As you continue through your hospitality career, there will come a time when you have to make the decision as to whether or not it is a good idea to bring on interns. For some companies, this is a great way to add some labor as well as provide a very useful opportunity for the next generation of hospitality managers.
Why Start an Internship Program?
Since 2008, the competition for top management in the industry has significantly increased. When the economy crashed in 2008, hundreds of executive managers were laid off and forced to pursue careers in other industries. This robbed the hospitality industry of some of the top talent in the industry that was just beginning to progress into upper-level management.
Starting an internship program will enable a company to actually create its own farm system of sorts. These programs often cost very little on the part of the hotel, but they do begin to forge a relationship with young managers creating a pipeline of new talent to the property. In a recent study on internships, it was found that almost 70 percent of students partaking in internships end up working for that company.
Another obvious benefit to starting an internship is linked to that study. If these students end up working for the hotel, they have a significant leg up on a manager being hired off the street. These individuals already know the systems in place as well as the staff. This can go a long way into making their transition from student to a working and successful manager much easier.
Paid and Unpaid Internships
At one point, paid internships were considered an absolute no-no for universities. Rising costs of tuition and the fact a lot of students are paying their own way through college has changed that philosophy, however. Most companies today will find paying interns is far more beneficial than not paying them.
First, there is the impression given to the student. We are told all of our lives you are paid what you are worth, so what signal are you sending these young students by not offering to pay them, especially if they are doing real work at the property, meaning running shifts and fulfilling a management role rather than just showing up one day per week to be mentored.
The good news is most students do not expect to get paid much, so even a minimal salary is a great way to start a positive bridge between the student and the organization. These students are also far more likely to talk positively about the property and its management if they are being compensated for their time.
There really is little downside to starting an internship program. Having said that, all managers need to be onboard to ensure these students have a positive experience during the time they spend at the hotel. If your hotel or hospitality organization does not currently have managers ideally suited to run an internship program, let Joseph David International help you find them. For more information about our executive level manager recruiting services, click here.
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