Undergraduates' Experience and Perceptions of Tourism and Hospitality Work Environments

Intern experience can provide higher education institutions (HEI) valuable information on employers′ relationships towards the younger workforce in the tourism and hospitality industry (THI). The main purpose of this article is to investigate how interns are treated during their placements. Are they considered to be the companies′ future human capital, and thereby supported and stimulated to apply for jobs in the service industry that cannot prosper without devoted personnel? Novices and interns are always more vulnerable than more experienced personnel to the consequences of economic crisis and employer exploitation. Yet the tourism and hospitality industry constantly faces shortages of well-trained waiters, cooks, receptionists, animators, chambermaids, and other workers. A survey was carried out among interns that reveals reasons why some students during their study decide to leave the tourism and hospitality industry (or not enter it at all). We investigated their overall attitudes towards internships and their perceptions of conditions within the tourism and hospitality industry. The survey was conducted with a sample of students who completed placements in various tourism companies. A questionnaire seeking information on their satisfaction and circumstances of learning in the workplace was developed and distributed to them. The results of the content analysis provide useful information on employers’ attitudes and the quality of working environments. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2013.v2n2p6