Taking a course in hotel and/or catering can open up opportunities for you anywhere in the world. You can see the world and get paid for it, as well as meet new people every day. The tourism industry is your oyster, as long as you choose the right course. You could go into hotel management, catering for a hotel, open your own catering firm, become a travel planner or work in a consultant capacity. It is completely up to you which career path you want to take, but there are many avenues open to you whether you specialise in a certain area of the tourist industry or not.
The range of hotel/catering courses is huge so there is most definitely something out there for everyone. There is tourism, tourism with a language, hotel management, bar management, culinary arts, tourism business skills, hospitality skills, professional cookery and a whole host of other similar qualifications. These skills can be used in hotels, guest service providers, bars, restaurants and other similar workplaces so you are not limited to working in a hotel. However, there are various levels of qualification as well. The majority of hotel-based courses are bachelor degrees, but the culinary arts are generally certificates or diplomas, whilst hospitality masquerades as both. This is not the rule though. Instead, it is a guideline because there are all types of qualification for each area.
Most bachelor degree hotel/catering courses last four years, with at least one year in industry, but the certificates only tend to last one or two years. Entry requirements are usually six passes for degree courses and no specific qualifications for the certificates. All courses are practical in nature though and will also have a practical assessment because many of the colleges believe that a practical approach is the best way to learn. There may be theory exams in the degrees but those taking other qualifications usually avoid them. The make up of each course is dependent on the subject, but they will all include background knowledge of the tourism industry and the inner workings of a hotel.
The following providers offer excellent hotel/catering courses and should be checked out before you apply for one specific course:
1. http://www.ittralee.ie - Institute of Technology Tralee – Tralee actually has a wide range of courses in the tourism department, including certificates in the culinary arts and hospitalities and degrees in hotel management.
2. http://www.dit.ie - Dublin Institute of Technology – As well as having the necessary degrees and diplomas, DIT has a series of short courses to supplement knowledge and to help improve any existing career prospects.
3. http://www.shannoncollege.com/ - Shannon College of Hotel Management – offers courses for all aspects of hotel management!
4. http://www.amcd.ie - American College Dublin - The focus of this college is hospitality, and they offer diplomas and degrees alike so you can choose the best one for you.
5. http://www.riibs.ie - Royal Irish International Business School – Offering an advanced diploma in hotel management, this college can give you the practical head start that you need in the tourism industry.
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