Tourism & Leisure Management CAREER INSIGHT
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Career Insight: Tourism and Leisure Management
Introduction The size of the tourism and leisure management sectors should not be underestimated, according to the latest figures from the Tourism Alliance, the UK tourism industry employs 2.97 million people and there are 265,000 tourism businesses in the UK. Opportunities fall into a number of individual fields, including sports and leisure, accommodation services, restaurants and other food outlets and travel and tourism. The tourism sector is the UK’s third largest employer, accounting for 9.5% of total employment. Tourism businesses account for 10% of all businesses in the UK.
Options related to my degree…? Graduates of tourism and leisure management from LJMU are well placed to work within marketing or management in tourism, promotions and operations, community leisure, community arts and heritage, museums and galleries, retailing, media and in many other consumer services. Recent graduates are employed by Liverpool City Region (LEP), The Marriott Hotel, Liverpool John Lennon Airport, local authorities, tourism operators, travel agencies, heritage and arts organisations and charitable organisations such as Nurture Lakeland. There are also opportunities to study abroad or to progress onto postgraduate studies.
Options outside my degree…? Whilst many students will look for a career related to their degree it is also important to remember that this is by no means the only career route to consider. There are opportunities to enter a wide range of careers that are not related to your degree subject. For example, there are many Graduate Training Schemes (within both the public and private sector) and many of these employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject (see below for more information about Graduate Training Schemes). There are also specific Graduate Training Schemes in the hospitality sector which you should also explore (see below).
Plan early…. In recent years, securing a graduate role has become increasingly competitive, so gaining relevant work or voluntary experience and engaging in extracurricular activities alongside is crucial to demonstrate to prospective employers that you have the motivation to succeed in your chosen area and have developed the required skills. Being aware of the range of options open to you is important to make an informed career decision. Researching different career pathways and entry requirements is essential preparation for your graduate career, so ensure you make the most of available resources, attend career events or employer talks, and take every opportunity to network with professionals to find out as much as possible about the career areas that interest you. You should also consider setting up a LinkedIn profile and following relevant organisations or job boards via Twitter. Many employers use social media to post work experience opportunities so take advantage of using these sites to help you make links with potential employers and find out more about what opportunities are out there.
What types of jobs are there?
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Career Insight: Tourism and Leisure Management
Graduates work in a broad range of roles, ranging from hands-on managerial positions in restaurants, bars and hotels, to data analysis and business analysis for intermediary travel and hotel booking sites, to country specialist roles in tour companies. Graduates also work in a wide range of conference and event organising roles, and in other roles in the leisure industry such as in museums and galleries, and the heritage sector. A good place to start exploring your options is the Prospects website which has an excellent overview of specific job options related your degree. Start exploring via the links below.
Tourism Services:
Tourism Officer: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/tourism_officer_job_description.htm Tourism Consultant: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/tourism_officer_job_description.htm Tourist Information Centre Manager: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/tourist_information_centre_manager_job_description. htm Tourist Guide: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/tour_manager_job_description.htm Travel Agency Manager: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/travel_agency_manager_job_description.htm Tour Manager: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/tour_manager_job_description.htm
Leisure services:
Outdoor Pursuits Manager : http://www.prospects.ac.uk/outdoor_activities_education_manager_job_descriptio n.htm Fitness Centre Manager: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/fitness_centre_manager_job_description.htm Theme Park Manager: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/theme_park_manager_job_description.htm
PR and Marketing:
Roles in PR http://www.prospects.ac.uk/public_relations_account_executive_job_description.htm http://www.prospects.ac.uk/public_relations_officer_job_description.htm
Roles in Marketing http://www.prospects.ac.uk/marketing_executive_job_description.htm
Heritage jobs - Relevant experience is essential for this area of work, even for entry-level posts, for which competition is fierce. Seasonal work as a tour guide, interpreter or visitor reception assistant provides experience and can sometimes lead to permanent work. The National Trust and the National Trust for Scotland recruit volunteers to work directly with the public and for practical conservation projects. Time spent as a volunteer is viewed favourably if you apply for paid employment with the National Trust, as it demonstrates commitment to its ethos. English Heritage has a variety of
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Career Insight: Tourism and Leisure Management
volunteering opportunities including education, visitor and interpretation roles. Your local heritage attractions may also have volunteer positions, especially during the school holidays, which are traditionally the busiest times of year for the heritage sector. To find your nearest attractions contact your local tourist information office or check the websites of regional tourist boards.
www.english-heritage.org.uk/about/jobs (volunteering, paid vacancies and email alerts) www.nationaltrustjobs.org.uk (including volunteering and paid work) Other regional heritage bodies, either local or national (e.g. SNH for Scotland)
Heritage Manager: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/heritage_manager_entry_requirements.htm
More ideas... The suggestions listed above are by no means exhaustive so we would encourage you to conduct further research to find out about additional careers open to you and consider other relevant options. You could use your skills, interests and work experience to enter careers in a variety of other sectors, including research, consultancy, marketing etc. Many graduate roles are open to candidates from any degree background or you could gain required qualifications by undertaking postgraduate study. To explore job options by sector, check http://www.prospects.ac.uk/types_of_jobs.htm. You can also use career planning tools like http://www.prospects.ac.uk/myprospects_planner_login.htm and http://targetjobs.co.uk/careersreport to generate initial career ideas. Ensure you research entry requirements for each area, e.g. will you need a degree in a specific subject? Is a 2:1 degree classification essential? Will you need to complete a postgraduate degree (e.g. for teaching roles, social work, law, accountancy)? Is any specific work experience required? If it is, how could you go about gaining the required experience? A useful career map of the different industries and roles in the sector can be found on the Hospitality Guild website: http://hospitalityguild.co.uk/uksp (Hospitality Guild - provides information about hospitality and tourism career pathways, training and employment opportunities).
Typical employers Graduates are employed by a wide range of employers in the tourism and leisure industry. In tourism for example, tourist boards and strategic authorities provide an important focal point for marketing the thousands of small enterprises offering travel services to tourists. Large commercial companies such as Thomson and Thomas Cook continue to dominate the outbound travel market, although small specialist operators may also flourish, especially with the current demand for bespoke travel options. VisitBritain www.visitbritain.co.uk is the national tourism agency, with links to tourist agencies and attractions throughout the UK. The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) www.abta.com provides details of local accredited travel companies.
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Career Insight: Tourism and Leisure Management
Major employers include hotels and accommodation providers, restaurants, bars, conference and event organisers and contract caterers. These businesses vary in size, and may be independently owned or part of a larger chain. Where there are large organisations operating in this sector, they are mainly in the accommodation and sport and active leisure areas. Examples of big companies operating in the industry include:
Accommodation: Marriott, Hilton, Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG), Best Western Sport and active leisure: Parkwood Leisure, Bannatyne, UK Sport, Merlin Entertainments Group Food and Beverage: JD Wetherspoon, Nando's, Mitchells & Butlers, Whitbread Plc Travel and tourism: Thomson, Expedia UK, Thomas Cook
Graduate Training Schemes A number of companies in the hospitality field have graduate training schemes; many of them are open to graduates from any degree discipline. For example Whitbread run various schemes and Mitchells and Butlers (owners of All Bar One, Harvester, etc) have Retail Management and Corporate Leadership graduate roles available. McDonalds, Nando’s, Fuller’s and Carluccios, amongst others, all have graduate schemes on offer. Compass Group, a large international Foodservice company, also has a graduate scheme.
Whitbread : http://www.whitbread.co.uk/careers/graduates-and-internships.html
Mitchells and Butlers: http://www.mbplc.com/careers/
Nandos: http://www.nandos.co.uk/careers/our-careers/graduates
Fullers: http://www.fullers.co.uk/rte.asp?id=10
Carluccios: http://www.carluccios.com/jobs/our-jobs/graduate-manager/
Compass Group:http://www.compass-group.co.uk/
In travel, there are graduate openings with companies such as STA Travel, Trailfinders and the Flight Centre and associated brands. Heathrow airport also has recruited for a graduate scheme. TUI Travel Plc has three graduate programmes including an international graduate leadership programme. Online travel intermediaries such as TripAdvisor also recruit technical graduates into software development roles, and graduates into business-related roles such as marketing.
TUI Travel Plc: http://www.tuitravelplc.com/careers/graduates
There are a number of graduate trainee programmes in hotel chains such as Intercontinental Hotel Group, Firmdale Hotels, Clifton Hotels, Marriott and the Hilton Worldwide Elevator Programme – some of these offer international opportunities.
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Intercontinental Hotel Group: http://www.ihgplc.com/index.asp?pageid=7#
Firmdale Hotels:
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https://www.firmdalehotels.com/b/careers/
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Career Insight: Tourism and Leisure Management
Clifton Hotels:
Hilton Worldwide Elevator Programme: http://jobs.hiltonworldwide.com/en/universities/europe/
Marriott:
http://www.cliftonhotels.com/careers/grad-scheme/
http://www.marriott.co.uk/careers/paths/entry-level-jobs.mi
In the leisure industry, Merlin Entertainments Group, who run visitor attractions ranging from Madame Tussauds to Warwick Castle, and others worldwide, have a graduate programme called xlr8. Online ticketing companies such as Viagogo also offer opportunities for graduates. Camelot, who run the national lottery, have also run graduate programmes in the past.
Merlin Entertainments Group: http://www.merlincareers.com/
In addition, there are lots of graduate training schemes with large companies outside of the tourism and leisure management sector (e.g. Marks and Spencer, Deloitte, Aldi etc) and many again accept applications from graduates with any degree subject. If you are interested in these roles you will need to be aware of the graduate recruitment cycle. Many recruiters begin the graduate recruitment process during the autumn term for final year students. Some placements are advertised then as well. Most closing dates are in November and December but some are earlier so it is important to start researching companies that you want to apply to early on. Most of the large recruiters have a section on the student/graduate pages of their website that outlines the different steps of their selection process, so check these to find out what is required. For more information about graduate schemes, download the ‘Graduate Schemes’ guide from https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/123871.htm. Many of these opportunities are advertised in the Prospects Directory and the Targetjobs Directory (available from Careers Zones or on the Prospects and Targetjobs website); on websites like www.milkround.com as well as on the organisations’ own websites. Check out the Target Jobs website for more information: http://targetjobs.co.uk/graduate-schemes. The Careers Team also deliver a Graduate Schemes Uncovered workshop and webinar on a regular basis. To reserve a place on the workshop visit: https://careers.ljmu.ac.uk.
What skills do I need? The Institute of Hospitality has identified communication skills, interpersonal skills, team working skills, problem solving, numeracy and IT proficiency as key employability skills in the sector. Other key attributes are enthusiasm, adaptability, an ability to work hard and commercial awareness. Graduates from hospitality-related disciplines can be preferred, but most employers accept candidates with other degrees as long as they have already worked in the sector. You will also need to give evidence of your communication skills, demonstrated through report writing and presentations, or customer service roles. However, you need to be aware that in today's competitive jobs market you need much more than just qualifications. Employers are increasingly asking for graduates who have relevant work experience. It will help to have experience of other countries and time spent travelling can be an investment. Language skills can also increase your employment opportunities in the tourism industry.
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Career Insight: Tourism and Leisure Management
Opportunities abroad The hospitality sector is truly international, and skills and experience gained in one country can be used in similar jobs throughout the world. In recent years, both increasing globalisation and the relaxation of border controls within the European Union have resulted in more opportunities to travel and work overseas. Temporary seasonal work in the sector is often available in restaurants and bars in tourist areas. Your chances of finding a job overseas and developing your career in another country rely heavily on your language skills and cultural sensitivity. The hotel industry is a particularly big employer, as many hotel groups are international and provide opportunities to move around the world. International employment schemes have been designed to give students experience of working overseas, and many of the sector’s graduate training schemes also include international placements. Overseas hospitality jobs are advertised on a range of websites such as Catererglobal and Eures European Job Mobility Portal. Job descriptions and vacancies on cruise liners can be found at Cruise Services and Seabourn Careers. If you are looking for temporary work overseas in restaurants and hotels you could either approach employers when you arrive or arrange an organised placement before you go. A wide range of UK organisations help students find temporary hospitality work overseas during the summer vacations such as BUNAC and Camp Counselors (CCUSA).
General Information about working abroad
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Prospects (work and study abroad) www.prospects.ac.uk/links/Abroad
Graduate Job Search On-line www.careers.strath.ac.uk/graduatejobsearch/index.html facility for directing jobseekers to vetted job websites according to their discipline or the country where they wish to work.
Careers Europe www.careerseurope.co.uk
Embassy World www.Embassyworld.com (all of the world's embassies in a searchable database, including consulates, UN missions. Also provides worldwide visa requirements and an international telephone search).
Europa http://europa.eu.int/comm/stages/index_en.htm
Expat Expert www.expatexpert.com (links to sites on living and working in the Netherlands, Japan, Singapore, Argentina and many others. Other expat sites include www.expatnetwork.com and www.escapeartist.com (these include job sections).
GoAbroad.com www.GoAbroad.com comprehensive source for overseas internships, international volunteer positions, teaching abroad and jobs abroad.
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Career Insight: Tourism and Leisure Management
iHipo.com www.iHipo.com combination of social network and jobsite. Offers young professionals and students hundreds of international job and internship offers from prestigious employers.
International Chambers of Commerce www.chambergateway.net
International jobs www.intljobs.org (job search at international organisations)
Job Agencies.com http://JobAgencies.com (lists recruitment agencies by country)
Kelly's Directories www.kellys.co.uk
The Paperboy www.thepaperboy.com world-wide newspapers.
Recruitment Employment Confederation www.rec.uk.com (has an overseas section)
UK Trade & Investment www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk is the government organisation dedicated to helping businesses export and grow overseas. It has useful country profiles.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office www.fco.gov.uk travel advice.
STA Travel www.statravel.co.uk
International Organisations
European Union http://europa.eu.int/index.htm the Europa website offers access to all EU institutions - includes a page with information about scientific recruitment to the European Commission at http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/research/recruitment_en.html Jobs with the European Commission for UK graduates www.cec.org.uk EuroBrussels www.eurobrussels.com links to jobs available and vacancy information pages in most organisations and corporations located in Brussels including European institutions, international organisations, law firms, NGOs and political consultancies. BrusselsJobs BrusselsJobs.com focuses on non-political expert jobs in the international environment in Brussels. Lists IT jobs, business jobs, office/secretarial jobs, finance jobs, and other specialist jobs in Brussels, for the expat professional. European Patent Office The Hague www.epo.co.at/epo Engineering, IT and Science graduates are recruited. Also a useful list of job-related Web sites for scientists and engineers International Labour Office The "Young Professionals Career Entrance Programme" (YPCEP) www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/pers/vacancy/ypcep.htm United Nations www.un.org/depts/OHRM information on jobs with the United Nations and related organisations such as the World Bank.
General Useful links and websites (here are a selection of key websites related to the above information; for a more comprehensive list download the ‘useful careers websites’ document for your course)
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LJMU Vacancy website
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http://ljmu.prospects.ac.uk/
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Career Insight: Tourism and Leisure Management
Prospects http://www.prospects.ac.uk/ TargetJobs http://targetjobs.co.uk/ Milkround http://www.milkround.com/ Jobs in the public sector http://www.lgjobs.com/ http://www.jobsgopublic.com/ Graduate Talent Pool (grad internships) http://graduatetalentpool.direct.gov.uk/ Information about postgraduate study http://www.postgrad.com/ Hospitality Guild - provides information about hospitality and tourism career pathways, training and employment opportunities:http://hospitalityguild.co.uk/uksp Careerscsope (information about careers in Hospitality) http://careerscope.uk.net/ Prospects Sector Briefing on Tourism www.prospects.ac.uk/links/TourismSB TARGETjobs career sector insight: Hospitality, leisure and travel http://targetjobs.co.uk/career-sectors/hospitality-leisure-and-travel
Associations and Trade Bodies:
Institute of Travel and Tourism www.itt.co.uk Visit Britain (has a good list of industry bodies) www.visitbritain.org Tourism Alliance www.tourismalliance.com Institute of Hospitality www.instituteofhospitality.org British Hospitality Association www.bha.org.uk Confederation of Tourism and Hospitality www.cthawards.com International Ecotourism Society www.ecotourism.org The Travel Association http://abta.com Association for Conferences and Events (ACE) www.aceinternational.org Association of Independent Tour Operators www.aito.co.uk Society of Event Organisers www.seoevent.co.uk Association of Event Organisers www.aeo.org.uk Meetings Industry Association www.mia-uk.org Sector Skills on Tourism www.ukces.org.uk/publications/er55-sector-skillsinsights-tourism World Tourism Organisation www.world-tourism.org Federation of Tour Operators www.fto.co.uk
Other example employers in Tourism:
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Directline-holidays directline-holidays.co.uk Surrey & Sussex based Travel Company with ongoing requirement for travel & tourism students. For internships/work experience email marketing@directline-holidays.co.uk For paid work as a travel agent see www.directline-holidays.co.uk
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Career Insight: Tourism and Leisure Management
First Choice http://www.firstchoice4jobs.co.uk The Flight Centre http://careers.flightcentrelimited.co.uk Cosmos www.cosmosholidays.co.uk Natives (seasonal workers ski sector) www.natives.co.uk NST (educational holidays in France) www.nstjobs.co.uk Saga www.saga.co.uk travel and financial services. Has a management training scheme. Based in Folkestone STA Travel www.statravel.co.uk Thomas Cook www.thomascook.com/recruitment Thomson Holidays http://www.thomson.co.uk/jobs/travel-jobs.html Trailfinders www.trailfinders.com Transun Travel (specialist tour operator) www.transun.co.uk TUI ( includes SHG and Thomson) www.shgjobs.co.uk Visit Britain (runs a Graduate Programme) www.visitbritain.org www.ski-jobs.co.uk jobs in ski resorts.
Recruitment schedule Recruitment cycles and deadlines will vary depending on the type of work you are applying for. Again, research is key to ensure that you do not miss relevant opportunities. As a rule of thumb, the selection process takes longer in larger organisations, as they tend to receive a higher number of applications and use several different stages to reduce the number of potential candidates. As a result, application deadlines can be as early as October/November in your final year of study for a start date in August or September of the following year. If you are considering postgraduate study, find out if there are any specific closing dates for applications and when applications open. For example, applications for teacher training courses generally open at the end of November for courses starting in the following September. You may also find work through small and medium-sized enterprises/businesses (SMEs). These types of companies don’t usually have structured training schemes but will recruit ‘as required’. They may use their own application form but most applications will be by CV and covering letter. These positions will be advertised on company websites, relevant recruitment websites, the Job Centre, and national and local newspapers. The ‘creative’ or ‘speculative’ approach to job hunting, outlined above, is also important when looking for graduate roles. Using your personal contacts and/or approaching organisations speculatively to look for work are common routes into employment. If you see vacancies for more experienced professionals with employers that interest you, you could contact these organisations to find out whether they offer graduate opportunities as well. For more information about the speculative approach to job hunting, download a copy of our guide to ‘The Hidden Jobs Market’ from https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/123871.htm You can get advice about the recruitment process by booking a one-to-one appointment with a careers or employability adviser at your nearest Careers Zone or you can attend relevant workshops or webinars run by the Careers Team.
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Career Insight: Tourism and Leisure Management
Key events and networking
Liverpool Careers Fair: usually held in the autumn and spring of each year, see fairs website http://www.liverpoolfairs.org.uk/ for additional events Manchester Careers Fairs: open to students and graduates from any university; check http://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/students/events/ for details Careers and Employability events at LJMU: Keep an eye on our events pages at https://careers.ljmu.ac.uk for details of upcoming employability workshops, networking sessions and employer talks. LiverpoolSU Clubs and Societies: http://ljmu.unioncloud.org/groups#club-society LinkedIn: You could also consider setting up a LinkedIn account (http://www.linkedin.com/) to network online with professionals and organisations in your chosen industry
Other information Centre for Entrepreneurship - support for LJMU students and graduates interested in starting up their own business https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/startup/.
Careers Zones Campus-based Careers Zones provide easy access to careers support in convenient locations at Byrom Street, Aldham Robarts Library and at IM Marsh, staffed by the Careers Team. Support available includes CV and application form reviews, Careers Adviser appointments, drop-in quick queries, practice interviews and access to careers resources and information. The Zones also host regular employer visits during term time where you can meet and network with employers and discuss job and placement opportunities. For the latest updates and details of locations and opening times, try our Twitter and Facebook pages.
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