Real lives: Gareth Coles, Donnington Valley hotel

Name: Gareth Coles
Age: 28
Job: Deputy general manager
Where: Donnington Valley hotel, near Newbury, Berkshire
Salary range for the job: £25,000-£30,000

When did you join the hotel?
I started here last year, but I got into the industry when I was 14 or 15. I'd spent my childhood travelling with my parents and got the hotel bug. We lived in Usk in Wales, and I joined a small hotel as a part-time waiter, receptionist and, eventually, barman while going through school and college. I went on to work in a number of hotels, including the Grand in Torquay, where I was food and beverage manager.

So this is your first assistant general manager position? Yes. It's challenging. I get to work alongside the general manager and see the whole operation.

Do you have formal qualifications? I've got a BTec in hospitality management and an HND in hospitality management from South Devon College. I have been given financial training on the job, and I'd also quite like to take an advanced wine certificate.

Any plans for the long term? I really want to do a stint at an international hotel in the Middle East or Africa. I think it'll be character-building to move somewhere I don't know anybody.

So what are the benefits of working for an independent group? I've worked in larger companies, but private hotels are the way forward for me. There is more freedom - we are left to run the hotel and don't have to go through an operations manager to get things done. I am closer to the business and can more easily look after the guests' needs.