TOURISM CAREER PATHS

Most tourism professions pursue one of four tourism career path categories. They are: front line positions; supervisory positions; management positions; executive positions. These different position levels relate to levels of responsibility, authority and control within an organization.

Front line positions are the starting point for many people with tourism careers. These positions generally involve direct contact with customers and often need people to work together as a team to meet customers' needs and expectations. Many front line positions may require shift work. Some positions are seasonal, offering more hours during peak season, and then perhaps temporarily reducing staff numbers as the low season approaches. But if you like variety, the freedom to finish work early or start work late in the day, and/or time off seasonally or periodically so that you can take courses or travel, front line positions may be ideal for you.

Supervisors oversee front line duties. They coach their teammates, offering direction, setting guidelines and policies, and generally ensure work is done as efficiently as possible. They may also hire, train, discipline, motivate and promote staff, write schedules and review staff performance. The role of supervisor can be quite varied. They often perform front line tasks, covering for breaks or helping at peak times. But generally they have some administrative tasks to perform as well, and may be charged with opening or closing the business. The schedules of supervisors are often the same as the schedules of those they supervise. Still, there is some flexibility in the schedules of supervisors, allowing them to determine when to do various tasks.

Managers are often involved in all aspects of a company's operation. In addition to an understanding of the tasks of all the front line and supervi­sory positions, managers are involved in planning, research, administration, finance, development of policies and procedures and decision-making. In some operations, a manager may be in charge of all of these areas. In larger operations, there may be several managers to share the tasks with. The job of a manager is far from sedentary, however. They often help during busy times and observe working employees as one way of assessing how the business is doing. However, they do generally spend more time analyzing choices, forecasting results and considering impacts than do front line or supervisory employees.

There are two types of executive positions: corporate executive and owner/operator. Corporate executives are often found in regional, national or international properties. They have titles like General Manager, Vice-president, President and may oversee a whole chain of operations. They often report to a board of directors. Owner/operators run and own their own businesses. They may have staff, or they themselves may be the only employee of the business. An owner/operator likely does the same tasks of the corporate executive, but may also do all or many of the day-to-day tasks of the business. To become a successful executive of any type they need excellent business management skills and extensive knowledge of their own operations.

Поиск по сайту: