My Academic Blog
05 January 2023

The Drivers Accommodation At Resorts, A Necessity

Visiting the tourists’ destinations with own vehicles or hired vehicleshas increased many folds in recent pasts. This increase has been significant after the covid-19. Majority of the Tourists have preferred this mode of travel for the shorter and moderate distance destinations. The reasons are many, like minded people in group, Independency in travel time and flexibility, Privacy while travelling, watching the countryside while travelling, having a sense of hygienic safety while travelling in self/driver driven vehicles. The tourists have taken care of themselves and their comfort very well, in advance for the destination travels. We very often consider the drivers of our own/hired vehicles as one of the dependable guide and a friend during the destination Tourism and travel. But we have not really cared for the drivers’ comfort in destination Tourism and travel. During my decades of destination travelling by road for Tourism, I have experienced and observed that our vehicle drivers need basic care and comfort especially during the night.

 

I would like to share about the drivers who accompanied me during my destination travels for last two decades. Generally, we get annoyed when the drivers report late for our travel trips. During the daytime everyone remain busy with their own mobiles watching their favourite topics or listening songs. In between if any interesting place or site comes, we enquire about it from the driver, if the driver does not give a satisfying reply then we develop a bad impression about the driver. Also we stop in between many times before reaching the destination. During the stay we prefer taking tea/ coffee or some snacks. But very few of us are bothered about the drivers. On few occasion we ask them for their tea/Coffee. When we reach at the destination hotels, our luggage is picked up at the reception by the Bellboys & in few occasions the driver’s help is required to unload the luggage. In the evening, we sometimes go out for visits or forfew activities in the locale area with the help of the driver. When the night falls and the driver plans to retire I feel differently for the driver. In many hotels there is no retiring rooms for the drivers and the drivers sleep in the car itself. In winter the metallic body of the car gets cool and the drivers do not carry good warm clothes with them for night purpose. They just manage to sleep the cold nights anyhow. In summer they sleep inside the cars. They cannot even close the windows of the cars and get mosquito bites and other insects. In the morning they get ready for the travel again. To get freshened up and for bathing they sometimes wait for their turn as the number of drivers are many in the same hotel. Once they freshen up and ready for the day, the provision for their breakfast is a real challenge. In many occasions, I tried to arrange the breakfast for the driver in the hotel staff cafeteria. But always the cafeteria provision in many hotels is absent. So I have to arrange the breakfast for the drivers in the nearest restaurant on the way. Managing food for the drivers is a challenge but to arrange a decent sleeping facility for the driver is a bigger challenge in any hotel.

Hits: 199

Read More

11 November 2022

Contemporary Career Value of Hospitality Education In India

A brief Idea

The IHMs established by the Central government don’t get any revenue grants from the Government of India. The entire revenue expenditure of the IHMs are only met through the students’ admission fees. It means if the IHM admits its full students’ intake capacity it can run the institute. The capital grants are provided by the Central Govt when required. The present total cost of pursuing a 3yyears hospitality education in a central Govt IHM is Rs (3.75lakhs Tuition fees + 1.30lakhs Hostel + 0.75lakh for IT) = Rs. 5.80lakhs. This is the amount one spends to complete the 03 years programme on BSc in Hospitality course on time. After completion of this course, the students get a Job in hotel / in food retail / non-food retails / other sectors. The average salary that one gets is around Rs. 18000/ month. It’s a generally accepted observation regarding the placements that the students get promotion after two years with a maximum increase of Rs. 2000/ month in the salary. In a way we can say that after five years of graduating, if they continue jobs in hotels, candidates on average get the maximum of Rs. 25,000/ month.

I would put it like that, after 05 years of regular service in hospitality sector, the average qualified hospitality Graduate gets a salary of Rs 25,000/ month. Means the average salary of a candidate is Rs (18,000 +25,000) / 2 = Rs. 21,500/- month for the 05 years of service. Assuming that the candidate takes admission in Hospitality after 12th class, at the age max 20 years, by the time he completes the 3 years course and 05 years of Job, he attains the age approximately 27 years. Just Imagine an average hospitality qualified person at the age, 27 years draws the average salary of Rs. 21,500/ month for 7 years in the core hospitality sector. Few of the central IHMs are having specialisation in hospitality courses. But that specialisation is not really recognised by the Industry.

 

If one pursues other professional courses, regarding their salary after 5 years of service? Would it be higher or lower? A brief view was taken and the following were observed concerning other professional education. The number of students participating the JEE (engineering) admission test is very high and the amount of fees charged by IIT/NIT/IIIT& other reputed engineering colleges are definitely higher than IHMs though these educational Institutes are fully funded by the Government. The total admission fees are around Rs. (12-15) lakhs for the entire 04 years. Hostel fees are separately charged. The Engineering colleges have different specialised branches for advanced study and the students are recruited accordingly. The engineering courses have Master’s Programme and PhD programme too.

What is the average salary of the engineering graduates after 5 years of job experience? Is there any attrition among the engineering graduates?

If we take the case of the BSc Nursing students (04 year programme), we find a small degree of attrition among the nursing students in job.

What would be the average salary of a nurse in a hospital after 5years of job experience?

If we check, the fashion designing course, the attrition is acceptable and it leads to entrepreneurships too.

If we check the undergraduate Journalism and mass communication programme, there is less attrition too.

If we check Undergraduate Physiotherapy course, we find the course fees is around Rs 4lakhs to Rs 6lakhs.What would be the average salary of a BPT graduate with 05 years Job experience?

One finds the undergraduate degree course in agriculture too does not see large degree of attrition as the students join the agriculture course by design not by default.

If we make a comparative study on the investment cost on the professional courses and the return on the investment there in, we will find it will be tough for the aspiring students in hospitality courses. The salary, the attrition and the career growth and social safety will be a big debate point. As such during the last two years the attrition rate in the Hotel and restaurant business is more than 75%. So the stake holders of the hospitality need to think and act fast in redesigning the curriculum with multidisciplinary approach and flexibility. The Hospitality industry too need to take some real tough decisions to attract the young people into industry with good paying standard, ideal working hours and job security.

The 1st five years in service is referred as this period sees the maximum attrition among the hospitality graduates. The Medical course of MBBS/Architecture was not considered as these are 05 years programme.

 

Jagatmangaraj.in

 
Hits: 195