Are you thinking about starting an apprenticeship in a hotel? In Germany, there are various apprenticeship professions in the hotel industry. But you can also do training in different areas all over the world. First and foremost, these include training as a chef, training as a hotel specialist or manager, training as a restaurant manager and training as an event manager. No matter where you do your training, it is very varied. It is something for people who like to work with people, because in this job your main task is to make people happy and to make hotel stays special experiences. Find out in this article whether this job is something for you, what the training includes, how much you earn and what the prospects are after the training!
- This is what you will learn during your training as a hotel speicalist
- Is this the right profession for you?
- What are the chances of promotion and the salary prospects after the hotel management apprenticeship?
- Where can you do the training?
This is what you will learn during your training in a hotel as a hotel specialist
During the hotel apprenticeship, you will work in all departments of a hotel. This gives you different perspectives and teaches you how a hotel works from the scratch. “Learning by doing” is usually the motto here. You get to know and master the processes of each department. This includes many operational activities, such as making a bed properly, cleaning a room, serving food and checking guests in and out. These are just a few of the many tasks. In Germany, there is a training framework plan that states exactly what you will learn in each year of training.
It is important to understand that the training can strongly depend on the hotel where you learn. An apprenticeship in a hotel often starts in the breakfast kitchen, in the breakfast service. So you first learn simple things like how to carry plates properly, how to set up a buffet and how to deal with guests. After that, a few months in housekeeping might follow. Most trainees either love this time or hate it. Here you tend to have less guest contact. Depending on the housekeeping team, you can have a lot of fun here. It is important for a hotel specialist to know how to clean a room properly and to know the procedures in housekeeping. Because at the latest when you work at the reception, it will help you to understand how the housekeeping team works. You also have to be able to sell the rooms here, and the best way to get to know them is to have cleaned them all before.
Is this the right profession for you?
You will soon have finished school and are wondering if this profession is the right one for you? We will tell you some of the qualities that will benefit you in a hotel management apprenticeship:
What you should definitely provide
Desire to work with people
Desire to work in a team
Willingness to work evenings, weekends and holidays.
One of the reasons people come to most hotels is to take a holiday and relax. And when do they do that? Right, when they have time off. And that is mostly on weekends and holidays. The good thing is that this is not the case for everyone, so a hotel can also be open all year round. Besides, during the week there are business travellers who fill the rooms.
So don’t worry. There will still be opportunities for you to have a weekend off. What you have to be prepared for, however, is that you won’t have a Monday-Friday nine-to-five job. But that can have its advantages! In most cases, you will find many friends in your team with whom you will do a lot (no matter which days of the week). Consider carefully what is important to you and whether you could live with working on Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve. Keep in mind, however, that it is fun to work on such days if you get along well with your team and enjoy the work itself.
If you are not sure, try it yourself! Do a internship or talk to people who are doing or have done an apprenticeship. However, it is always best to make your own experiences. Besides, that’s exactly why there is a probationary period, which is usually four months long for an apprenticeship.
You will need these qualities
The following qualities will help you in your apprenticeship. But don’t worry, they are all qualities you can learn if you want to!
The ability to work in a team – you will be working with your colleagues on a daily basis and you will need to work well together.
The ability to deal with difficult people – guests can be difficult! You’ll find that out quickly. As a hotel manageress you are often the contact person for complaints and have to deal with them. But don’t worry, you will learn that too.
Flexibility – especially during your training, it can happen that you will be in housekeeping today, in the restaurant tomorrow and at reception the day after. In reality, trainees are always deployed where they are most needed. Your advantage: you learn a lot.
By loading the video, you agree to YouTube’s privacy policy.
Learn more
What are the chances of promotion and the salary prospects after the apprenticeship?
Hotel specialists are popular everywhere because they are considered stress-resistant, friendly and flexible. In the hotel industry itself, it depends on where you come from and where you go. Smaller establishments have fewer hierarchical levels, so the chances of promotion are rather limited. In larger hotels, you can theoretically rise to the level of hotel manager. In chains in general there are many different possibilities. Hotel chains often have central offices that are responsible for reservations, project management, marketing or similar. Here, too, you have good chances with a classic hotel management education.
There is a fundamental difference between privately run individual hotels and chain hotels. The structures and hierarchies are very different. In chain hotels, there are many standardised processes that often lead to a more professional operation. Family hotels are often much more personal. Ideas can be implemented more quickly and you have greater opportunities to take on responsibility.
Where can you do the training?
First, think about whether you are bound to a specific location or not. Do you want to stay at home or do you want to go further away? Maybe even abroad? Then check out the colleges, companies or hotels that provide the apprenticeship or training.
