If you love your job, it feels less like hard work. It inspires you to explore pathways that pique your interest, socialise on the job and see the rewards of your input on the faces of those you serve.
When it comes to a career choice, the pathway starts with a passion for the subject. Tourism is a sector where there is the fun factor and chances aplenty to progress up the professional ladder too.
Anna Hevers always had a passion for food and for working in restaurants. “It felt right. I loved its hustle and bustle and how, despite the surrounding noise, you can switch off and plate up,” says Hevers, chef de partie at Cork restaurant Goldie.
She studied hotel management at Shannon College of Hotel Management at the University of Galway, and worked front of house in her placement year at The Grove, a five-star country retreat in Hertfordshire, in the UK.
After college, she won a scholarship to attend Le Cordon Bleu London, where she studied cuisine and pâtisserie.
“At Goldie we work a four-day week. The result is that I’m full of energy, ready to go, full of passion and not burned out,” says Hevers.
It’s a smart move by the Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant, which showcases local produce and has a sustainability ethos, something people are becoming more aware of, she says.
Hevers started at Goldie by doing work experience. Its owner, Aisling Moore, cut her teeth at MTU Cork where she graduated with a bachelor of business degree in culinary arts.
“With Aishling I knew I’d be in good hands,” says Hevers. “You have to be a sponge. It’s an exciting place to work and learn interpersonal skills that will really fulfil you. Creativity is part of the role. You don’t get that in every other job.”
On her down time, Hevers channels her creativity and love of food on Instagram, where she goes under the handle @annadarlinghevers.
John Burchill is operations manager at Hayfield Manor Hotel, a luxury five-star establishment in Cork that he describes as being a 365-day-a-year, 24/7 human business.
“You get to build great relationships with customers,” he says. “Some last generations. You become part of the life of that family.”
Being part of someone’s wedding day is wonderful, says Burchill, but the job covers the full circle of life.
“In my early years a colleague overhead a wedding being cancelled. It was as a result of sad circumstances; the groom was terminally ill,” he recalls. “We brought afternoon tea to the family in the hospital. You become part of the life of that family – we have since celebrated all their children’s Christenings at the hotel.”
There are 21 nationalities working at Hayfield Manor Hotel. That exposes the Irish staff to different ways of doing things and different ways of living life, Burchill explains.
Having worked weekends and school summer holidays in hospitality, he decided early on to study for a culinary arts degree at what is now MTU Cork. He approached Hayfield Manor for a work placement and when he finished those studies, went on to do a degree in hospitality management at the same college.
He says there are many perks to working at Hayfield Family Collection, a key one being how the group offers six hours of counselling to all employees annually. The service is anonymous, Burchill explains. “It’s another way of recognising that people may be going through a tough time and that everyone knows that it’s okay to not be okay.”
Fiona Togher, general manager at Turasoireacht Iorrais Teo, which owns and operates Carne Golf Links in Co Mayo, has held many corporate positions, from financial services to working with one of London’s mayors. Amongst them was a role with a multinational company, overseeing its corporate social responsibility on a project on the Erris peninsula in north Mayo.
On the day she left that job, Gerry Maguire, chairman of Carne, asked Togher if she would have a look at the links course. Located in a Gaeltacht area on the edge of the Wild Atlantic Way, Carne’s high sand dunes and wild coastal landscape - with corncrakes and the occasional hare racing by - make it one of Ireland’s most spectacular golf settings. A not-for-profit club, it is a tourism co-operative held in trust of the community.
“I knew about Carne,” Togher recalls. “The facilities hadn’t been touched in years [but] I could see the potential.”
So she began by offering her expertise pro bono. That was seven years ago; in the period since then, full-time staff levels have risen from three to 22. Through sales and marketing initiatives, visitor numbers have risen from 2,000 to 14,000 annually.
“It’s about selling happiness,” says Togher. “I work with people who are on holidays and in good form. There’s a feel-good factor to the job. It’s a happy profession. I never get the Sunday scaries.”
Claire Derousseaux is a senior account and project manager at Dublin-based Odyssey International, a company that specialises in incentive travel. The guests on these reward programmes have worked hard, she says, so it’s about creating memorable experiences for them.
Hers is a job where you get to be creative, says Derousseaux. One memorable weekend involved a private dinner within the walled garden at Adare Manor in Co Limerick, with entertainment including acrobats and music. The next day, the group climbed aboard a private chartered train to Dublin’s Heuston Station, where a flash mob met them. "I think the dance made the news," she says.
This is a job for someone who likes diversity too. “I work at a desk, manage budgets through Excel and have a bible where every aspect of each programme is mapped out. When the guests arrive, you go from desk to destination. What makes it exciting is that Ireland’s offer is vast, and every client is different. You get to be creative and lead the tempo.”
Carne Golf Links, Belmullet, Co Mayo; Goldie and Hayfield Manor, both in Cork city; and Odyssey International, Dublin, have all been recognised as top employers through Fáilte Ireland’s Employer Excellence Programme.
Think you have what it takes? For further information on the wide range of professional opportunities visit tourismcareers.ie
