Fast food restaurant manager : Entry requirements

Many managers begin their careers as counter-service staff and work their way up to management level by acquiring experience and not through formal qualifications. There are, however, a wide range of relevant full-time and part-time qualifications available.

A degree is only usually a requirement if you are joining a formal graduate management training programme. These schemes accept graduates from any discipline, but a number of specialist degree courses are available including:

• hospitality management;
• culinary arts management;
• hotel and catering management.

There are also one-year postgraduate conversion courses in hotel and catering management or hospitality management, and a postgraduate diploma or Masters qualification in hospitality management. Postgraduate courses are not a requirement for entry to graduate programmes.

Additional relevant qualifications include hospitality management (HND), hospitality supervision (BTEC) and a whole range of leisure management or business management courses. See Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) for full details.

Other entry routes include apprenticeships (open to people up to 25 years of age). The hospitality and tourism sector is reputed to offer around 25,000 apprenticeships per year (visit Apprenticeships ).

The sector skills council, People 1st , has set up a the National Skills Academy for Hospitality which has industry-wide support and provides high-quality training for people interested in the hospitality sector.

Within the sector, formal qualifications are generally considered less important than evidence of relevant work experience and, more importantly, the personal qualities needed to be a successful manager. Candidates should, therefore, have some or all of the following:

• excellent customer service skills;
• an ability to lead and motivate teams and influence people;
• good organisational skills;
• energy and stamina;
• decision-making ability and problem-solving skills;
• strong communication skills, tact and diplomacy.

Many restaurants include an observation or shadowing day as part of their recruitment process so candidates can experience working as a manager before they fully commit themselves. Other selection methods include telephone interviews, assessment centres, one-to-one interviews, panel interviews and personality tests.

For more information, see work experience and internships and search courses and research.