Working in hospitality and catering
Hospitality is a widely used term that includes roles in hotels, cruise ships, airlines, restaurants, leisure centres and conference facilities. If you’re customer focused, the possibilities are endless if you can work well in a team, manage pressure and think on your feet.
Within hospitality and catering, there are four core areas that you could decide to pursue in opportunities in. These are:
Food and Beverage:
- Service: This is one of the most popular jobs for students and temps and those looking to get started in the sector the opportunity for growth up to a managerial level and. It includes roles such as waiting staff, bartenders and runners and is centred around the service of food and beverage – in a restaurant, café, in-flight, on board a cruise ship or at mega events. Other functions within this area are bookings, room service (in hotels) and events support.
- Production: For those inspired by MasterChef, this is the real thing. While it can be stressful cooking under pressure, it provides an opportunity to be creative and do what you enjoy for a living. Entry level roles include commis or kitchen assistant but you could then choose to specialise in a particular cuisine, pastry or confectionary. In terms of where you could work, the range of options include: hotels, cafes, restaurants, bakeries, in-flight and cruise liner kitchens.
Accommodation:
- Front Office: This includes front of house/reception roles where customer service is an integral part of the job. It involves taking or making bookings, assisting with directions, passing information and cashiering.
- House Keeping: Cleaning, bed making and laundry tasks all form part of the housekeeping department.
To get hands on experience as a waiter, receptionist, cashier, hostess, commis or house keeping attendant, previous experience may not always be required.