Find internships with top rated hospitality companies around the world. The importance of gaining international work experience in a globalized world is vital, and on a hospitality work experience placement you will learn so much and really boost your skills and career.
Top Rated Hospitality Programs
Paid Hotel Work Experience in USA
• 12 months
• Price from £3,795
Internship in Australia
• 3-6 months
• Price from £795
Internship in Canada
• 3-6 months
• Price from £1,295
Internship in New Zealand
• 3-6 months
• Price from £795
Gain Work Experience in the Hospitality Sector
If you like to travel, then why not work in an industry centered around travelers and hospitality. The hospitality industry is a $3.5 trillion service sector throughout the world, and includes hotels, food service, casinos and tourism.
Of course, the best way to get involved in tourism is move to a city that attracts a lot of tourists. In the U.S., Las Vegas, San Francisco, New York, Miami, San Diego and Chicago are big draws for tourists passing through and also spending time in the surrounding area.
These are also great starting points to work for some of the companies we talk about below who always have openings in other popular tourist cities such as Paris, London, Rome, Buenos Aires, Bangkok, Sydney, Istanbul, Cape Town, and others.
For such a huge and diverse industry, we will focus on some of the larger hotel chains like Marriott International, Starwood, and Hilton.
Marriott International offers internships in Accounting/Finance, Catering, Culinary, Housekeeping, HR, Restaurants and Sales. Most of these internships take place at one of Marriott’s 3,000 properties in more than 100 countries. Although this page on Marriott’s College Recruiting is a bit limited in what they offer, take a look at the left column for a number of ways to work with the company straight out of college.
Starwood Hotels includes Sheraton, Westin, and St. Regis in more than 95 countries. Starwood offers two internships. One is called an extern program in the fall. This takes place during the winter break and for two weeks students are immersed in the operation of a hotel department.
This extern program is designed to give students project experience and also expand their professional network. Accommodations are included. The intern program takes place during the spring and summer. These are longer term and range in an area of interest, from sales to finance to restaurant that the student helps with and concludes with a final project.
Hilton Grand Vacations offers internships through it’s Grand Development Series designed for college students and graduates. These are classroom learning sessions to learn about the Vacation Ownership Industry and also include practical business skills on how to run a “time share”. These internships take place from Hawaii to Orlando, Florida. The site says to click on this page and search internships for available positions.
Some hotel management programs set high standards for education within the world of hospitality and there are placements in countries like France, USA, China, Malaysia and Australia allowing students to apply theoretical knowledge in the professional settings of hotels, resorts and other facilities.
Benefits
The importance of gaining international work experience in a globalized world is vital, and on a hospitality work experience placement you will learn so much and really boost your skills and career.
Today’s worldwide interaction between people who never would have communicated previously opens up a world of possibilities for businesses but also presents challenges such as interacting in different languages and with people of different cultures. Therefore, an international perspective is crucial to understanding today’s professional world.
Learning about these differences first-hand is one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences any student can have. As the global economy grows, so does the need for employees who are competent in the international arena. Those who choose an international experience over the comforts of home are rewarded with tremendous professional opportunities.
A placement will impact student’s behaviour, attitude and approach to hospitality sphere (a sector that has been growing over the years and currently employs more than 235 million people worldwide today) and to the essence of service by bridging the gap between craft-based and academic learning and aspires for personal and professional growth.
The wealth of skills and knowledge you will gain during your hospitality internship abroad will immensely increase your future employability, and it goes without saying that overseas work experience will enrich your CV and give you the edge you may need to land your dream job.
