Team Leader Review

Opening up the business, counting safe, setting up breakfast, serving hotel guests and general public. Turning around from breakfast to lunch service, changing and re laying tables. Working with tills and putting orders through. Running food from the kitchen. Organizing sauces. Giving good service and ensuring the team do the same

I have learnt about the background and history of hospitality. I’ve learnt many different ways of managing a team and the different management skills needed to succeed within the industry. I’ve learnt lots of independent skills and learnt lots about how the job role changes and evolves for different people.

I enjoyed the programme because I love learning, especially in my own time and at my own pace. I enjoyed the catch ups at the start of the programme too.

To start with, the programme seemed really organised and structured, but towards the end I just got forgotten about. I struggled with the end point assessments as I had no support and no real idea as to what to expect from them. My tutor changed 3 times throughout the year and just disappeared completely at the end.

My employer supported me as much as they could. But there was so much going on within site that my apprenticeship work wasn’t really a priority. I felt I could have been a lot more supported if maybe there was some teamwork with the people on the apprenticeship!

As previously mentioned, towards the start of the apprenticeship, there were meetings every 4 weeks and I knew I could always drop a message to the trainer if I had a question. This completely dropped off towards the end. After changing trainer repeatedly, I had no support with the end point assessment.

I feel it helped with my own knowledge of how different people react to leadership styles. I change my approach to people now and am a lot more aware of who I am speaking to and their reactions and implications to the conversation and adjust this accordingly. It also made me more focused on further study.

I am no longer with the company as even with this apprenticeship, the progression route was not available. Whilst working for the company, there was a social media page where people would share their stories of hospitality and lots of WhatsApp groups, but actual extra-curricular activities? No, not really no.

No

The progression route isn’t there anymore. It isn’t a case of what you know, but who you know. Whitbread was fantastic for me whilst I was younger and didn’t really know what I wanted to do, and if the progression routes were there, I’d have stayed, but they were not there.

Make friends in high places! Remember your work-life balance, ensure you mute your WhatsApp groups or avoid getting into them in the first place! You will make memories that will last a lifetime and a team that will become family, but don’t forget about your own family too.