Hospitality internships are aimed at providing self motivated students with on the job training and experience.
An internship in the hospitality industry could be in the hotel and lodging fields, as well as areas like catering and restaurant, casino, housekeeping, accounting and front office, human resources and even in the travel & tourism industry.
Students taking local, national and international hospitality management courses typically gain work experience in the field in which they intend to pursue a career.
However, if someone wishes to go directly into a management role, they would enroll in a hospitality management internship where they would gain experience in many areas, including operations management and employee training.
Students trained in a corporate environment gain real life experiences relative to their school or college studies in areas such as employee relations and disciplinary action, which is a fundamental part of managing a large hotel, resort or cruise liner. Employee relations and recruitment are other key areas.
An individual looking for a job in the hospitality profession normally has an idea of what field they are interested in. An internship partnership is a unique program where interns receive the opportunity to gain managerial skills and tailor their experience in their chosen area.
From promotional and event planning (conventions) to hotel housekeeping, front desk operations, accounting and marketing, hospitality internships are crucial to those individuals looking for a long and successful career in a massive global industry, which is thriving and growing now that the worlds economy is regaining its momentum.
When we talk about ‘real life experiences’, we are talking literally about getting down into the nitty gritty of every aspect of a particular field within the hospitality genre. For example, a house keeping intern would work as a room attendant, cleaning guest rooms and doing laundry. And as part of front or check in desk operations, one would become a hotel concierge physically dealing with hotel guests luggage.
Summer hospitality internships are a great way to obtain on the job training if you are studying for a bachelors degree in hospitality management during the rest of the year. While most people at a management level have worked their way up to these rolls, it’s not essential they get there that way, thus a degree combined with work experience is the best alternative.
So a graduate with a bachelors degree, who has completed an internship would be highly employable for a management position in the hotel or tourism area of hospitality management. Someone with real experience, not theoretical practice will have keen customer service skills (providing they excelled during the internship) and will already be capable of dealing with an eclectic mix of clientele.
They would also already understand that the industry requires working long hours, including nights and weekends. Placements will usually offer boarding as part of an internship program. Occasionally this is free, but you should expect to pay a nominal fee for housing with many organizations.
It is not uncommon to find highly self motivated individuals in these hospitality internships getting offered positions where they are interning. Top hospitality companies who help develop the skills of those individuals will inevitably ‘snap up’ those people when they recognize the interns enthusiasm.