A Career in Hospitality

Careers in Hospitality touch everyone’s life – every day – whether it’s buying a sandwich for lunch or lingering over a coffee at the end of dinner. Hospitality encompasses everywhere that food, drink or accommodation is provided – from B&Bs to 5-star hotels, take-away outlets to fine dining, motorway service stations to that trendy coffee shop. In fact, hospitality covers the jobs you’ve thought of – and many others you haven’t.

There are lots of different hours to suit you, whether you like to party into the night or are an early bird.  You can even work Monday to Friday 9-5 if you like routine.  Many jobs also have accommodation, so if you want independence, it could be the career for you.

The key is to get some quality initial training; get some work experience under your belt and gain industry-relevant qualifications.  Many employers offer graduate training schemes and fast-track routes into management.

Working Abroad

There are thousands of different jobs abroad for skilled people, so you could find yourself working:

• At an exclusive ski resort, skiing during the day and working in the evening
• On board a luxury yacht cruising the Caribbean or Greek islands
• On a tour with a celebrity as their personal trainer
• Cruising the world on a luxury liner

Did you know?
Hospitality is one of the biggest and fastest growing industries in not just the UK but also the world!
One in ten people work in the industry in the UK.
One in five new jobs are in the sector.
400,000 new jobs will be created by 2006.

Take up the challenge and be part of the experience!
Never before have there been so many different ‘takes’ on the hospitality industry. New trends are constantly emerging – lifestyle hotels and gastropubs to name but two – and the competition is always hot, always up for the challenge to deliver excellent customer service and a healthy bottom line.

Never before have there been so many opportunities to join the diverse, fast moving world that is hospitality. Variety is indeed the spice of life in the hospitality industry – no two days the same, a fresh outlook to every day. What other industry can say the same? 

Just think what’s on offer with a career in Hospitality:
Join a fast-growing industry
Meet interesting people
Get early promotion
Work full-time, part-time, freelance or flexibly
Enjoy a variety of opportunity
Work abroad - even travel the world
Have fun!

If your mindset is  ‘hospitality equals hotels and restaurants’, then think again! Yes, they play a huge part in the industry mix and within their categories there are so many variations of size, type and, yes, ‘product’, that your skills developed in one establishment can be easily transferred to another completely different one. However, there are also coffee bars, pubs, bars, nightclubs, food service management and even life on the ocean wave to add to the career jigsaw.

Decisions, decisions, decisions!  Here’s a brief look at just some of the roles people play.

Receptionist

A job where first impressions really do count! Face-to-face contact with the customer – in a hotel or restaurant – demands an upbeat manner and good communication skills. Body language comes into play – a smile, eye contact, an interested manner are all the signs of a good communicator, someone who wants to welcome and look after their guests. Be outgoing, flexible and expect the unexpected!

Barista

Be part of the coffee revolution! Serve customers in a fun, fast-moving environment where a smile can brighten up the start to many a customer’s day!  Rapid progression up the coffee bean hill can lead to travels around the country checking coffee-bar standards are up to scratch.

Restaurant Manager

Do you relate well to other people? Do you want to pass on your experience and enthusiasm? Do you love seeing them progress? Sounds like you are a born motivator and a career as a restaurant manager could be your goal. Ensuring your staff are up-beat for customer service, pulling together as a team, communicating well with your colleagues in the kitchen and overseeing excellent customer service with clockwork timing and impeccable presentation – these are just some of the skills that will lead to success.

Sommelier

An enthusiast! A love of wine, keen to learn more about wines and a love of communicating that passion to an attentive audience – becoming a sommelier is a great way to make a career with something you enjoy. Understanding the customer’s requirements, translating that into a carefully selected recommendation – and seeing the customer satisfaction as the end result – simply reinforces the buzz of being a buff!

Head Chef

With the temperature rising in the kitchen, an inspirational head chef can keep his ‘brigade’ cool, calm and collected with the focus on exceeding customer expectations. A teacher, a motivator, an enthusiast, a businessman and a great cook all rolled into one!

Human Resources Manager

Definitely a team player! Supportive, a good listener, constructive, objective, good at building on staff’s strengths and combating weaknesses, the HR Manager is less ‘visible’ in hospitality but is integral to the well-oiled ‘team machine’.

Marketing Manager

A flair for words, a flair for design, an understanding of how to attract your customer’s attention – and purse – using the right message communicated in the right way at the right time.  The skills of a marketing manager help support and develop a brand or promote an establishment. Must be able to liaise with key players to get the right message across.

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