Hospitality : Typical employers

Major employers include hotels and other accommodation providers, restaurants, bars, conference and event organisers, contract caterers and other hospitality service providers. These businesses vary in size and may be independently owned or part of a larger chain.

Big players

• Whitbread PLC is one the UK’s largest hotel and restaurant group. It employs over 35,000 people and consists of a number of brands including Premier Inn, Brewers Fayre, Beefeater, Table Table and Costa. Opportunities for graduates include management, area management, various head office roles, kitchen management and chef positions, and a graduate finance scheme.
• Mitchells & Butlers is another giant hotel and restaurant group based in Birmingham. The company employs about 44,600 people and runs around 2,000 managed pubs, bars and restaurants throughout the UK. Its brands include Harvester, Toby Carvery, O’Neil’s, All Bar One and Browns. Students can start their careers at Mitchells & Butlers by applying for an undergraduate year out programme, a retail graduate scheme or a corporate graduate scheme.
• Compass Group is a market leader in providing food and a range of selected support services to customers in the workplace, in schools and colleges, in hospitals, at sport and leisure venues, and in remote environments. The Group operates in 55 countries and employs more than 55,000 people in the UK. Recognisable in-house brands and franchises include Starbucks, Upper Crust, Burger King, Ritazza, Coyote Jack’s and Steamplicity.
• Hilton International is a globally recognised employer, operating ten brands across 3,400 hotels in 80 countries. Hilton offers the Elevator General Management Programme in which graduates work in the four main hotel business areas of operations, business development, human resources and finance. The programme consists of an initial 18-month training period, in which graduates complete two or more international placements, so you will need to be internationally mobile and be able to speak English plus one other European language. The chain also offers the Hilton Finance Graduate Development Programme.
• Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG) comprises seven brands including Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza and operates 4,500 hotels in over 100 countries. The IHG UK and Ireland Graduate Programme offers the opportunity to become a general manager or area revenue manager within five years. During the first two years, trainees gain experience in two hotels based in the UK. Each hotel sets its own individual projects linked to an individual training plan that is supported and mentored by professionals. Graduates also attend centralised training courses run by experts in their field. The IHG website also has a searchable database of its global vacancies.
• McDonald’s Restaurants - ranked 79th in the 2010/11 Times Top 100 Graduate Employers, McDonald’s operates a Trainee Business Manager scheme, which includes an intensive 20-week management development course. There are also opportunities to work in head office roles.

Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

SMEs are organisations with less than 250 employees and an annual turnover of no more than £44million. Working for a smaller company can be rewarding because you are more likely to forge a path for yourself within the company, although opportunities to try other departments may be limited.

SMEs are unlikely to use the testing and assessment techniques of larger companies or follow lengthy recruitment procedures. SMEs are more likely to advertise their vacancies through the local press, university careers service bulletins, local graduate vacancy listings, jobcentres and word of mouth, rather than rely on their reputation and a presence at graduate recruitment fairs.

The majority of hotels and restaurants in the UK are independently owned and operated. These organisations tend to promote talented staff from within their own workforce so there are often good long-term career prospects for committed students and graduates who start in entry-level positions.

Your university careers service should have listings of jobs with small firms. You could also deliver your CV to local restaurants and hotels.

Self-employment

According to the SME Statistics for the UK and Regions (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, 2009), 9% of all people working within the hospitality sector are self-employed, with the majority owning a restaurant or managing a hotel.

Running your own business requires a broader set of regular responsibilities, from greeting guests to managing finances so experience and an understanding of the sector are essential.

Freelance work is common, especially in events management.

Find out more about self-employment.