Professional experience to boost your career start
Our Swiss Professional Degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management (HF) is highly practice oriented. The internship experience that you gain during the program will give you a competitive advantage in the job market and contribute to faster career progress.
One Year of Real-World Experience
In order to graduate, you must have at least 12 months of practical work experience before entering your final semester of study. There are several paths open to you for this:
Internship 1 - Hospitality Operations: Your first internship will be in an operations role at a hotel or hospitality company of your choice.
Internship 2 - Optional Management or Hospitality Operations: The second internship can be in a management or administrative role or in an operational area, within the hotel, hospitality industry.
The internships can be completed either in Switzerland or abroad (at least 3 months of practical experience in Switzerland is required).
Having internships integrated into our curriculum ensures the internship placements meet strict guidelines to give students experience that consolidates their knowledge and skills learned during the school semesters.
The Career Service Team at EHL Swiss School of Hospitality & Tourism supports students in finding internships that will help them build experience to support their career goals.
EHL Swiss School of Tourism & Hospitality has a large global network of internship companies and maintains an active exchange with them. The Career Services Team supports students in choosing an internship company and is present to assist students if problems arise. At the end of the internship, students evaluate the company and this information is also made available to future interns, helping them to choose the company that best suits their needs.
Here are just a few of our partners who regularly recruit EHL Swiss School of Tourism & Hospitality students for internships:
Internship in Human Resources at the Four Seasons Bosphorus, Turkey
«The first thing that comes to mind when I think of the internship at the Four Seasons hotel is support! My supervisors and managers have been extremely supportive. Every assignment was explained very well and they always gave me a lot of confidence and the knowledge that I would achieve it.»
Eranjith Gamage
Internship in Sales and Marketing at Pullman Dubai Creek City Center in Dubai UAE
« For an intern, the Pullman Hotel is a good learning environment and everyone is willing to teach you your role in the organization. If you show a willingness to learn, you will also be rewarded with more tasks and responsibilities that will be assigned to you. »
Nicholas Gnaegi
Internship in Finance at Conservatorium Hotel, Amsterdam
« The whole process of getting used to the internship took about a week, and after two or three weeks I was quite satisfied with what I had to do. The support from the hotel was fantastic; the teams I work with directly are patient, understanding and a lot of fun. »
Federica Sandrini
Internship as Housekeeping Supervisor at Baur au Lac Zurich, Switzerland
« During my internship at the Hotel Baur au Lac I had the opportunity to meet many students from hotel management schools from all over the world. Not only is there a strong presence of interns in the hotel, but I can see how some of these interns decide to come back to the Hotel Baur au Lac after their internship in order to further their professional development, as I myself decided to do. »
Pasindu Vithanage
Culinary internship at the Hotel Mont Cervin Palace Zermatt, Switzerland
« This is not a place for a person who is too comfortable to work and just wants to enjoy. If the restaurant owner is busy, there is no time to lounge around. Everything must be done perfectly and on time. So I would recommend this place to students who are willing to get to know new and different cultures as a kitchen intern. This is the perfect place to gain some valuable experiences for their future career and life. »
Internship Preparation
The members of the Career Services team have sound industry experience and training in consulting and coaching. Thanks to this expertise, students are optimally prepared for their internships in classes. Individual one-on-one coaching ensures personal contact between the internship supervisors and students.
After the successful application phase, which may include job interviews and taster days, EHL Swiss School of Tourism & Hospitality Career Services draws up the internship contracts and takes care of submitting work permits for students from abroad.
During the internship, students deepen their appreciation of theory learned during the study semesters through practical experience and reflect on their experiences with the help of agreements on objectives and regular journal entries.
The internship visits, which are carried out once every six months in Swiss companies by the Career Services team, serve as an exchange between the school, the company and the students.
With the feedback received, the practice-oriented school programs of EHL Swiss School of Tourism & Hospitality are continuously developed. Interns abroad are guided online and by telephone.
FAQs
How do I find good internships?
Finding an internship, the perfect one that combines one's passions, ambitions and professional skill development is not easy. So many factors have to be taken into consideration: the location, the company, the position, personal motivation. Here are some steps to starting looking for the perfect internship that suits you best.
By participating in an internship while obtaining your degree, you will come out with the education you wanted along with the work experience you need to land a job that puts you on your desired future career path. Check out some ways that a school supported internship is worth your time and focus.
Internship salary depends entirely on the location and company where you do the internship. Some countries have a minimum wage for interns, some do not. Some employers, especially in remote hospitality resort locations, may offer accommodation for interns, but most do not. By Swiss law, trainees in Switzerland must be paid a minimum monthly gross salary of CHF 2,303.
