STUDENT LIFE
Figuring out what course to apply for can be tough. LAURA JACKSON-RYAN (20) explains why she chose International Hospitality & Tourism Management at IT Tallaght.
I always had an interest in travel, that’s whyI chose this course – tourism is in the name. When you’re trained in an industry like this you know you’ll always have a job. You can work anywhere in the world.
The great thing about choosing a course like International Hospitality & Tourism Management is that it is so broad. When you’re qualified you can work in any department of a hotel and you learn skills that you can use anywhere in business.
I am in third year now and as part of our course we go on an internship for five months. A lot of my friends went overseas for their work experience – places like the US, France, Spain and Belgium – but I opted to stay in Dublin and I’m working in the Talbot Hotel Stillorgan.
Not Your Typical 9-5
This is actually my first time working in the industry and, I have to say, it’s not what I expected. I thought it would be a nine-to-five routine, but it’s so different. You will never get bored in this business. No two days are the same and there is so much to do. The downside is that there are long hours, but you get to experience so much.
I am working in HR at the moment, learning payroll and scheduling holidays, and over the next few months I will work in Accounts, Reservations and Conference &
Banqueting. My favourite department so far is Sales & Marketing. The hotel recently rebranded to the Talbot Hotel Stillorgan from the Stillorgan Park Hotel and it was very exciting to work on such a big campaign.
Great Experience
As part of the rebranding the hotel sponsored the Dublin Horse Show and I was brought along to the event. That was so much fun! Before I started this internship I thought I would be stuck in the office doing the filing but that’s not the case at all. You really do get great experience.
Choosing a Course
Would I recommend this course? Absolutely. If you want to travel this is the course to do. It’s not as time-consuming as some courses so you can work part-time if you need to, which helps.
The best thing about this course though is that it prepares you for any area of the business. That’s the beauty of hospitality, there’s so much variety in this industry that you’re bound to find a role that you will love.
This article first appeared in the 2015 issue of Get a Life in Tourism.