Hospitality Lens - Careers In Hospitality

Posted on 1 Oct 2025

Unlike so many of our European counterparts and certainly more far-flung countries we don’t always respect hospitality as the powerhouse of employment that it truly is in this country. Often seen as the job we do until we find our “real job”, the public perception of the trade can sometimes be quite damaging and as is often the case this perception can filter through to the individuals working within it. As we watch talented individuals move on one after another at the behest of parents or teachers, the case for championing and retaining incredible staff in hospitality has never been more important. This has long stood as a career that plants two feet in the centre of their communities and gives themselves fully to the business of serving others, at a time when these things have never been more important.

As a byproduct of this hospitality has slowly started to accept its role in the employment landscape as somewhat of a feeder club, though many see the trade as a steppingstone on their career journey, countless prospective employers see a background in hospitality as a treasure trove of transferable skills. In an increasingly digital and artificial world the tangible interpersonal experiences that working in hospitality champions are, as they always have been, amongst the most desirable to employers. And while we would love to see more make the trade their chosen career, the more desirable the skills hospitality instills in us, the more respectable and attractive the industry will continue to become. As our corporate offices and roundtables become increasingly populated with hospitality alumni the value of the trade becomes more and more evident and with it so goes the stigma, we would hope. 

The richness and variety that a career in hospitality offers those developing in the trade has always been well documented, the opportunity for development, the flexibility of its working hours, the adrenaline and camaraderie of a busy service, the limitless nature the job affords the individual in terms of travel and experience are almost second to none. In an employment landscape that offers less and less flexibility to the workforce we remain a trade that challenges that and as we find ourselves at careers fares and conducting ourselves online this has long been the message we’ve pushed.

UK Hospitality’s social productivity index highlights that by trade the sector is the leading employer of individuals from non-professional households as well as those under degree level, it’s long been acknowledge as a profession with massive potential for upward trajectory and the trade is littered with countless success stories of individuals who have risen through the ranks from glass washer to hotelier and our tv’s bring to life daily the fascinating world behind the curtain of this timeless trade. The opportunities for growth and development afforded by this trade to any individual with the right attitude has long been a cornerstone of the industry, we pride ourselves on creating incredible operators from part time staff and the countless individuals who start young and inexperienced only to evolve into fantastic communicators and confident individuals.

Looking forward we see an employment landscape changing rapidly in the coming years with so many of our services becoming automated and less people focused, there are going to be fewer and fewer roles offering employees across all sectors that offer staff the opportunities for genuine human interaction, those drawn to the service and care of others are going to have less avenues for fulfilment. Amongst this hospitality will remain a champion of service and the go to for those who want to make their lives the pursuit of excellence and adore putting others first.

By Tom McNeeney

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