| WITH NEW players entering the business, and established brands shaking off the dust of recession and getting back into the growth mode, the hospitality industry has all the right career tracks to offer to ambitious students. Hotel management degrees open doors in anumber of businesses, from hospitals to serviced apartments
Students have a level of interest that has to be complimented by the knowledge that only experts can provide. It is best to get into a hotel management institute right after leaving school. Hotel management is an interesting career option for people who are passionate about the service sector and just love meeting and entertaining people. But it is not an easy career to get into. Candidates opting for a career in hospitality have to undergo a rigorous training programme to be able to cope with the diverse demands of the industry. Catering to this surging demand for professional, many colleges and universities, apart from the governmentrun institutes of hotel management institutes across the country, have begun offering courses in the hospitality sector. The hospitality business is a specialised business and it needs qualified people who can take different levels of stress. “ Hotels are complex operations that require people with diverse knowledge and skills.
Hotel Management Institute
A hotel management institute trains students in each area of operations – front office, banqueting and house- keeping – and grooms them on the software they will need to operate. “ Guest management, personality development and communication skills are all part of the training. As the modules are specific, limited to hospitality, you are bound to grow as an individual and get a holistic perspective at a hotel management institute. Students from a hotel management institute have an edge over the ones from a general stream.
In the industry, the starting salary is around Rs 8,000 a month, which a person who’s not from a hotel management institute doesn’t get easily. Most hotel management institutes provide a Bachelor’s ( Hons) degree, so it doesn’t make sense to delay your entry into the industry just because you want a college degree. Candidates who wish to join this field should apply to a hotel management institute immediately after Class XII, instead of wasting three years in a course that won’t benefit them in the long run.
It’s best to get into hotel management straight after school. Those applying for the programme after graduation look at the course as a post- graduate degree that will help them in career advancement.” Someone applying for an under- graduate programme will have a completely different mindset and a greater readiness to learn.” Also, after completing a hotel management course, there’s no barn on those who wish to enhance their career prospects by opting for, say, an MBA programme.
An MBA will immediately brighten your prospects in the industry and you can look at getting senior positions in hotels. You can then apply straight for executive positions in restaurants, human resource department or the inventory manager’s office.
Global Education in Hotel Management
You can also apply to a foreign university for a specialised degree to help you develop additional skill sets. “ It is important to get a global education in Hotel Managment (HM) that will allow you to do well all over the world. There are well- established hotel management institutes in the country and a degree from one of them definitely helps you stay ahead in the competition.
Hospitality has an international appeal and graduates of hotel management institutes are in demand all over the world. If you choose to work in an international chain of hotels, you not only discover new places, but also get to understand how different culture handle the business of hospitality.
Career in Hotel Management
If you are good in accounts, you can have a good career in the hospitality industry and all sorts of companies will be vying for you. Like any large corporate house, hotel chains too have a complex organisational structure where people with different set of skills fit in. Finance managers, strategic analysts, brand developers and marketing specialists are the globally accepted positions. And with Indian food getting popular world over, international hotels appreciate and hold in high esteem chefs from this country. “ You can be a junior chef in a hotel in India, but in an international operation you might end up getting a senior position.
People opting to enter a hotel will find themselves in entry- level jobs such as the front office, where they provide information about the hotel, make reservations and take care of check- ins and check- outs. Otherwise, you could be made a banqueting or guest relations trainee, or even a restaurant hostess.
The interesting part is that a career in hospitality doesn’t end at a hotel. Increasingly, stand- alone restaurants are offering good positions to management professionals. You can also find placements in airlines, cruise liners, and even the railways.
Openings in food service management, hospital management, serviced apartments, online hospitality, travel and tourism, and even BPO companies come easily to hospitality professionals. They score over others simply because of their service orientation. By qualifying for a hotel management course, you make sure doors open up for you beyond hotels and restaurants. |
