Hospitality as a Career

Inevitably, our talks turn to hospitality as a career choice. Giles laughs at me; ‘William, you could write a whole blog on that one alone’.

‘Interesting idea that that is, Giles, but for the time being shall we just limit that to a post or so. Say, 500 words?’

'I’ll try.’



'So, how did you end up working in luxury hospitality?’ Giles reflects for a bit.

'I sort of fell into it, is the short answer, like so many in the industry. And just carried on.’ Not wanting to write more about Giles’ work history as he declines to be identified, I left him to press on.

'It’s an interesting industry to work in. Firstly, it is more of a lifestyle choice than anything else. The hours are very unsociable and long. Public holidays and weekends are the times that you work. The work is very hard, and the restaurant or hotel you work in all consuming. Your colleagues become closer to you than you family.’

'People in the UK do not see it as a career choice. By contrast, in Europe (France, Germany, Italy, etc) it is a very traditional industry, and the choice of many. However, they have a culture surrounding fine dining and hotels that we in the UK do not have. In North America, it is perceived (how?) as a glamourous and challenging career, with many seeking to enter the industry, and climb the industry ladder. It is on par with airline stewardesses and similar as regards glamourous carers. Over here in the UK, however, hospitality is looked down upon, and seen by many as a stop gap career or job, or as an industry staffed by either students or foreigners, or by those who cannot find anything else.’

It is, according to Giles, a self fulfilling prophecy. ‘Due to the social and cultural conceptions of the hospitality sector, few people desire to enter it. As such, it remains staffed by students who need to finance their studies, or by foreigners seeking employment. And society continues to look down upon the industry. However, that is not totally fair upon the industry.’

‘There are those in the UK who decide to make hospitality their career. There are so many who are very professional, and who take pride in being (sic) hospitality professionals. However, that is at the upper end of the industry. At the other end of the scale, the small cafes, bars and local restaurants still remain staffed by students and foreigners, who care little about the industry, and who have little experience.  Even worse, some places use staffing agencies. ‘

‘In the UK, to say you work in hotels or restaurants (unless you are a Gordon Ramsay or similar) will most likely get a raised eyebrow of a response. That cultural perception of hospitality is not necessarily damaging, but it does us no help either. Above all, it is not a fair reflection of the blood, sweat, tears and time that so many of us dedicate freely to our respective restaurants, bars and hotels.’

As greater awareness of cooking sweeps the nation after so many celebrity chefs and cooking shows, Giles thinks that that negative perception of hospitality as a career will change. Slowly, over time, like a good joint of meat.