Many in our society believe that hospitality study is quite an easy course. This, however, may not apply to everyone. Many believe that joining hospitality schools will induce required hard skill which are mandatory while working in the hotel, restaurant & catering sector and that�s it. But, only very few understand that it is just not about the hard skills but the soft skills & moreover students� own social skills. This means it�s easy to take up this course and gain some skills but to become successful in hospitality career, students must truly become a people-person.
Confidence is the true ticket of success in hospitality industry. It is not merely about being known or knowing people but know how to handle different kind of people. Students with characteristics of finding difficulty in getting warmed up with people will be left behind. The ones who do not warm up for a while but get along better in due course of time may not have to face so much of issues as well as the ones who instantly warm up with people. This is considered the required social skill in the industry.
It is believed and stated that this industry highly considers protocol and procedures, & such is taught in hotel schools, internship & on the job trainings. No matter how much protocol and procedure that are taught in school, there are situations that one need to decide on their own and would learn as an experience. Many times, the same decision on the similar situations may put one in difficulty, so one should use own discretion & be able to be on one�s feet.
Even the students who grew up in a family which displays environment for learning some basic skills required by the industry, which can mentor student as and when required also find difficulties in coping up with the demands of the dedication and perseverance by the industry. It is same during studies in school, internship and even at the start of hospitality career as well as while rising up in the career. One should understand that mere hospitality degree does not make you manager and you cannot be leading departments in a hotel or hotel itself as GM overnight. The GMs of today once in the past had to start from scratch even after having certain hospitality degree.
Do students work while studying?
Barron and Anastasiadou in 2008 examined work habits of hospitality and tourism students at a Scottish university. 30.0% of female students and 39.0% of male students worked 16-20 hours per week, and 39% of female students and 40% of male students worked 21 or more hours per week. This means majority of Hospitality students get engaged in some sort of earning activities for many reasons while earning their degree if they are not engaged in full time or part time employment.
Reasons to join work while studying
The top reasons for working while studying are mostly finance related including the contribution to their basic cost of living and gaining extra spending money though their work requirements hinder their degree advancement. Many students report the lack of available time to meet class demands. Perhaps skills gained from work experiences are not as necessary as often suggested. This means that engagement in work while studying may contribute in financial support rather than understanding the overall hospitality business for future career.
Students� work while enrolled in school for other variety of reasons including skill development, competence enhancement, merely completion of education requirements, many are dedicated to securing a better job or career position upon graduation apart from the reason of earning money. Students are able to develop teamwork skills and experience service quality delivery during hands-on work experiences; these are qualities that employers value in entry-level managers. Student work experience has long been viewed positively by industry stakeholders, and therefore has been incorporated into most hospitality undergraduate programs. Some colleges encourage work experience in addition to internship programs.
In a study done by Tesone and Ricci (2005) in Central Florida to determine the knowledge, skills, and abilities entry-level hospitality employees should possess, the highest rated employee attributes for entry-level positions were knowledge of professional appearance standards, ability to work as a team and pride in satisfying customers, respectively. The authors reported that lodging managers believed the most successful competencies for entry level managers were teamwork, communication skills, and customer service, which are often developed through hands-on work experiences.
In another study done by Fournier and Ineson (2011) examining industry representatives� perceptions of foodservice internship competency evaluations in Switzerland, it resulted in interns� personal skills and characteristics (e.g. trustworthiness, positive attitude, personal hygiene and communication) gaining more emphasis in comparison to interns� technical skills (knowledge of food and beverage service methods). In other words, industry representatives rated interns� personal skills as more important than their technical skills upon entry into an internship experience.
Successful work or internship experiences can foster the development of positive and realistic expectations, leading to successful industry retention. Furthermore, these early experiences can influence future career progress and the desire to continue in the hospitality industry.
The challenges faced while working as Hospitality Student
In a study done by Kozar, Horton, and Gregoire in 2005, it was found that when students� work hours increased, their study time and time spent attending classes decreased and on the other hand significance of gaining practical understanding of the industry was not statistically proven.
Decreased academic performance and increased stress often characterize students trying to balance school and work. In a study done by Nonis and Hudson in 2010 a statistically significant negative relationship was found between the amount of time students worked and academic performance; as work increased, academic performance during the semester decreased. In another study done by Curtis in 2007 in UK, students acknowledged their jobs reduced studying time, yet relatively few about 15% students thought work was directly detrimental to their overall education. In the same study, working students gave some positive note like having the job looks good on a resume, enjoying the job, having debt, and having a social life at work. Robotham in 2009 when examined the impact of part-time work on full-time students, the majority of students experienced negative aspects including completed less work and reading, reduced leisure and social activities, and concentration difficulty accompanying fatigue.
Work as well as personal experience while working during study influence students� career choices and preferences. In a study done by Chuang, Goh, Stout, and Dellman-Jenkins in 2007 on career choices and commitment of hospitality undergraduate students showed that students� early work experiences may build positive expectations and help them form career goals, possibly impacting retention over time.
Though challenges and stresses are often experienced by students working while completing their degrees, it is interesting to note that student challenges appear to be global issues, rather than national.
Students support from Educators
Colleges need to increase their support of working students and respond to the trend by developing curricular related connections between employment and academic skills, and formally recognizing students� employment experiences in their programs of study. Students deemed their internship experience positive even when asked to make 
suggestions for improvement; the majority of students still offered valuable suggestions for better academic institution and employer collaboration to improve the experience for all students (Rothman, 2007).
Carney, McNeish, and McColl in their study in 2005 recommended that schools increase time management training so students can learn to better balance work and school life, though students also need support in others areas of their lives commensurate with their career choices and work experiences.
Another important aspect is students� work experiences enrich school life and social support networks; however, there is possibility of damaging to parent-child relationships.
Confidence is the true ticket of success in hospitality industry. It is not merely about being known or knowing people but know how to handle different kind of people. Students with characteristics of finding difficulty in getting warmed up with people will be left behind. The ones who do not warm up for a while but get along better in due course of time may not have to face so much of issues as well as the ones who instantly warm up with people. This is considered the required social skill in the industry.
It is believed and stated that this industry highly considers protocol and procedures, & such is taught in hotel schools, internship & on the job trainings. No matter how much protocol and procedure that are taught in school, there are situations that one need to decide on their own and would learn as an experience. Many times, the same decision on the similar situations may put one in difficulty, so one should use own discretion & be able to be on one�s feet.
Even the students who grew up in a family which displays environment for learning some basic skills required by the industry, which can mentor student as and when required also find difficulties in coping up with the demands of the dedication and perseverance by the industry. It is same during studies in school, internship and even at the start of hospitality career as well as while rising up in the career. One should understand that mere hospitality degree does not make you manager and you cannot be leading departments in a hotel or hotel itself as GM overnight. The GMs of today once in the past had to start from scratch even after having certain hospitality degree.
Do students work while studying?
Barron and Anastasiadou in 2008 examined work habits of hospitality and tourism students at a Scottish university. 30.0% of female students and 39.0% of male students worked 16-20 hours per week, and 39% of female students and 40% of male students worked 21 or more hours per week. This means majority of Hospitality students get engaged in some sort of earning activities for many reasons while earning their degree if they are not engaged in full time or part time employment.
Reasons to join work while studying
The top reasons for working while studying are mostly finance related including the contribution to their basic cost of living and gaining extra spending money though their work requirements hinder their degree advancement. Many students report the lack of available time to meet class demands. Perhaps skills gained from work experiences are not as necessary as often suggested. This means that engagement in work while studying may contribute in financial support rather than understanding the overall hospitality business for future career.
Students� work while enrolled in school for other variety of reasons including skill development, competence enhancement, merely completion of education requirements, many are dedicated to securing a better job or career position upon graduation apart from the reason of earning money. Students are able to develop teamwork skills and experience service quality delivery during hands-on work experiences; these are qualities that employers value in entry-level managers. Student work experience has long been viewed positively by industry stakeholders, and therefore has been incorporated into most hospitality undergraduate programs. Some colleges encourage work experience in addition to internship programs.
In a study done by Tesone and Ricci (2005) in Central Florida to determine the knowledge, skills, and abilities entry-level hospitality employees should possess, the highest rated employee attributes for entry-level positions were knowledge of professional appearance standards, ability to work as a team and pride in satisfying customers, respectively. The authors reported that lodging managers believed the most successful competencies for entry level managers were teamwork, communication skills, and customer service, which are often developed through hands-on work experiences.
In another study done by Fournier and Ineson (2011) examining industry representatives� perceptions of foodservice internship competency evaluations in Switzerland, it resulted in interns� personal skills and characteristics (e.g. trustworthiness, positive attitude, personal hygiene and communication) gaining more emphasis in comparison to interns� technical skills (knowledge of food and beverage service methods). In other words, industry representatives rated interns� personal skills as more important than their technical skills upon entry into an internship experience.
Successful work or internship experiences can foster the development of positive and realistic expectations, leading to successful industry retention. Furthermore, these early experiences can influence future career progress and the desire to continue in the hospitality industry.
The challenges faced while working as Hospitality Student
In a study done by Kozar, Horton, and Gregoire in 2005, it was found that when students� work hours increased, their study time and time spent attending classes decreased and on the other hand significance of gaining practical understanding of the industry was not statistically proven.
Decreased academic performance and increased stress often characterize students trying to balance school and work. In a study done by Nonis and Hudson in 2010 a statistically significant negative relationship was found between the amount of time students worked and academic performance; as work increased, academic performance during the semester decreased. In another study done by Curtis in 2007 in UK, students acknowledged their jobs reduced studying time, yet relatively few about 15% students thought work was directly detrimental to their overall education. In the same study, working students gave some positive note like having the job looks good on a resume, enjoying the job, having debt, and having a social life at work. Robotham in 2009 when examined the impact of part-time work on full-time students, the majority of students experienced negative aspects including completed less work and reading, reduced leisure and social activities, and concentration difficulty accompanying fatigue.
Work as well as personal experience while working during study influence students� career choices and preferences. In a study done by Chuang, Goh, Stout, and Dellman-Jenkins in 2007 on career choices and commitment of hospitality undergraduate students showed that students� early work experiences may build positive expectations and help them form career goals, possibly impacting retention over time.
Though challenges and stresses are often experienced by students working while completing their degrees, it is interesting to note that student challenges appear to be global issues, rather than national.
Students support from Educators
Colleges need to increase their support of working students and respond to the trend by developing curricular related connections between employment and academic skills, and formally recognizing students� employment experiences in their programs of study. Students deemed their internship experience positive even when asked to make suggestions for improvement; the majority of students still offered valuable suggestions for better academic institution and employer collaboration to improve the experience for all students (Rothman, 2007).
Carney, McNeish, and McColl in their study in 2005 recommended that schools increase time management training so students can learn to better balance work and school life, though students also need support in others areas of their lives commensurate with their career choices and work experiences.
Another important aspect is students� work experiences enrich school life and social support networks; however, there is possibility of damaging to parent-child relationships.
