With Work & Travel to the hotel manager: ideas against a shortage of skilled workers

The call of the big, wide world

Even though her career path sounds a bit logical, Claudia Anderle never really wanted to go to the hotel. Having grown up in Paderborn, where she also graduated from the University of Paderborn with a master's degree in Tourism / Geography with Business Administration and Languages ​​(French), she had been working as an apprentice at the airport.

But then the big, wide world lured: “I wanted to leave for longer after completing my studies. And since I had an aunt in Perth, Australia, my work and travel stay was only a formality. ”

Australia as a career skier

For Anderle, however, it was clear that she wanted to use her stay in Australia in a targeted manner to advance her career: "I was already 27 at the time, so I didn't want to just take a break, I wanted to work in Australia specifically," she says.

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That is why she decided to pursue this goal from now on: “I always give what I have to give to achieve my goals. Perseverance, assertiveness and positive thinking have always helped me. ”

With stubbornness to success

But finding an adequate job was not as easy as I thought: “Since WorkundTravel people often only stay in one place for a short time, they have a reputation among employers as being somewhat inconsistent. It is therefore difficult to get a qualified job. ” So she got her first job as a receptionist only with determination and persuasiveness:

“I knew that I could only convince personally. So I walked to the hotel with my documents and wanted to speak to the manager. When I was told he had no time, I said 'well, then I'll wait'. In this way I was able to demonstrate that I am aiming for a longer-term career. ”

Rise after only 3 months

After three months, however, Anderle was looking for new challenges and applied as a receptionist for her current employer Adina in Perth, Australia. However, since she had been offered a supervisor job three days earlier, the signs had changed: "I then said that the receptionist was no longer enough for me".

Then Anderle was offered the job as a duty manager - this is the interface between the general manager and all operational departments. "I was responsible for complaints and reception and checked invoices and reservations," she summarizes her new area of ​​responsibility.

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Sponsorship for the visa

After six months, the hotel offered her sponsorship. This is a business visa that Anderle could have worked with in Australia in the longer term. but she declined: "I wanted to take a three-month break - and travel through Southeast Asia because of the geographical proximity and cultural diversity," she says. "If I had accepted that at the time, I might still be in Australia."

Although she was offered sponsorship again in her next job, a hotel in the small town of West Australian Broom, the laws were then tightened: "My hotel simply no longer met the conditions." It was clear to Anderle that she had to leave Australia.

Career planning with wanderlust

But maybe not forever - even if she is currently happy as general manager in Berlin: "I am proud that my hard work has paid off and I am glad that after many changes of location at home and abroad I now have a permanent position." Long-term career and family planning is what Claudia Anderle currently has priority.

"But once you've been abroad for a while, you always have travel fever in your heart," she says. And the memory of Australia is always present: “The climate with a western standard of living is unique. So if there is an opportunity… ”

Ideas against Skills shortage

However, the experience of working and traveling time still helps her today when it comes to practical leadership decisions such as recruiting new employees.

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How exactly this works is explained in the second part of this article.