Hotel Reception: Making the Most of Your Internship or Apprenticeship

What a reception team really does

Far more happens behind the desk than the handing over of a key. The receptionist checks guests in, verifies their identity, takes payments, answers the phone, advises on the city and deals with requests during the stay: a quieter room, an extra pillow, a taxi, a restaurant booking. The receptionist is also the point of contact between the guest and every other department in the hotel.

A large part of the job happens out of sight. You keep the room plan up to date, tell housekeeping which rooms are ready, follow bookings that arrive from online travel sites, sort out billing discrepancies and prepare the daily report. Depending on the size of the hotel, these tasks are shared between several people or concentrated on one, and that makes an enormous difference to what an intern experiences.

City hotel, chain hotel or mountain resort: very different placements

The same job title is not learned in the same way everywhere. In a small independent hotel you will do a bit of everything: welcoming guests, serving breakfast, handling the post and sometimes covering the night switchboard. In a chain hotel, procedures are standardised, the IT tools are tightly structured and the teams are larger. In a luxury hotel, the level of language, discretion and knowledge of an international clientele matter particularly.

Seasonal properties, in mountain resorts or on the coast, offer dense days and an intense pace, sometimes with accommodation provided. That formula suits students who are ready to commit for several weeks. Compare these settings before you decide: what is formative for one person can be exhausting for another.

Courses that prepare you for reception work

Several routes exist, at different levels and of different lengths. In France, for example, they include:

• a vocational baccalaureate (bac professionnel) in reception or in hotel and catering, with periods of training in the workplace;
• a complementary mention (mention complémentaire) in reception, open after a first qualification;
• a BTS in hotel and catering management, with an option centred on accommodation;
• vocational professional titles for hotel receptionists, often offered to adults or as work-study programmes;
• professional degrees and hotel management schools for those aiming at running an establishment.

Many of these courses exist both as full-time school programmes and as apprenticeships. The choice depends on your age, your pace and your need for income: work-study gives you a salary and long experience, while the school route leaves more time for classes. Catering and hospitality schools describe their programmes on their websites, which helps you compare.

Internship or apprenticeship contract: which to choose

An internship is a period of observation and supervised practice covered by an agreement between you, your school and the hotel. It usually lasts from a few weeks to a few months and is not an employment contract. In France, beyond a minimum length set by law, it earns a stipend whose amount is defined by regulation and which the employer may top up.

An apprenticeship contract, by contrast, is a genuine employment contract with an employer, linked to a training centre. You are an employee, you receive pay calculated according to your age and year of contract, and you alternate between the hotel and classes. In France it is in principle open to young people within an age bracket set by the labour code, with possible adjustments. If you are unsure, start with a short internship in the hotel that interests you: it lets both sides check that the partnership can work.

Languages, tools and soft skills to show on your CV

A hotel recruiter reads a CV with one question in mind: will this person hold a front desk on a busy Saturday evening? Offer evidence rather than adjectives: a summer job dealing with the public, some welcoming duties for a charity, a language stay abroad.

For languages, state an honest level and the situations in which you have used them: answering a guest, exchanging emails, reading a menu. English is almost indispensable; a second language is an advantage depending on the clientele of the region.

On the digital side, list the booking, till or office software you know, even if it differs from the hotel's own system: what employers want to see is an ability to learn fast. Finally, appearance, punctuality, a memory for names and calm in the face of dissatisfaction are qualities that are noticed from the interview onwards.

Interview and trial period: questions to anticipate

You will probably be asked how you would react to a complaint, why you want to work in hospitality and how you cope with irregular hours. Prepare short answers, each backed by an example from your own experience. For a complaint, describe the steps: listen without interrupting, rephrase, check the facts, offer a solution within your remit, and pass it to the manager if necessary.

Ask questions too: who will be your tutor, what tasks will you be given, which days are rest days, how are meals and uniform organised, and is accommodation possible. These questions show that you are picturing the job concretely. Finally, ask to meet the team or see the front desk: a hotel that trains people well will gladly agree.

Irregular hours, weekends and your private life

A hotel runs every day of the year. Reception teams are spread over morning, afternoon and sometimes night shifts, with split shifts rarer than in restaurants but weekends and public holidays frequently worked. In France, rules on working time, rest and night work are laid down by employment law and the sector's collective agreement, with special provisions for minors.

Before you commit, ask for a typical weekly rota, how often weekend shifts occur and how much notice is given of changes. An internship that leaves little rest does not allow you to learn: if the hours go beyond what your agreement provides for, talk to your school contact.

Illustrative example: a one-year apprenticeship calendar

Here is a fictional example with round figures. Karim is preparing a BTS as an apprentice in an eighty-room hotel. He spends two weeks at the hotel, then one week in class. In the first quarter he shadows colleagues: he listens to arrivals, prepares welcome envelopes and answers the telephone under supervision.

In the second quarter he checks in simple arrivals on his own and handles invoices for seminars. In the third he takes part in updating rates and in exchanges with booking platforms. In the fourth he occasionally covers an absent colleague on an evening shift, with a supervisor reachable by phone.

This progression is only an illustration: the real pace depends on the hotel, the contract and the level of responsibility the employer considers reasonable for an apprentice.

Mistakes to avoid and first practical steps

Among the most common slips: promising a guest something the hotel cannot guarantee, giving out a room number or personal details, replying curtly to a complaint, forgetting to pass a request on to the floors. Discretion about guests and care with personal data are part of the profession.

1. Visit or phone five to ten hotels in your area to understand their needs.
2. Write a one-page CV and have someone you trust read it over.
3. Send tailored applications rather than the same message everywhere.
4. Keep track of applications and follow up once, politely, after about ten days.
5. Have the agreement or contract validated by your school before the first day.