From a summer holiday to a business trip, from a conference to a first date in the lobby: with an apprenticeship in a hotel, you are very close to the guest and right in the middle of real life.

Are you as enthusiastic about your smile as you are about your organisational skills? Do you have a hands-on approach, are you interested in merchandise management and marketing? Whether at reception, in service or housekeeping, whether reservations, purchasing or event management - the right job is waiting for you in the wide world of the hotel industry!

During your apprenticeship you will take on responsibility early on and look after the well-being of the guests, know about breakfast times, recommend the best experiences in the area.

You look in front of and behind the scenes, know the history of the hotel and the drinks menu, organise the big party and keep an eye on the evaluation management. This is how the training leads you through the departments and lays the foundation for your career. You will then deepen your knowledge at the vocational school. In addition to the technical content, English, German and politics are also on the curriculum.

The training as a hotel specialist at a glance:

The training as a hotel specialist at a glance:
At the beginning of the training, everything revolves around the guest. In addition to beverage knowledge, you learn which glasses, cutlery and crockery are the right ones and how they are best served.

But managing the business, registering applications and data protection guidelines are also part of the first year of the apprenticeship. In the second year of the apprenticeship, the focus is on consulting and sales.

You learn how to conduct sales talks, what to do in the event of a complaint and how to deal with complaints and questions from guests. Merchandise management and the perfect room are also on the curriculum.

In the last year of training, it's all about the guest again. The main focus is on reception: you greet guests and carry out check-ins, take care of the hotel cash register and familiarise yourself with marketing and personnel planning.

The following further training opportunities are available to you:

Hotel Master

If you have completed your training and have professional experience, you can register for the further training programme "Certified Hotel Master". This can be completed either full or part time. Since this further training includes topics such as accounting, planning work processes and staff management, you can then take on a managerial position. This not only brings more responsibility, but also a higher salary.

Business administrator in the hospitality industry

After completing the apprenticeship, you can train to become a hospitality specialist. This is a commercially oriented further training course, after which you can even manage a hotel department. It takes about 18 months of distance learning and five months of full-time study to pass the final examination.

Study

With a university entrance qualification, you can take up a course of study and study tourism, for example. It usually takes three years to complete a Bachelor's degree and another two years to complete a Master's degree. Afterwards, you can work in management, for example, with airlines, tour operators or on cruise ships.

What are the future prospects as a hotel manager?

According to forecasts, the turnover in the hospitality industry will be around 22 billion euros in 2020, which means that there will be enough job opportunities for hotel specialists in the future as well. In addition, you can also develop personally, as many different further training courses are offered in this occupational field.

How high the training salary is depends on the industry, the federal state and applicable collective agreements. As a rule, in the first year of training you earn between 650 and 750 euros gross per month. In the second year of training, the collectively agreed salary is between 700 and 850 euros, and in the final year you get between 800 and 950 euros gross per month. If you work in a clinic in Bavaria, for example, the training salary is 750 euros gross in the first year and 950 euros gross in the last year.

What if my company does not have a collective agreement?

Collective agreements are not as common in the hotel and restaurant industry as in other sectors. Nevertheless, some companies do pay according to collective agreements. If your company is not bound by a collective agreement, you may earn a little less. However, by law, your salary may only be 20 per cent lower than the salary of hotel management assistants who are paid according to collective agreements in the same federal state.

How much can I earn as a hotel specialist later on?

Your salary as a hotel specialist depends on the industry, the federal state and whether there is a collective agreement. In general, you will not earn less than 1500 gross euros per month - this is the legal minimum wage. If you work in the hotel and restaurant industry in North Rhine-Westphalia and are paid according to a collective agreement, your starting salary is 1908 euros gross per month. If you have several years of professional experience and take on management tasks, you can even earn up to 3145 euros gross. You can increase your earnings through additional qualifications or further training.