Education
Laws of Hospitality
Today, the restaurant and hotel business is one of the fastest-growing and most promising industries, standing alongside Offshore Business<\/a>. It would seem that nothing could be simpler - just go and work! But despite the huge market demand for qualified personnel, there are few educational programs in hospitality in our country. However, that is not even the main issue. The problem is that today's youth does not perceive the hospitality industry as a career platform. Of course, working as a waiter or a "girl at the reception desk" is a nice addition to a student's stipend. But after receiving the coveted diploma of higher education, how many will want to serve snacks and sit at the front desk? Not prestigious! Not promising! And few understand that the path from waiter or administrator to manager, though difficult, is possible.<\/p>\n
Slow and steady wins the race<\/strong><\/p>\n
Have you firmly decided to try your hand at the hotel and restaurant business? You can acquire the necessary knowledge in several ways. The first is vocational schools and specialized courses for waiters, bartenders, croupiers, etc. After them, you can confidently go to look for a job. The second is corporate training programs, where you will also be taught to deal cards and serve wines. However, in this case, it is worth remembering that each casino, hotel, and restaurant has its own little secrets. Therefore, before going to corporate courses, you should think about which company you want to work for. The third option is to obtain a higher professional education. But here too, there are surprises.<\/p>\n
Work in hospitality is, first and foremost, practice, and only then education. And even if your diploma says "manager," no one will hire you for a leadership position right after college - you lack experience. Be prepared to start from lower positions.<\/p>\n
"Many educational institutions offer a specialization in 'manager,' and this is misleading: since I have a higher education and I am a manager, get me a position no less than deputy director," says Lisandro Platzer, first vice president of the Korston group of companies. "Earlier, a person graduated from university as an economist and after five to ten years of work rose to director. And now he is a manager... However, a graduate must understand that after completing university, he can only apply for entry-level positions. They become the starting point for career growth: for some, the position of waiter, for others, porter... Further, everything depends on work capacity, determination, and the desire to learn."<\/p>\n
"Of course, much is determined by the specifics of the profession and industry," says restaurant business expert Marala Charyeva. "For example, if a person is a technologist by education, they will be involved in developing new dishes, and to move up the career ladder, they first need to immerse themselves in the 'kitchen' of the restaurant concept (Japanese, Italian, American, Russian, etc.) both literally and figuratively. And waiters are typically first- and second-year students. To take a managerial position, they need at least a higher education. Then - working as a manager directly in the restaurant. After two to three years, a person can apply for the position of restaurant director or restaurant complex director. The next step is territorial manager. To reach this level, another two to three years of successful management of a restaurant or complex are needed. The candidate must acquire excellent operational knowledge and experience, learn to lead a team, make management decisions, interact effectively with office services and external (inspecting and controlling) organizations. After working for several years as a territorial manager (a manager responsible for five to ten restaurants of one or several restaurant concepts in a certain territory), one can apply for the position of manager or even operations director of a brand or concept (all depends on achievements). And so on. Each step up the career ladder ideally takes three to four years."<\/p>\n
And to become the head of a hotel complex, according to Lisandro Platzer, you need to work in the industry for at least 20 years, with at least five of them in management positions.<\/p>\n
Study and Practice<\/strong><\/p>\n
The desire to take an employee through all steps of the career ladder is not a simple whim of employers. The specificity of the "hospitality business" is such that without knowing the basics, without understanding the essence of your subordinates' work, you are unlikely to become a good manager and competently build a business, no matter how good your theoretical training. Moreover, in many companies, among the mandatory requirements for a candidate is the ability to replace a subordinate. For example, during a large banquet, a manager must be able, if necessary, to take an order, serve and pour wine, etc.<\/p>\n
However, the problem with our education is the lack of any practical training. That is, nominally they exist, but as a rule, they boil down to a formal report. "Today's courses provide only theory. No one has yet managed to create a program where only people who know the technologies and work in the industry would teach," notes expert Nina Litvinova. Unfortunately, today among teachers you can find those who simply do not know the restaurant or, for example, hotel business.<\/p>
Another problem of domestic education in the hospitality sector is the lack of strict professional standards, and without a clear understanding of what specialist should be produced, it is difficult to adjust the program. According to experts, three main groups of requirements can be identified: practical knowledge of applied management of a tourism, hotel, aviation or excursion enterprise, proficiency in a foreign language, including specialized vocabulary, and basic computer programs such as Amadeus, Sabre, Galileo (this knowledge must be confirmed by a certificate). As for general requirements for top managers, these are strategic and tactical management skills. Also important is knowledge of HR technologies, the ability to motivate people, set tasks and receive "feedback".
Abroad will help us
Mastery of new methods and management technologies has become the main factor determining the success of an enterprise in the market. Given the current pace of development of the tourism and hotel business, a company whose employees have only superficial knowledge is unlikely to stay afloat. However, domestic education is not yet able to meet the industry's need for competent workers. Moreover, the variety of specializations offered by dozens of foreign schools cannot be compared with what one or two domestic programs can provide. However, it is worth considering that Western education is too detached from our reality.
Before going to one of the Western schools, it would be good to decide what exactly you want to learn. According to experts, there is no point in going through the entire program; it is more advisable to travel, observe and learn.
"It is impossible to say unequivocally which education is better - ours or foreign," says Marala Charyeva. "Many domestic business schools invite American and European specialists and practitioners to teach. Moreover, as a rule, people obtaining an MBA degree are specialists who work in international companies, and they already have access to foreign trainings and a learning system. Thus, the very opportunity to work in a foreign company ensures the constant growth of the employee."
A diploma from a Western business school is rather needed for those who have firmly decided to work outside our country. In global practice, the two most popular models of teaching "hospitality science" are the American and Swiss models. And when choosing a school, it is worth considering their features. Thus, schools that have adopted the American model are characterized by a stronger emphasis on management as such. At the same time, the management of hotel or tourism business is considered only as a special case. As a result, they produce "universal" graduates capable of working in any industry.
Switzerland, on the contrary, pays great attention to applied issues. As a rule, equal time is allocated to theoretical and practical classes, but sometimes practice dominates. Students master all professions related to hotel work - from porter, waiter and maid to accountant and manager. Schools directly cooperate with the best hotels or exist on the basis of one of them. And some even offer the opportunity to do internships abroad. In addition, internships within the country are well paid (for example, in Switzerland - 2-2.5 thousand francs).
