Where to start: why hospitality offers the most opportunities for young people

Pick your sector, pick your role

The skills you will develop in hospitality will mean you can transfer between many sectors – and you can take your newly found skillset anywhere in the world. But which sector would suit you best? 

Hotels offer all sorts of exciting roles under one roof, from chefs to housekeepers, front of house managers and operations teams; while UK restaurants, pubs and bars are renowned for being at the cutting-edge of cuisine. Or you could flex your commercial acumen with a fast-moving foodservice company, spread your wings on cruise ships or enjoy the bright lights at a tourist attraction.

Here are the key sectors that could lead to a fulfilling career:

• Hotels
• Serviced apartments
• Restaurants
• Pubs, bars and nightclubs
• Food and service management
• Hospitality services
• Events
• Tourist services
• Visitor attractions
• Self-catering accommodation, holiday parks and hostels 

Each sector offers a unique working environment and its own set of careers. If you like to keep active, there are hands-on roles in kitchens, or a career in pubs and bars is perfect if you love being around people.

Hospitality and tourism includes the fast-paced world of visitor attractions, or you could manage youth hostels or co-ordinate multimillion-pound events – the world is your oyster!

If you want to work your way to the top – and fast – hospitality is an ideal place to start your career. Many managers begin in entry-level positions and progress through on-the-job training. 

Learning on the job means that the career possibilities are endless – with the right training and experience, a kitchen porter can become a head chef. And there is high demand for managers in hospitality, so if you work hard and get the right training, you could be leading your own team in no time.

 

Chef case study: support really matters throughout your career

Chris Davis is the head chef of the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London

What makes hospitality a stand-out career?
For me hospitality is such a great career, I enjoy all the creativity and the ability to work with amazing produce and suppliers. I love that you never stop learning in an industry that is all about progression and development. Not only do you learn from each other in the kitchen, but also the front of house teams and suppliers, as well as in other kitchens and restaurants. 

You have career opportunities anywhere in the world, and the team spirit and being part of some great, progressive organisations also gives a great sense of purpose and belonging.

 

How has the sector supported you to progress in your career quickly?

After I left catering college, I joined Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley hotel and I learned so much, I haven’t looked back since. 

There are so many ways you feel supported in this industry. Initiatives like being one of The Caterer’s Acorn Award winners, which recognises the ‘30 under 30’ in the industry, the mentoring and guidance I get from senior chefs, managers and directors in my business, access to apprenticeships and working for organisations like Company of Cooks that are so supportive of me and my career. I’ve also entered numerous competitions and been to food shows and exhibitions.

 

What opportunities have you been given during your career so far? 

I had the opportunity to work at Benu in San Francisco in 2018, having won the Chef Stagiaire Award 2018, where chefs are judged during a one-week stage, or work experience, in a restaurant. I’ve been lucky enough to do stages at some of the best restaurants in the UK. 

I’m currently working across all the restaurants at Royal Opera House, which gives me great variety in a busy and fluid environment and I’m surrounded by creativity. I also enjoy supporting other venues across our wider business and doing events and dinners with different teams at other amazing venues.

 

We work closely with respected chefs outside of our business and I love the opportunities to collaborate and learn from chefs like Sally Abé, José Pizarro and Sabrina Gidda. We’ve also supported the filming of programmes such as MasterChef, giving me the chance to work with producers to create menus for the contestants to cook.

 

Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?

I want to run my own venue within Company of Cooks or even step up to be a group chef or food director. I really enjoy the environment I work in and the direction the business and I are going.

Restaurant manager case study: being hands-on helps

Laurissa Cook is restaurant manager and owner of Pignut in Helmsley, North Yorkshire.

Laurissa runs restaurant Pignut with her chef partner Tom Heywood.

Her first job in hospitality was a part-time role at Andrew Pern’s Star Inn in York. Having caught the hospitality bug, she worked her way up the ranks in the city, becoming restaurant manager at Mr P’s Curious Tavern, and then in 2019 restaurant manager and sommelier at the Rattle Owl. Here, she grew as a manager, taking charge of team training on wines and cocktails and writing menus.

This experience readied her to launch Pignut, a sustainability-focused, eight-course tasting menu restaurant with 14 covers, meaning feedback between staff, chef and diners is important.

Now, as a business owner, she has become more hands-on in the kitchen, learning how to bake sourdough and prepare mussels, which has made her more adventurous with wine pairings and better informed about the menu when speaking to her guests.

 

 

Hotel manager case study: a head for figures will go far

Eljesa Saciri is general manager at the Mandrake, London

Eljesa Saciri came to the UK from Kosovo as a refugee. Her career in hospitality started at the Doyle Collection, where her skills made her a perfect candidate for development.

She was behind the launch of two dining spaces in London which, under her management, generated gross profit of £3.9m.

Her financial acumen and managerial skills were put into play at the Zetter Group, where she managed an annual turnover of £2.7m.

Her platform in the hospitality sector has given her the opportunity to talk widely about encouraging more women to progress in the industry, while she also creates a safe space within the hotel to support people with mental health issues or substance abuse problems.

Where can you go next?

Like the sound of an exciting career in hospitality, where no two days are the same and you are constantly developing your skills and meeting new people? Here is a list of organisations that can help you get your first job in this dynamic industry.

 

Institute of Hospitality

The professional body for managers and potential managers
www.instituteofhospitality.org

Not Going to Uni

Find apprenticeships, college courses or work experience
www.notgoingtouni.co.uk

 

Springboard

Springboard aims to help young people find training and work placements
www.springboard.uk.net

 

Career Scope

Created by experts to offer skills training, CV building and interview advice
careerscope.uk.net