Related fields
The hospitality industry offers opportunities, from local pubs and caravan parks right through to the luxury 5 - star hotels in the big cities. There are also many areas of crossover between the hotel industry and other closely related fields. You may start off working in a local restaurant but you could end up working in any of the following areas:
This gives you a vast range of job choices throughout the length of your working life and gives you plenty of room to find just the right company and career for you.
Diverse Job Range
An amazing number of jobs are available in the hotel industry and this means that people with all sorts of backgrounds and talents can find a niche. Whether you are currently a nurse or a tennis coach, a plumber or a secretary, an engineer or a cleaner, there is something for you in this growth industry, Accountants and other mainstream workers can easily make the transition from corporate wardrobe to resort wear - and often do.
Remuneration and related Benefits
Wages, salaries and conditions vary in the hotel industry and you will have to do your apprenticeship before you start earning the really big dollars. But the money is there to be had. And how! Not everyone is interested in the stress associated with top paying jobs, though: many prefer to enter the industry for its lifestyle benefits and for the simple reason that they enjoy hotel work.
For entry-level positions an Award Wage signifies your lowest earning potential. However, the hotel industry is notorious for the amount of overtime work it gives its employees, so you can often earn quite a substantial bit more than you would working your basic 38- hour week. This is especially true of remote location resorts, where employers must often give their staff huge amounts of overtime as they are unwilling or unable to employ more full-time staff.
Salary ranges do vary widely in the industry, especially between large company chains and smaller boutique operations. Usually the higher the star rating the higher the salary. As is typical of most industry pay structures, there is an ever-increasing salary gap between entry-level and upper management positions.
As well as providing a decent wage, hotel work usually offers other incentives to employees such as cheap room rates, discounted meals, provision of uniforms and savings on travel. Hotel employees can save themselves as much as 50% off regular room rates at many hotels around the country just by asking for the 'industry rate'. This is a great way to save money while on holiday and normally all you will have to do is present a staff ID card or a letter from your employer stating that you are a current employee.
Most of the large hotel groups are also able to offer other benefits to their staff.
These benefits can include discounts of over 40 % on interstate and overseas flights and cruises; large discounts at affiliated hotels; dining savings at company-owned restaurants; discounted hire of function rooms (great if you are planning a wedding or birthday celebration!) and ore. To qualify for these larger incentives you will normally need to have served the company continuously for twelve months. Some of the more generous companies also extend these benefits to your immediate relatives.
Located Near You
Most towns have at least one hotel, motel, restaurant or caravan park where you can gain work experience. This availability of work experience at the local level makes the industry one of the easiest to enter. You may be surprised to find that many successful people have profited greatly from such local experience - even from the time they have spent in hospital and retirement-home kitchens or cleaning departments. The weekend job you hold at a fast food outlet in the country is just as good as the fast food job you hold in the city. It's all experience and it doesn't matter where it is on the map.
Career Portability
It is rare for someone in the hotel industry to spend an entire career working for just one or two companies. With such a diverse range of hotels and management corporations out there, the temptation to switch companies, and hotel types is strong. It is also easy. The hotel industry is renowned for the portability of careers between companies and hotel types so even though you may start off working later on in your career for a world-class property on the other side of the world. The advantages of easy career portability between towns and states can become very apparent when family circumstances necessitate a move. A lawyer or stockbroker might be hard-pressed to find work in a outback town, but someone with hospitality experience should be able to find a place relatively easily.
Travel Opportunities
Rarely does an industry offer such easy access to intrastate, interstate and overseas travel. Not only does this mean you can get to see the world and experience different cultures and locales, but also that you are equipped with a career for life that can open doors for you anywhere in the world. For many in the industry, hotel work offers a means to explore the world for a few years before 'settling down' - working in hotels is the perfect way to finance an extended overseas trip. Others find it necessary to include overseas posts on their careers in order to progress to a favoured position such as that of a ski instructor, or a middle manager in an international hotel chain. Though travel may not be high on your list of priorities when you enter the industry, it is always nice to know that the opportunities are there if you wish to take them up.
Career paths and Promotion
Entering the hotel industry means that you can, to a large extent, direct your own career path. As you gain experience in a given area you may decide that it is really not for you. Perhaps you have observed another department in the hotel which you think would suit you. It is nearly always possible to change departments if you show the aptitude and the skills necessary.
'Cross-training' is a buzzword in the hotel industry; basically, it means the acquisition of skills in more than one area. Managers encourage cross training because it gives them a multi-talented workforce who can be utilized as required in various departments. And having experience in more than one area means that even more choices are possible on your career path.
There is no set formula for reaching the top in the hotel industry; any combination of experience can work for you. For example: a hotel accountant can be promoted to a resident manager, a waitress can become a maitre d, a bartender can become a functions supervisor, a house-keeper can become a porter and can be promoted to concierge; the list goes on. The hotel industry really does offer suitable candidates many opportunities and rapid career progression.
Hours to Suit
By its very nature the hotel industry employs full-time, casual and temporary labour. This is great for students, homemakers, travelers, the self-employed, and full-time workers who want to earn extra income and gain valuable experience by working casually in the industry.
The availability of casual work gives hospitality hopefuls a chance to be trained up in the hotel's procedures and give them a 'foot in the door' if they ever decide to increase their commitment and take on a full-time position. Casual workers often hear about upcoming vacancies before they are advertised and if they apply, are normally given preference over outside applicants as their capabilities are already known to the hotel. Causal work is also the ideal way to back up any studies that you undertake, so you gain important experience as well as qualifications.
Permanent positions, on the other hand, offer job security, guaranteed hours and advancement opportunities. Hospitality is not the 'fuzzy' career that some people seem to think. It offers real chances for career growth and excellent remuneration at the higher levels.
As the industry matures, the call for more temporary labour increases in volume. Temporary labour hire gives businesses flexibility and control over their wage costs.
It can also provide workers with a stimulating variety of workplaces, a financial safety net during transitional periods, the opportunity to earn money while studying or during holiday periods, and a breather from permanent commitments.
Seasonal Opportunities
You can see the flexibility of the hotel industry by looking at the availability of seasonal work. Seasonal work can offer temporary employment between jobs, a chance to gain experience in a new field and in income for a defined period. It can also be a lot of fun, offer an interesting lifestyle, and provide the launch pad for a successful career ion the long term.
Job Security
Job security in the hospitality industry has proved to be excellent due to the general shortage of trained staff in comparison to the number of positions vacant. Although pilots' strikes, international conflicts, terrorism and recession can adversely affect the industry hospitality workers have remained relatively unscathed. This is especially true of chefs' positions. Good workers are rarely retrenched, except in cases involving major company restructuring. Basically, if you are a god worker and are willing to travel for a position, then you will virtually be guaranteed permanent employment immediately; if you wish to remain in the same city, then you may have to wait a month at the most.
In comparison to industries such as building, manufacturing and teaching, the hospitality business is enjoying a period of health and even growth. In Western Australia, for example, employment across all industries between 1988-89 and 1992-93 grew slightly, at an average annual rate of 0.3%. However, the tourism-related sector (the largest component of which is hospitality) had a per annum growth of 2.2% for the same period. Unlike public-sector jobs, a hotel position will not be affected by changes in local or State government. And steady demand indicates that travel, for both business and pleasure, will continue to keep the hospitality industry on the upswing.
Doing What You Love
Imagine doing what you love and being paid for it! In the hotel industry you can do just that. Scuba divers, abseilers, marine biologist, entertainers and boat drivers can all find roles in the hotel industry - and many do. It is one of the few industries to offer such a diverse range of 'hobby' positions.
Education
You might be a rocket scientist who spent the best part of a decade learning your craft. On the other hand, perhaps you left school in year 9 without getting a 'proper' education. The hotel industry is unique in that your past level of schooling makes no difference to your chances of success. Individuals at all levels, with or without formal education, can build successful careers in hospitality. The rocket scientist may start out as a kitchen steward and the 16-year-old as a laundry attendant, but rapid progress is possible for both. Certainly some of the positions in the hotel industry require formal accreditation, but the brilliance of the industry is that most skills can be learned on the job.