Rachel Barrett (pictured) was working as a retail assistant at Thomson’s shop in central Liverpool four years ago when a colleague showed her an in-house advert for newly qualified pilots at Thomson Airways. The 28-year-old was already an aspiring pilot after taking flying lessons at Liverpool airport “on a whim”. She then spent evenings and weekends building up her flying hours before becoming qualified in 2012.

“My colleague spotted an internal recruitment notice for newly qualified pilots to join the airline on the cadet training scheme to fly the Boeing 737,” explained Barrett.

“I applied and was invited to an assessment day, eventually making it down to the final stages.”

She then faced a nervous couple of weeks after her final assessment before getting the call that she had got the job – which left her feeling “over the moon”.

She joined Thomson Airways as a first officer three years ago and is now based at Manchester airport, from where she has completed more than 2,500 hours flying Thomson’s Boeing 737 aircraft.

Barrett is just about to start her training to fly the airline’s flagship Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, which will allow her to fly to long-haul destinations such as Jamaica, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

“To travel to different destinations every day is a dream come true,” she said. “Combined with the development opportunities, I couldn’t recommend it highly enough. As long as you have the dream, and dedication, anyone can become a pilot.”

Barrett has also become one of the faces of Thomson’s campaign to recruit more female pilots – only 3% of the airline’s 900 pilots are women.

Caroline Kitcher, HR director at Tui UK and Ireland, said: “We’re looking for pilots with the aptitude, passion and dedication – it’s a career that is achievable for everyone.”