From Scotland to Success: Elish Tait’s Canadian Journey

Elish Tait is from a wee town in Scotland. A place so tiny, in fact, that the first time she ever boarded an RCI ship she thought: “Wow, the capacity of this ship is bigger than my hometown,” she told Travel Market Report Canada with a laugh.

The National Account Manager for Air Canada Vacations is celebrating ten years in Canada and couldn’t be more grateful to our country and travel industry for helping her to achieve a dream.

“I’ve always had a travel bug, I always say it’s in your blood. As soon as I left school, I had an apprenticeship with TUI and then also became a travel agent,” she said. “After about five years, I was managing one of the top TUI stores in Scotland, so I’ve always had a tour operator leisure background. 

But I was 22 and had itchy feet and I thought if I don’t leave now, I never will. I looked at a couple of visa options — Australia and Canada. And Australia just seemed that little bit far away. I thought, I’ll give Canada a go for a year and 10 years later, I’m still here.”

Tait’s first job when she arrived in Canada was with host agency The Travel Agent Next Door. She says Penny Martin, (now retired VP at TTAND) called her the day after her interview to ask if she could start the next day. 

“I said, tomorrow’s my birthday, but I can start the day after, so my first official job in the travel industry was March 4, 2015.

I owe so much to Penny and Flemming (Friisdahl), because they gave me a start; they gave me so much guidance,” she said through tears. “I’m sorry, I get emotional thinking about it, but I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them. They really are like family to me, they’re happy tears.”

Tait joined Air Canada Vacations nearly three years ago, and said she was equally welcomed by the team. She says it is motivational to see what her mentors have achieved while keeping what she says is a very “wholesome personality” on the team.

“Meeting a senior leader can be nerve-wracking, but I remember Lisa (Pierce, VP Global Sales AC and ACV) sharing her own story about starting out in her career, it was inspiring.  Seeing a leadership team filled with so many incredible women like Erminia (Gallina), Dina (Bertolo), Selma (Falini), Lucy (Sabella) and Cynthia (Alonso) has shown me what’s possible and helped shape my own career path.

Over the years, I’ve been lucky to meet people like Erminia and Penny, who are more than just colleagues, they’re friends. This industry is built on strong relationships and if it wasn’t for the people in this industry, it would’ve been so much harder for me to succeed.”

Tait is now a Canadian citizen and when we tread lightly into a discussion on the current perception of immigrants in this political climate, she has first-hand insights.

“When I did my citizenship test, one of the most incredible things to see was this country was made on immigrants. I think that’s one thing I love about Canada, is we’re such a multicultural country. When I lived in Scotland, because it was a small town, everyone knew everyone. And I when I came to Canada, it really it opened my eyes to see and learn about different cultures. Now, some of my friends have completely different religions to me. I think people here are always so proud of their background, it’s important to remember that that’s how this country was made.”

Tait says one thing she’s proud of herself for is a strong work ethic. She arrived in Canada with pennies, and through hard work and determination, has built a successful career.

“I’m so proud to say I work for the nation’s airline. I think there’s something about being an immigrant that when you work for Air Canada, you just have an extra sense of pride. It’s like ‘this is it.’ I just appreciate it every single day. It’s something that I never take for granted. I’m just truly grateful.

“This country has given me so much – travel experiences, career growth and the ability to pursue my business management degree.  My only hope is that future generations, whether Canadian-born or immigrants, continue to find the same opportunities in this incredible industry.”