Working in the hospitality industry has its up and downs, and you will have to carefully consider all the options before getting a hospitality job. You can choose from jobs in housekeeping, working in the kitchen as a chef, or food and beverage supervisor jobs. In an interview with a food and beverage supervisor working in a four star UK hotel in the Cotswolds, some insight was gained into this interesting career.
Mr Delbrooke-Jones has been working in the hospitality industry since he was a teenager starting out as a kitchen runner in his grandfather’s restaurant. He now works in the hotel setting and tells us about his hospitality job.
“This position requires you to supervise the bar, lounge, restaurant and conference and events areas of the hotel. You are responsible for the overseeing of good service and practice from your staff, as well as ensuring and maintaining outstanding customer relations. The training and development of staff members, the monitoring of standards, control of stock and of the daily operations all make up the day to day duties, although no two days in the hotel industry are the same! There are always new challenges and fresh opportunities to test your capabilities.”
When asked about the training he received, Mr Delbrooke-Jones explained,
“Experience is definitely a key to developing in this industry, but fortunately you don’t need any to make a start. All you need is a positive attitude and a willingness to learn. Naturally, enjoying social interaction and being able to work well under pressure will serve you well. In-service training is really the ideal, so that you can see the bar or restaurant in working motion, along with what you need to know and how to do it. Previous jobs including a variety of waitering and bartending work, from chain restaurants and exclusive nightclubs to English country pubs gave me all the training and experience I needed.”
The extra benefits that you can get working in the hotel industry are quite varied.
“In my particular job, the longer you work the company involved, the better the benefits. Four weeks paid leave per year is standard. After six months with the company, a pension scheme becomes possible. Staff meals for shifts of more than six hours are another perk, along with free membership of the hotel’s leisure centre, which includes a gym and spa.”
Mr Delbrooke-Jones also divulged his working conditions and the hours of work.
“Hours in hospitality are generally erratic, and potentially very long. Depending on the business the hotel is taking in a week, the minimum of forty hours of work can creep up to sixty or more. Before taking on the position I was asked to sign a waiver saying that I was willing to do this. By law, unless you sign this waver, you may not work more than your allotted hours in a week. Everyone in the industry generally understands the need to be flexible on this point though. I am extremely fortunate that the hotel I work in provides a good environment and all the staff get on. The work can vary from intensely high pressure to quite mundane depending on the number of people that are in-house, conferences and events being held there, and deadlines to fulfill in preparation of these.”
The pay for a food and beverage supervisor at this particular hotel is about £14,000 per year before taxes which equates to $20,600. This is pretty standard for a newcomer and is reviewed after six months.
There are also plenty of opportunities to progress as a food and beverage supervisor. You can work your way up to being a restaurant manager, an operations manager and more.
“This is a great route to follow if hotels are where your passion lies. The opportunity is there to gain knowledge and expertise in areas I wouldn’t otherwise have had access to. A hotel group functions like any other company, with human resource departments, sales and marketing departments, and more, so there is room to try your hand at other fields, or at least gain some exposure.”
Here is some advice about working in the hospitality industry.
“In general though, the most valuable thing I’ve learned in hospitality so far is that it is the people you meet and the attitude you meet them with is what makes all the difference to what opportunities become available to you. The sky is literally the limit, and chance certainly has a part to play, but essentially you are always on display, so make it count!”
If you want to learn more about this and other hospitality industry jobs, then have a look the Cruise Job Finder website hospitality section.
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