Graduates of leisure, tourism and hospitality courses find work across a vast range of employer types: hotels; restaurants; pubs; leisure centres; entertainment venues; hospitals; events management companies; heritage sites; tour operators; travel agents; airlines; national and regional tourism organisations; and local authorities.

Job roles range from conference and banqueting co-ordinator to bar manager; tourism officer to sports development officer.

Management training programmes are a popular choice for many graduates who have their sights set on a career in senior management. These are usually 18 months to two years in duration and, depending on the organisation, may be quite operational in nature, at least initially, or be designed to fast-track you to senior management.

Is it for me?

The main skills required for a career in this sector are:

• communication
  
• enthusiasm/motivation
  
• entrepreneurialism
  
• organisational/planning ability
  
• problem solving/analytical skills
  
• team working
  
• time management
  
• willingness to learn.

Recruiters for management training programmes are often seeking graduates with a broad skills set. While most specialist programmes will give preference to those with a related discipline, many will hire graduates from other disciplines.

Another key factor in your entry point to employment on graduation, both in terms of position gained and starting salary, is the amount of relevant work experience you have gained prior to and throughout your college years. You will have the advantage if you use part-time work, holiday work and placements/internships to gain wider and more senior positions in your chosen field as you moved upwards through your college programme.

What training opportunities are there?

The hospitality industry in Ireland is not one that has traditionally been seen to recognise the value of a third-level qualification – in particular, any beyond your undergraduate qualification. However, this trend is changing. Even long-established managers who have ‘worked their way to the top’ are beginning to embrace the spirit of continuing professional development and to appreciate the wide range of skills that engaging in any third-level programme can provide.

The variety and scope of programmes in tourism, hospitality and leisure provide excellent opportunities for graduates to progress all the way to doctoral level should they meet the minimum criteria required.

Fáilte Ireland and the Irish Hotel and Catering Institute (IHCI) have placed particular emphasis in recent years on CPD for all those working in the hospitality industry. For example, they have developed short courses in finance, human resource management and marketing.

Where do I find a job?

If you are looking for jobs, recruitment fairs and employer events on campus are a good place to start. Registering with recruitment agencies, surfing graduate careers websites (such as this one) and checking the jobs section of newspapers are also useful sources of jobs.

Further information

For more information see the gradireland Hospitality & Tourism sector career guide, available to download from our Publications page.