From a young age I’ve always had a passion for food and the restaurant industry. I found my love for cooking and baking when I was twelve and I’ve had a dream to open my own café in New York creating and selling unique food combinations that I have made throughout my childhood.
I chose Hospitality and Events Management BTEC at Godalming College to expand my knowledge and understanding of the industry and use everything I have learnt for my future career within the industry. The course has been a real eye opener to what the industry is like in the real world, from learning about customer service, the industry itself, events, plus specialising in an independent project that I was passionate about. These have all impressed upon me how the industry works giving me more ideas for my business in the future.
The course itself is intense, there is a lot of coursework and deadlines that must be met. However, as someone who cannot cope with exams and develops severe anxiety just thinking about exams this BTEC course has allowed me to excel and showcase my talent and knowledge about the industry with the freedom to complete work as and when tasks have been set which is so much better for my work ethic. The dynamic of the course gives students a lot of independence but also allows us to create bonds with our teachers and peers. The Managing an Event unit has given me the opportunity to work in a team and to create friendships with others that I wouldn’t have made without this course. Along with the constant support from our two hospitality teachers completing the course has been easy as the teachers are so helpful, and they really make you feel valued as a student.
When deciding what I wanted to do after my GCSEs I was indecisive, I either wanted to go to culinary school or study hospitality at an A level equivalent level. Choosing BTEC Hospitality has given me opportunity to understand the industry in depth and given me the chance to complete both as I plan to attend a culinary school next year. When I finish in May, I will work full time in the industry building up my portfolio as a front of house team member using everything I have learnt from this course in the real working world before applying to a culinary school, honing my skills in the kitchen, taking the next step to achieving my career aspirations as a future hospitality business owner.