Confessions of a student
In the first of a series of articles, we follow the experiences of a student taking a four-year hospitality degree at Thames Valley University
If you think of students as just another free-spending market segment, or even as cheap and easy barstaff, better think again.
Recent years have seen a growth in hospitality degrees, and they are the nurseries for the pub managers and pubco executives of the future.
Last October's intake at Thames Valley University's Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure department included an undergraduate with a little more nous about the pub industry than most. It was Natalie Bish (pictured), daughter of Nick Bish, director of the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers.
Taking a four-year hospitality management degree, Natalie is based, coincidentally, just a few hundred yards up the road from Nick's office in Ealing, West London.
Still he complains he never gets to see her. But being a student these days takes up a lot of time.
In her first semester Natalie completed modules in Business Environment for Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure (BETHL), Hospitality Operations Services and Techniques (HOST) and People and Marketing, with some success judging by the results of her first set of exams, taken in February.
She scored 78 per cent, the top mark, for HOST and comfortably over 60 per cent - the mark required for an upper second class degree - for BETHL and People and Marketing.
The courses have a heavy practical bias which tends to work in Natalie's favour. She has already got a few years experience under her belt, both behind the bar and waiting on tables.
It was that experience, rather than her father, which steered her career aspirations towards the hospitality industry.
"I have always had an interest in that area and while working in bars and restaurants I realised how much I enjoyed it, particularly the interaction with people," said Natalie.
At school she had showed a talent with figures and originally set out on a mathematics degree, doing her first student year at Brunel University.
"At first I just wanted to be in any kind of management," she explained. "But when it dawned on me that if I was going to be happy in my career it would have to be something in hospitality, it made sense to switch to a degree in that subject so that the skills I learned would be more focused."
As well as the practical stuff, the degree has taken Natalie back to her old maths disciplines and given her an insight into the way customers behave and how to market to them.
Over the next few weeks, Natalie will be keeping us updated with notes from her diary. Below is the first instalment.
Natalie's diary
We are studying three modules again this semester. The first is Managing Information for Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure and I was expecting this to be really enjoyable as I still enjoy number-crunching from my days as a maths student.
Unfortunately, the first five weeks of this were statistics. I did a GCSE in stats at 14, GCSE maths including stats at 15, A-level maths with stats at 18 and a year of a maths degree - including lots of stats - at 19.
Obviously, the maths for this hospitality management degree was quite basic in comparison to last year on the maths degree, but it was nice to realise I am still capable and I probably managed to increase my confidence.
The remainder of the module, which we are doing now, is accounting. Again, last year I did a module in this but it is slightly different and extremely enjoyable - that's a rare thing to hear when it comes to accounting I'm sure!
The second module is Introduction to Tourism Management. Although this is certainly related to hospitality, it's not really relevant to my interests. To tell you the truth, I'm only studying it because I have to.
The third module is very interesting, though. Hospitality Products, Services and Operations is a follow-on to last semester's Hospitality Operations Services and Techniques (HOST) module. It goes more in-depth and gets more technical about food and beverage, front office and accommodation.
As well as all that we are working once a week in the kitchen and restaurant at the university. I have done seven weeks in the kitchens which was been highly enjoyable, if hard work, and now I'm in the restaurant.
It's nice to be able to get back to waitressing in something other than a polo shirt - that's my Pizza Express uniform.
Overall, the modules are very varied and give us a good base to work from. Next year we will be able to have more personal choice over what we do.
I'll spend the first six months next year at the university before a 12-month placement starting in February where I could be working anywhere in the industry - so watch out!
As an impoverished student I also work part-time in the hospitality industry. Since November I've been at the Pizza Express in Uxbridge. It's a lovely restaurant, three storeys high with the top one being conference and party facilities.
In fact, on Saturday night I was the waitress for a 40th birthday party of 25 covers. Good fun but lots of stairs!
I worked full-time there over Christmas but I'm now on three shifts a week. That's the maximum recommended by most student bodies to avoid conflicting with your work at university.
