Sian Flanagan: I chose to work in hospitality because it really just gave me a lot of freedom. Not only was it a job where I was making money, but it was also really social and really fun and I enjoyed doing it.

When I was in high school and I was interested in working my mum actually encouraged me to get into hospitality. I started work experience when I was 14, I’ve done waitressing, you know, bar back and then also now gone into bartending.

It’s something that is really flexible. You can use it to work around school hours, extracurricular stuff that you have to do. And it also gives you a whole range of skills that you can use in your career.

Isaac Nix: From a young age I always had a passion for food and cooking, and I, I thought of it as more of a hobby, but as I kind of had the opportunity to work in hospitality venues and do cooking courses at school, I found it was more of a passion. So I decided after I finished year 12, I started an apprenticeship as a chef.

Joshua Grech: Hospitality was always one of my favourite subjects. It was my highest earning in high school earning me second in my entire class. I’ve been in the hospitality industry for about five years now, from my first job as a janitor, all the way to my current job as a bartender, training to be a manager at the Peakhurst.

Alice Bui: I was not really sure what I wanted to be when I was in high school. So, I got a lot of advice from my parents, my seniors, and my success coach at school as well. So, by that time I found out that my passion is about the people, so that’s why I joined the hospitality industry.

Vicki Lawrence: Having been in the industry now for 11 years, what I love the most is the exposure to people. I love meeting new people every day. I love creating memories for people and being part of that journey that they are going to remember forever.

Sian Flanagan: One of the cool things about my job is I get to interact with celebrities, serve celebrities, which is something that you usually have to pay to meet them, um, which is really cool.

Alice Bui: I leave my shift with a smile on my face because I am able to deliver my best performance to create their memorable event, such as a wedding or birthday.

Vicki Lawrence: The best thing about working in hospitality is just the flexibility and the opportunities that you get to experience. Being able to travel, being able to meet a whole bunch of new people and getting perks like discounted food and beverage and accommodation is awesome.

Isaac Nix: As I coming to the final year of my apprenticeship, I’m definitely interested in moving abroad and working in different countries to really develop and hone my skills as a chef. Further down the line I’d definitely be interested in opening my own restaurant and really showing the world what I have to offer.

Joshua Grech: After about 8 months or so of committing myself to the Peakhurst, covering every vacancy that I can, and, you know, showing that I have something to contribute, my superiors were able to provide me with the opportunity to do qualification courses in order to advance my career. I was able to undertake further studies, including a cert 4 in hospitality, and now currently I’m doing a diploma in leadership and management.

Alice Bui: I studied my master study degree in international hotel management in at the Blue Mountains international hotel management school. I chose that school because it has a great reputation in the country.

Vicki Lawrence: I got into hospitality through TAFE NSW doing my advanced diploma of tourism, and so, I got offered a job as soon as I finished that through the intercontinental hotels group. So having TAFE NSW offer us the opportunity to work with those employers was really beneficial for me to be able to get my foot in the door.

So students who are interested in working in hospitality, my advice would be to try and just apply, go and get a RSA certificate or RCG certificate, do a barista course, a lot of those initial training courses really help to get your foot in the door as well.

Isaac Nix: So if you’re the type of person who is creative, loves coming up with new dishes and new ideas, likes a, you know, faced paced environment or slow-paced environment, there’s a lot of opportunities in the hospitality world.

I’d also really recommend considering a school-based apprenticeship. It’s a fantastic way to quickly enter the hospitality world while not being fully immersed in it. You get the opportunity to be a chef, learn the skills, but you still can step back if you need to.

Sian Flanagan: So I would encourage anyone studying at the moment, wondering what they want to go into to consider the employability skills that you need, because hospitality can provide those skills. Working in hospitality has given me definitely confidence, people skills, skills that I can use throughout my whole life.

Bec Watson: Hospitality, it's not like bread. Never gets stale. It's more like aged wine. It will always get better. Every day is a new day. Every day you meet someone new, and they're going to really inspire you to keep creating an experience for the customers, which is what hospitality is all about.

[music plays over images of a beach, and a city and hospitality workers]

Gigi Awadalla: There are many reasons why it's important for students to investigate their career options now. By engaging in career exploration, students make informed decisions, not only about their career but also about subject choices. One of the best ways to get a feel of the industry and a head start is to seek work-experience opportunities. This will provide an insight into the industry. Students will be able to ask questions from those who work in the industry and gain valuable advice while building their network and contacts.

Bec Watson: So when I was at school, especially when I was picking subjects, I did think about my interests, and I did find an interest in business and commerce. I was fortunate enough to reach out to a mentor of mine, and he said, "Look, you can bring it together." Although I started thinking I was going to do PR and advertising, I'm now working as a front-of-house manager at Forrester's in Surry Hills.

Daniel Azzopardi: This industry is about opportunity and if you have the determination and drive, you can get those opportunities very quickly. I definitely got a lot of advice from career advisors and teachers when making those choices because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. It was more about keeping my options open.

I definitely made sure that I was growing connections and, and having more of an understanding of the industry. So I had a really good progression path, in that I was supported, and when I moved to Sydney, specifically working within one of the largest groups in hospitality in Maryvale, it meant that I was given those opportunities tenfold.

Vicki Lawrence: I got into the industry through TAFE New South Wales when I was studying. The company, InterContinental Hotels Group, or IHJ, came to the campus and offered an outbacker program. I just fell in love with this rewarding experience of being able to make somebody's holiday.

Harley Norman: I am a bit of an artist. I love to draw, and I love to implement my art into my food. I progressed from just washing dishes to food preparations, and then eventually I got offered an apprenticeship, and that's when I really took off into the industry. My TAFE New South Wales mentor, Bernadette, she has been an absolute inspiration for me to become a teacher in the future and then teach the next generation of chefs.

Lucy Marrinan: I love hospitality because I love people. I am a huge people person, and hospitality is something where you're serving guests, you're serving your customers. But you're also working in a team. And you just get to have such a good time and everybody teaches you something all the time. You're always learning, and it's always evolving. Like, No day is ever the same. It's always different.

Monica Tyburczy: Every day it doesn't feel like work. I'm happy to go into work every day, and I never dread going into work the night before. You always have fun, and you make friends, and it feels like a big family. So, you're going into an environment where you're always learning, and people are there to support you.

[music plays over video clips of a restaurant]

Gigi Awadalla: Students who progress in the hospitality industry reap the long-term benefits. The global stage is their playground. They are likely to have opportunities to work anywhere in the world.

Billy Fox: This industry's been very kind to me. I've been able to travel through my work, and I was the captain of the Australian Culinary Youth Team. So, we were the competitive international representatives for the country, and we'd fly in and out of a whole bunch of different countries, representing Australia and showing what we have as chefs.

Australian chefs are really highly regarded all around the world. Australian produce is some of the best in the world. So, young chefs have the opportunity to work with some of the best cuts of meat and seafood that the world has to offer. When you get an Australian chef walk into a kitchen in Switzerland or in London, they've got plenty of seafood experience and meat experience.

Samuel Smith: Being in this industry, the world is your oyster. When I was living and working in France, I always sort of jump on a train, and in a couple of hours, I was in, in Spain and then, um, you know, being able to travel from Paris, you know, fly over to the UK just for the weekend. Yeah, It's just mind-blowing to me, and I still sort of have to pinch myself in regards to the opportunities that I've had and where this career has taken me.

[Music plays over video of a bar]

Gigi Awadalla: Important attributes to possess when considering the hospitality industry is to have an open mind and a willingness to learn. Be prepared to be creative, practical, and like using your hands to create.

Daniel Azzopardi: The transferable skills I learned in the hospitality industry include money management, building relationships and problem-solving, and, and also the customer-service skills. With those skills, you get a job anywhere in hospitality.

Lucy Marrinan: You need to love working with people and you need to want to be a team player. Emotional intelligence is something that's really, really important as well. Having great initiative, knowing when something needs to get done, and doing it without needing to be told.

Harley Norman: Organization is just key. And, uh, to have everything organized around me, it makes life so much more simple, so much more easy. It makes you feel better to be very organized and to be able to do multiple jobs.

Vicki Lawrence Let your fun side come out, let your energy shine. If you're a helper or a people person, you like learning about different things, different cultures, and different people, ask questions, and be open to what you want to learn as a person as well.

Monica Tyburczy: I would say, speak to people with experience as well. Try to get their view and try to learn from them as well. Even going into your, um, local cafe, you can always start a conversation with the manager and ask questions and say you're interested about the industry and their own experiences, and then just learn from that.

Billy Fox: If you have the right attitude, then in my belief, you're halfway there. Put yourself in a position where you learn from the best possible people and just become a sponge throughout your career. You will have the opportunity to go out and work with industry leaders to learn and sort of grow in your career.

Gigi Awadalla: Speak to your careers advisor, who is able to clarify your understanding, provide you with industry links, and support you with work-experience opportunities. So, from here your job is to speak to your careers advisor.

Bec Watson: There's a reason why we all go to restaurants and have fun. It's because we want to have that experience, and you will be part of that. If you love putting a smile on someone's face, then this is the industry for you.