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Working in the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industry

Find out more about the benefits, what skills you need, job opportunities and how to get help in finding a job.

• About jobs in hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism

Text version

Wayne Androliakos, manager: "Hospitality covers so many different areas. Once you've kind of got into the hospitality industry you can do anything from restaurants, cruise liners, hotels, pubs, bars. It really does kind of create that whole sense of, you know, there is a massive amount that you can start to look into and you can branch out into."

Hilary Boyle, Jobcentre Plus: "To anybody who wants to get back into work and has been out of work for a long time, a lot of the Jobcentre programmes are around helping people to do this."

Jennifer Taylor, bartender and waitress: "I was unemployed for about three years since leaving school. I felt a bit worthless you know. I wasn't doing anything with my time."

Shelley Stevenson, café assistant: "I was just a single mum basically and my busy life was basically getting up, going to the shops."

Michael Cych, porter: "I was at home with my wife and two kids just helping the wife out, looking for work near enough every day. It was a hard struggle but eventually I got given the chance and I took it."

Claire Roberts, food and beverage host: "I'd say to people go along obviously to the Jobcentre, sit down with your adviser, have a good talk to them. If you've got no confidence you can sit and tell them that. I think once you're over the first hurdle and you're actually, your determined and your foot's in the door, once you start there's no going back because they kind of make a plan of action for you and you're going through all these courses. And the more and more people you meet and the more and more courses that you do, basically the more that you want to do and you want to go on and on and on."

Shelley Stevenson: "You get to go on courses to help you and you get more help from the Jobcentre and the employers as well. Even if it is just a sales conference course it will bolster your confidence up even though you don't realise it and then before you know it you will be walking into work."

Jennifer Taylor: "We did a lot of interview skills and how to approach people with challenging behaviour and it was all really, really good."

Claire Roberts: "Basically they put you on the right path to get you back into you know, into a good job. They sit down with you and ask you, you know, what you want to do and then they send you in that right direction."

Jennifer Taylor: "I wanted to feel worth something. I wanted to be able to earn my own money and buy the things that I wanted."

Jennifer Taylor: "I decided on hospitality because I love people. I love speaking to people and hearing different stories and everyone is different and it's nice and it's refreshing to just be around so many different people from all over the place."

Shelley Stevenson: "To start with I was really, really nervous and then the last two days I came I just got into it."

Hilary Boyle: "General skills that people need for hospitality is to be able to communicate well with their customers. To be able to assist people, be friendly and outgoing."

Claire Roberts: "I suppose you've got to be a people person. Obviously you've got to be able to communicate well, listen and just basically have fun as you go along."

Jennifer Taylor: "I am a bartender and a brasserie waitress so that just involves working around the bar serving drinks and the waitressing side, that's serving food, clearing tables. Just generally chatting to everybody making sure they're all alright, having a good time."

Jennifer Taylor: "It's so much fun you know. There's always something to do. You always see different people. Everyone is always busy but it's - you always make time to speak to one another and it's, it sounds really cliché but we are like one big family."

Michael Cych: "I'm a porter. I go out and get luggage for customers when they come in, and take it up to the room for them. Show them around the room and basically answer room service and that and help them out with room service. Every day I'm doing something different. I'll come into work and I don't think I've done the same job once yet, it's different every time."

Shelley Stevenson: "I do some cooking. I do setting up the tables, preparing food. I'm loving it. I am liking it a lot. I just like the fact that in the morning when I get up I've got something to get ready for."

Jennifer Taylor: "I love coming to work. I can't wait to be here. I've commented quite a few times on about getting a sleeping bag and sleeping here, I just love it. It's so much fun and everyone is so happy, it's a lovely atmosphere."

Michael Cych: "I'm learning new things every day and my confidence is sky high at the moment."

Shelley Stevenson: "It does make you happier when you are actually working and you know you're doing something for yourself but for your family as well."

Jennifer Taylor: "I still have time for my family and I'm earning the money that I need to support myself and I think knowing that I'm here and I'm working for a living, it's completely changed me."

Wayne Androliakos: "I think that you know, the rewards are massive. You feel a sense of achievement every day. You are working with completely new people every day. It's not a mundane job at all."

Matt Redhead, hotel manager: "Everybody is good at something and again, don't be afraid to try something different and you can probably physically see that you can actually do the job that you came here to do."

Shelley Stevenson: "I would not go back to not having a job ever. I just could not go back."

Jennifer Taylor: "There's so many different aspects of hospitality, it could be front of house, it could be kitchen porter, it could be chef, it could be anything. So it's just an endless career, you can swap and change and you can never get bored."

Claire Roberts: "I'm not too sure what direction I'm going to go in but hopefully maybe there will be another position available in six to twelve months time and then I'll apply for that position and hopefully, you know, even eventually go up and up the ladder."

Working in the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industry

Find out more about the benefits, what skills you need, job opportunities and how to get help in finding a job.

• About jobs in hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism