Co accused of rip-offs by former staff and customers". ABC Online. Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  8. Lavingia, Christina (8 June 2015). "12 ways to see the world for (practically) free". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  9. Tatlana Rokou (31 August 2015). "The Global Work & Travel Co. books 20,000th customer". Travel Daily News.
  10. Ford, Mazoe; Bainbridge, Amy (5 June 2015). "Working holiday company The Global Work and Travel Co cautioned by Queensland consumer watchdog". ABC Online. Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  11. Clancy, Natalie (14 April 2015). "Global Work and Travel's Canadian clients worried after liquidation warning. Working holiday company says customers' money and trips are safe". CBC.ca. Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  12. Ford, Mazoe (14 December 2015). "Working holiday company The Global Work and Travel Co pays back $25k to customers after government investigation". ABC Online. Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  13. Troncoso, Guillermo (2 March 2015). "Travel businesses fined $138,000 for underpaying staff and sham contracting". Dynamic Business. Archived from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  14. Ford, Mazoe; Bainbridge, Amy (15 March 2016). "The Global Work and Travel Co working holiday company refunds customers after investigation". ABC Online. Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
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