Which is more important in hospitality, education or experience?
Which is more important in hospitality, education or experience?: Setting an eye on a career in hospitality? Completed your qualification but confused whether education or experience what is more important in hotel management sector? Well here is the answer to all your questions.
Today in the hospitality industry in India there is a demand for trained hospitality professionals. Their knowledge and experience serve better in interacting and serving people. While there has been an increasing number of hotel management colleges offering a multitude of hospitality management courses under different specializations, especially after the coining of ‘Incredible India’ branding by India Tourism and Travel, quality of education went haywire in the absence of proper checks and balances. In addition to this, when it comes to experience, hospitality employees with more years of training in the industry are seeked for recruitment in top firms. Let us read more on what is more important in hospitality, education or experience?
Hospitality Education: A Gateway to the next step
Sudhir Andrews, Dean of Ecole Hoteliere Lavasa says, “ There is a drop in interest in hotel management as a career. The top IHMs who are the largest network of hospitality educators in India are facing a drop in applicants and enrolments from principal urban areas. But still, education is what will get you in the door. Nevertheless, it’s important that the hotel management course you choose includes plenty of practical training and hotel management internships which allow you to put into practice what you’ve learned in the classroom.
Hotel Management / Hospitality Profession: Essential Requirements
A candidate must be willing to work in various areas as the profession may require that an hospitality employee should be multi-talented and can be asked to handle everything like work in
Management
Food and beverage service
Housekeeping
Front office operation
Sales, and marketing
or any other department depending upon the specific requirement.
Advantages of Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality/ Hotel Management
Though it is possible to make a career in hospitality even without a proper degree. However employers pay more attention to the ones who have obtained a Bachelor’s degree in the specific field. They are easily able to confide in a candidate that he/she knows in detail about a particular specialization in addition to being acquainted with the industry requirements. The advantages of hospitality education are:
Obtaining knowledge, skills
Ability in most aspects of hospitality profession
Better understanding of the inter-relationship and interdependencies between various functional areas
Analytical and research skills
Obtaining education from the Right Institute
The Indian hotel education system can be covered under three types of institutions:
1. National Council of Hotel Management- Central Government IHM (Institute of Hotel Management) in key cities of India.
2. Private Colleges of higher standards such as: Taj Aurangabad, OCLD (Oberoi Centre for Learning & Development), Manipal College, and many more affiliated to International Hotel Schools.
3. Private Colleges of low and medium standards affiliated to Indian Universities.
The standards of these colleges like syllabus, curriculum, infrastructure, faculty and so on varies. So rather than being in a dilemma of course-college selection. It is necessary to look upto what facility and hotel management internships the college offers. Choose your subject of area depending on interest and scope in future.
Industry Experience is what counts
As you climb up the career ladder, in the end it is the industry experience in hospitality or say training sometimes that counts. Without it, your degree is just a piece of paper that won't let you grow up in your career aspect. While there are ample of opportunities, students need to evaluate their aptitude for a career in hospitality before coming right into it. Networking is very necessary in the hospitality and travel industry. If you are being considered for a top job at a higher position, your education will no longer be of any great significance in the selection process. Rather, it will be your most recent employment history that will determine whether you get the job or not. A future employer wants to see what you have accomplished professionally and what you are capable of doing.
Conclusion
With time and technology progressing, it has become important to have a solid knowledge of the background. It is especially important for the newcomers in today’s time. It is not only important that you make opportunities to rapidly learn, grow and engage within the industry, but equally significant is to make sure that such activities reach a wider audience. Opening up the industry for organisational studies, internships and similar pre-employment activities is a good start.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The areas are Management, Food and beverage service, Housekeeping, Front office operation, Sales, and marketing.
The advantage of hospitality education is obtaining knowledge, skills and better understanding of the inter-relationship and interdependencies between various functional areas.
The experts see your most recent employment history that will determine whether you get the job or not.
Taj Aurangabad, OCLD (Oberoi Centre for Learning & Development), Manipal College, and many more affiliated to International Hotel Schools.
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Explore Career Options (By Industry)
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A career as a food scientist requires working full-time in the laboratory. He or she analyses data, works on computer programmes, and monitors the processors involved in food production. He or she examines raw materials and surroundings to detect problems. A food scientist is employed in research universities, government agencies, departments, and private entities such as food production facilities in order to do research work in terms of studying food production, storage, and transportation facilities.
Food Inspector
A career as a food inspector comes with the responsibility to ensure the food is healthy for human consumption. A food inspector inspects the food processing entities, manufacturing companies, restaurants, and dairy farms to collect samples for investigating the quality of food ingredients and preservatives being used in the food product to be sold in the market. Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about how to become a food inspector.
Food Engineer
A Food Engineer is a professional who is responsible for processing, packaging, and improving food products. He or she either works in the agricultural or food processing industry holding the responsibility of ensuring higher quality of food products including safety, supply, nutrition, and value.
Food Technologist
Food technologists are responsible for developing healthy and safe food. They ensure the food being produced is hygienic and tastes the finished product. A Food technologist's career requires working in product development and with food product suppliers. This study is a blend of principles of management, science, and marketing to produce or develop quality and hygienic food.
Family Social Worker
In a career as family social worker, an individual help those people who grow up in dysfunctional families and suffer from mild to extreme dysfunction. Some people are able to overcome the obstacles that childhood brought them and have a positive impact on the future. This negative behavior brings great pressure on family members. Sometimes they need help to learn how to deal with certain family situations or problems faced on a personal level. Individuals who opt for a career as family social worker can help restore harmony by providing services to families in crisis.
Chef
Individuals in chef career path work responsibilities include planning the menu, observing the kitchen, and supervising the entire kitchen staff. In the beginning, a trainee chef might be asked to wash dishes, clean the kitchen, and chop vegetables. There is a gradual process of learning and growth to reach the final destination ‘head chef’.
Every restaurant needs a culinarian and the country has a thousand great restaurant chains. So, there are immense career opportunities as well. In this article, we will discuss Chef roles and responsibilities, how to become a Chef in India, Chef skills, Chef eligibility, how to become chef after 12th and Chef qualification.
Linguist
Linguistic meaning is related to language or Linguistics which is the study of languages. A career as a linguistic meaning, a profession that is based on the scientific study of language, and it's a very broad field with many specialities. Famous linguists work in academia, researching and teaching different areas of language, such as phonetics (sounds), syntax (word order) and semantics (meaning).
Other researchers focus on specialities like computational linguistics, which seeks to better match human and computer language capacities, or applied linguistics, which is concerned with improving language education. Still, others work as language experts for the government, advertising companies, dictionary publishers and various other private enterprises. Some might work from home as freelance linguists. Philologist, phonologist, and dialectician are some of Linguist synonym. Linguists can study French, German, Italian.
Event Manager
Event Managers are professionals responsible for planning, organising, and executing various types of events, ensuring they run smoothly and meet the desired objectives. They coordinate all aspects, from selecting venues and managing budgets to overseeing logistics and collaborating with suppliers. Event Managers work closely with clients to understand their goals and tailor events accordingly.
Event Managers manage teams, delegate tasks, and handle unexpected challenges to ensure events are successful. Strong organisational, communication, and problem-solving skills are vital in this role. They operate in diverse settings, including corporate, social, and entertainment events, and may work independently or for event management companies.
Also read: Bachelor of Event Management (BEM) Course
Travel Agent
A travel agent works in the tour and travel industry. His or her work responsibility involves arranging travel for the end clients such as individuals, corporations, or groups on behalf of suppliers such as hotels, airlines, package tours, and other facilities. A travel agent involves working for an independent travel agency or can be a part of a travel agency.
Individuals who opt for a career as a travel agent are involved in planning trips for their clients in their day-to-day life. Travel agents stay updated about the hospitality and travel industry. Students can pursue some travel agent courses, such as BTTM (Bachelor of Tourism and Travel Management), and MTHM (Master in Tourism and Hotel Management) to become a travel agent.
Hotel Manager
A hotel manager manages the hotel staff and services provided to clients and guests. Individuals in the hotel management career path, negotiate on contracts with vendors providing various services in the hotel. He or she coordinates with different departments to ensure that the best services and facilities are provided to guests.
The hotel manager manages the hotel's budget. He or she supervises staff and maintains rules and regulations. The hotel manager handles customer relationships and solves their issues. Here, in this article, we will discuss the details of a hotel management career, and how to get into a hotel management career.
Food Stylist
A food stylist is a culinary art specialist who is responsible for making the food look arranged in a presentable way decked up with accessories for a close shot. He or she works with chefs, photographers and editors.
Bartender
The bartender is the person who mixes and serves drinks at the bar. He or she helps the people to serve drinks at parties which adds to the glamour of the event or the night and makes the environment like a party mood. It is difficult to plan parties without the help of a bartender serving beers and alcohol with all the mixing techniques.
Students can pursue BHM (Bachelor of Hotel Management), or other related courses to opt for a bartender career in India. Here, in this article, we will discuss the details of how to become a Bartender in India, bartending a good job, bartender career growth, bartender roles and responsibilities, bartender courses in India, and bartender skills.
Station Master
A Station Master is also known as SM in its abbreviated form. He or she is an executive employed by Indian Railway Recruitment Board responsible for running trains at a station. The role of Station Master comes with the responsibility of being in charge of running trains at the station assigned to him or her.
A career as Station Master requires to holds the responsibility to operate signals and ensure everything is as per the railway rules and regulations. The primary responsibility of the Station Master is ensuring that all the passenger amenities are fit and fine at his or her station so that travellers do not face any problems.
Linguist
Linguistic meaning is related to language or Linguistics which is the study of languages. A career as a linguistic meaning, a profession that is based on the scientific study of language, and it's a very broad field with many specialities. Famous linguists work in academia, researching and teaching different areas of language, such as phonetics (sounds), syntax (word order) and semantics (meaning).
Other researchers focus on specialities like computational linguistics, which seeks to better match human and computer language capacities, or applied linguistics, which is concerned with improving language education. Still, others work as language experts for the government, advertising companies, dictionary publishers and various other private enterprises. Some might work from home as freelance linguists. Philologist, phonologist, and dialectician are some of Linguist synonym. Linguists can study French, German, Italian.
Travel Agent
A travel agent works in the tour and travel industry. His or her work responsibility involves arranging travel for the end clients such as individuals, corporations, or groups on behalf of suppliers such as hotels, airlines, package tours, and other facilities. A travel agent involves working for an independent travel agency or can be a part of a travel agency.
Individuals who opt for a career as a travel agent are involved in planning trips for their clients in their day-to-day life. Travel agents stay updated about the hospitality and travel industry. Students can pursue some travel agent courses, such as BTTM (Bachelor of Tourism and Travel Management), and MTHM (Master in Tourism and Hotel Management) to become a travel agent.
Travel Journalist
A travel journalist is one who travels to different locations, explores them, and researches their history and cultural heritage. The travel journalist plans and organises the trip and looks after factors such as bookings, routes, destinations to visit, expenses, and other logistics. The travel journalist writes about the experience throughout the journey on various social media platforms, magazines, or even blogs.
He or she might also create travel guidebooks or memoirs to guide other tourists through his or her experience. Here, in this article, we will be discussing what a travel journalist does, travel journalist's salary is, how to become a travel journalist, how a travel journalist is in India, what a travel journalist's job description is, and what is travel journalism.
Travel Planner
A travel planner is a professional who assists clients or people in planning and organising their trips. He or she is responsible for making arrangements for the client's travel requirements such as reservations, booking flights, and arranging transport. A travel planner may also visit the holiday destinations and resorts to help the clients make informed decisions.
In a career as a travel planner, he or she must design cost-effective travel packages according to the client's needs and budget and provide the best recommendations to them. The travel planner oversees the negotiations for the accommodation, transportation, rental companies, tour guides and restaurants for the clients to get the maximum benefits of trips.