Career Hotline
Check into hotel industry

Q I am in Class XI (Commerce) and interested in doing a course in hotel management. Please tell me what qualities are required to succeed in this industry.

A A course in hotel management opens up job opportunities not only in the hotel industry but also outside it. Some of the other options are related jobs in the railways, airlines, cruiseliners, hospitals, motels, banks and other sunrise service industries like call centres and insurance, where customer interface is at a premium.

However, before you decide to join the hotel industry, check if you have the following qualities:

Willingness to serve: Are you the type who would go out of your way to make people happy — even though they may be total strangers? Regardless of what branch of the hospitality field you choose, you’ve got to ‘serve with a smile’.

Honesty: This industry places before you various temptations on a regular basis. Several times a day you will find yourself surrounded by objects that you would like to possess. If you succumb to these temptations, it is only a matter of time before you find yourself out of the job.

Stamina: All branches of this field require you to be physically fit and alert. Long working hours are not an exception but the rule.

Desire to learn: There is so much to learn about this industry that learning is an ongoing process here.

Some of the reputed institutes offering courses in Hotel Management are the 24 institutes accredited to the National Council for Hotel Management & Catering Technology (M/o Tourism & Culture, GoI). Admission is through an all-India entrance exam in May. Eligibility is plus two in any stream (www.nchmct.org).

Q I am doing BA with geography as one of the subjects. I want to do PG in geography. What are the career opportunities in this field?

A Depending on the area of specialisation at the postgraduate level, avenues for geography students exist in cartography where they collect, combine and display cartographic information in the form of maps. They are also employed by public and private organisations engaged in urban planning and design, and by NGOs involved in population control, environment and rural development projects. After your Masters in geography you can also enrol for a specialised course in town and regional planning, which is offered at some colleges of architecture.

Alternatively, you could also opt for a career in surveying, land valuation, environmental protection or conservation, landscape architecture, transport and tourism, travel writing, aerial photography and market research, besides teaching at the school (there is a shortage of school teachers specialising in this subject) and at the university level.

Geographical Information System (GIS) and remote sensing are opening up new avenues for geographers as the requirement for data in a computerised format for marketing and related fields is increasing. There are special short-term courses offered in this area. Geomatics involves processing of raw data from remote sensing satellites for commercial applications.

Geographers are also employed as forest managers, demographers in government and research organisations or as researchers in agricultural or economic institutes.

Q I wish to admit my son to a military or Sainik School. Can you please explain the admission procedure and the location of these schools.

A In India, there are three types of schools that prepare a student for a career in the Army. These are: the Military Schools, Sainik Schools and the Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) at Dehra Dun.

The five Military Schools (Chhail, Ajmer, Bangalore, Belgaum & Dholpur) are run by the Defence Department, while the Sainik Schools are run by the respective state governments.

Admission to both schools is through an open exam after Class V (also after Class X in Sainik Schools). Both schools follow the CBSE syllabus and charge a nominal fee as in the case of any government school.

Although these schools prepare the boys physically, mentally as well as academically for entry into the National Defence Academy and OTA/IMA/Med/Vet/Tech branches, students have to take the NDA exam separately to seek an entry into the Indian Army.

In the admission process, preference is given to those candidates whose family members have served in the Army.

Typically, only one candidate from each state is selected.

The prospectus, application form and old question papers can be obtained from the principal of the nearest Sainik School.

The RIMC, which has a relatively higher fee structure, has a more rigorous selection procedure. Only boys who are in or have cleared Class VII between 11`BD -13 years are eligible. The prospectus contains question papers (English, Math & GK) of the previous four entrance exams (which are held bi-anually). For more info, log on to: www.rimc.org.

Please send in your query, preferably on a postcard, along with your full name, complete address and academic qualifications to: Editor, Jobs and Careers, The Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh-160030, or at careers@tribunemail.com

— Pervin Malhotra