I’m a hospitality student and need to do a hospitality internship for 6 or 12 months in a hotel, restaurant or resort. How do I start looking for a hospitality placement, which hotels will take me – 3, 4 or 5 star hotels, is my CV good enough and what kind of job should I apply for?

Phew, so much to think about and these are just some of the questions we get asked each day.

Not to worry though, that’s what we’re here for, to help you every step of the way.  From planning your hospitality internship, right the way through to what shoes to wear on your first day of work and how to get your tax back and a partial refund on your airfare when it’s time to hop on a plane home.

So looking ahead to 2010 and to help you plan, we will be telling you all in this series of hospitality internship articles, to answer your questions and much more.  If you have questions or concerns, feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this page or on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/InternOptions and we can include these in the next month’s article.

We often get asked by students applying if they can hear from students who are in NZ or have finished their hospitality internships in New Zealand.  Well you ask, you get!

You will also be hearing from some of our past and present Hospitality Interns, there is a large group in New Zealand now working hard to complete their hospitality internships.  We also have a good group who have just got back from New Zealand and will be starting their final year of university with some very good experience on their CV.

To keep up to date with these students and how they are going, you can bookmark the New Zealand Internships – student bloggers page.

So some of the areas we will be covering over the next 10 months, to help you prepare for your hospitality internship are:

• Why look abroad for your hospitality internship?
• Money Matters – How much is it going to cost and how much will I earn?
• What cities will I be working in and what are they like?
• The top questions you’re parents will ask you
• Am I eligible for the hospitality internship programme?
• Internship Visa – which one and how do I apply?
• What support will I have in place?
• Accommodation – How will I find this
• Where in New Zealand will I be working

So first off; Why look abroad for your Hospitality Internship?

To answer this question we need to look at the nature of the hospitality industry.  It won’t come as a big surprise that this is an international industry based on international travellers.  Many of our students are studying international hospitality and are required to undergo their placement abroad.

New Zealand is known as a stunning holiday or tourist destination and regularly tops the UK awards for most sort after tourist destination.  With tourism being one of the top revenue earning industries, Hotels, Resorts and Restaurants are very advanced and thriving.

UK hotels today are finding it harder and harder to distinguish between hospitality graduates. Working overseas will give you a point of difference from other graduates who complete a sandwich degree in the UK and Ireland each year. Incorporating travel, culture, and practical, hands-on work experience, your time in New Zealand will not only make your CV stand out to employers but also, more importantly, will give you the life skills to shine in a job interview.

If you have to do a placement or internship as part of your qualification or as a graduate – what better place to do this than in one of the most beautiful countries in the world.

One thing you will hear from our student guest bloggers is why they chose New Zealand as the place to do their internship, so next week you will hear from the first of our UK interns in NZ.

We look forward to your comments and questions and for more information on hospitality internships see the Hospitality Internships page and also the page on New Zealand hospitality starting offers.