How to enter a hospitality school?

Have you always been passionate about the art of cooking, service and good manners? Do you want to pursue hospitality and culinary careers? Hotel management school is certainly your best option and we'll explain why and how to hope to get in.

Summary:

• What is a hotel management school?

• How to apply?

• Training and apprenticeships 

• Diplomas and career opportunities

A hotel management school (or hospitality high school) is a specialized educational institution that trains for hospitality and restaurant careers: maître d'hôtel, head chef, restaurant manager, etc. Offering several training programs, students can prefer a path oriented towards fast food, traditional or collective catering, hospitality, etc. Programs vary by institution but are generally designed to offer comprehensive training to students who wish to work in the hospitality industry.

The minimum background required for entry into hotel management school is not restricted to a specific type of path. Whether you hold a middle school diploma, a high school diploma, CAP in cuisine, a BTS or a complementary mention (MC), you can enroll in hotel management school.

The integration process, on the other hand, is more demanding. You will need to provide your application file and a cover letter. After which, you will be asked for an oral interview and written exam in some schools, with the administration.

Unfortunately for hotel management school students, their education is not free. You will be asked to pay, on average, €10,000 per year of study. This cost can be reduced if you choose to study through work-study programs, with the company paying your tuition fees.

In hotel management school, you will generally be offered several training programs, accessible from 9th grade level allowing you to obtain a level 3 diploma (CAP) up to a level 7 diploma (Master's). Although the teaching is substantially the same, we invite you to contact each of the French hotel management schools to find out what training they offer. We will see a global view of the subject here. You will learn a multitude of things useful to the restaurant industry. Whether it's marketing courses, foreign languages, traditional cuisine, baking, service, etc.

Each school has a general curriculum common to all programs with the same courses, but also a specific curriculum for your program with particular technical courses such as:

•          French expression
•          Management techniques and methods
•          Foreign language
•          Hospitality law
•          International management
•          Nutrition, health and pleasure
•          Culinary engineering
•          Marketing
•          Restaurant service and beverage knowledge
•          etc.

These theoretical courses are accompanied by several mandatory internship periods in companies to acquire applied experience in business. You can also, if you wish and your school allows it, complete all your years of study through work-study programs allowing you to develop both at school and in a kitchen, hotel, etc.

Depending on your specialization, you will need to wear appropriate attire that meets the needs of your training. Generally, the school provides these uniforms, but in some cases, or if you wish, you can equip yourself. VETSECURITE.com offers you a complete range for hospitality professions: chef jacket, houndstooth pants, kitchen cap, kitchen apron, suit, pumps, service shoes, women's range, etc.

Different diplomas and specializations can be obtained following specific training in hotel management school:

•          Professional training in hospitality
•          CAP hospitality (cuisine, restaurant, hotel services, etc)
•          CQP hospitality (Professional Qualification Certificate)
•          MC hospitality
•          BTS hospitality
•          DEES hospitality (State Diploma in Specialized Education)
•          Bachelor's in hospitality (hotel management, culinary arts, etc)
•          Master's in hospitality (hospitality-restaurant management, etc)
•          MBA hospitality (Master of Business Administration)
•          MSc hospitality (Master of Science)
•          Specialized Master's in hospitality

Post-school choices differ according to the level of diploma obtained, but you can continue your education, seeking specialization in a particular field or venture into the hospitality market.

It should be noted that tourism-hospitality-restaurant generates more than 1,000,000 jobs in France.

If you have benefited from work-study learning, it is not uncommon to see newly graduated students continue in the same hotel or restaurant as employees.

Otherwise, two major fields are available to you: restaurant or hospitality.

Restaurant service is the largest part of the tourism-hospitality-restaurant sector and you can work anywhere: collective catering, cafeterias, bistros or gourmet restaurants. Station chef, pastry chef, caterer, commis, section waiter, or bartender are all positions to be filled in the restaurant field.

Hospitality is a fascinating field offering just as many positions: receptionist, maître d'hôtel, bellhop-valet, executive housekeeper, front desk manager, sommelier or room attendant, are all roles in service of clientele, most often demanding and expecting impeccable service, especially in luxury establishments.