Returning back to school as a mature student during a pandemic has definitely been an adventure so far. The Hotel School has made it a fun, easy and rewarding learning experience.
I left my corporate job last year after spending seven years in the retail industry working for Fortune 500 companies, with the dream of opening my own boutique hotel. I travelled the world by myself for a year, gathering inspiration from Mexico, Northern Africa, New Zealand and Europe to gather my vision. I wanted to open my own hotel but I had never worked in the hospitality industry and decided to search for a program that would allow me to learn and develop practical skills at the same time. That’s when I found The Hotel School. I was interested to learn that The Hotel School delivers Southern Cross University courses and is the only hotel school in Australia formed through a unique partnership between a public university and a global hotel investment group.
I chose to study the International Hotel and Tourism Management course. The Hotel School has partnered with HTMi Switzerland to provide the highest quality Swiss education in this two-year program. It has a unique internship component, you study half the time and have paid internships the other half, which is extremely helpful when taking a career break. The internship component was the deciding factor in studying with The Hotel School and reduced my anxiety financially as an international student. You also have the opportunity to do your internship anywhere in Australia which is incredible for students who want to explore all of what the country has to offer. I’ll be heading to Noosa for 5 months in February for my first internship component.
The Hotel School feels like a family – having gone to business school in Canada at a large public university with a campus that had 30,000 students, I now study with 14 other people. All of the professors know you by name and are happy to provide support at any time, whether academic, career or personal. I am so happy with my decision to attend The Hotel School and would recommend it to anyone else who is currently transitioning into the hospitality industry or wanting to pursue their dream!
Blog and photo contribution by Elisabeth Fell
