Hotelier Gastronom HF / Hoteliere Gastronomin HF (formerly Hôtelier Restaurateur / Hoteliere Restauratrice): What does everyday working life look like?

A hotelier-restaurateur works in hotel and catering businesses in Switzerland and abroad, for example in hotels, restaurants, bars, on cruise ships or in hospitals, where he usually holds a management position. Depending on the size of the company, they are responsible for one area or for the entire business, for personnel and finances. He is therefore significantly involved in the success of the company.

In addition to developing business concepts and strategies, a hotelier restaurateur has a wide range of tasks in the area of business management. For example, she ensures that the service and kitchen run smoothly and guarantees the quality of the food and drinks. She makes sure that the staff, furnishings and rooms look neat and stylish. She looks after guests and customers and ensures that they feel completely at ease. To this end, she knows, for example, about regional tourist activities for various target groups and can make recommendations.
A hotelier restaurateur is also responsible for human resources activities, such as recruiting new employees, conducting employee interviews and drawing up work schedules. Finally, they are responsible for compliance with occupational health and safety and environmental protection regulations and carry out inspections.

Furthermore, a hotelier restaurateur also prepares the budget and calculations. He is well informed about tax, insurance and legal issues and can provide information and act professionally. He also carries out the necessary (market) analyses in marketing and communication and initiates appropriate measures.

Target group, personal characteristics and skills: For whom is the HF training course to become a Hotelier Gastronomer HF (formerly Hotelier Restaurateur / Hoteliere Restauratrice) suitable?

Are you fascinated by working in the hotel and catering industry? Do you have practical skills, but also feel comfortable in the world of leadership and management? Do you enjoy interacting with guests - with all that this entails, such as criticism and complaints - and do you really thrive in the service role? Then perhaps you belong to the target group for this degree course at a university of applied sciences.

The HF degree course in Hotelier Gastronomy HF (formerly Hôtelier Restaurateur / Hôtelière Restauratrice) is aimed at professionals from the hospitality industry who are interested in a generalist training course with a high level of practical relevance and would therefore like to create a good basis for later career steps.

Prospective hoteliers should have the following personal qualities and skills:

• Organizational skills
• Flair for numbers
• Customer-oriented behavior
• Empathy and humor
• Leadership qualities
• Good foreign language skills
• Communication skills
• Ability to work in a team
• Sense of responsibility
• Assertiveness
• Independence

Requirements for admission to the "Hotelier Gastronom / Hoteliere Gastronomin" (formerly Hotelier Restaurateur) course at a higher technical college:

The admission requirements for the HF degree program "Hotelier Gastronom HF / Hoteliere Gastronomin HF" (formerly Hôtelier Restaurateur / Hoteliere Restauratrice) may vary from school to school.* In principle, admission is via the following routes and requirements:

• Admission with a relevant federal certificate of proficiency (EFZ):This includes the following qualifications: Cook EFZ, Restaurant Specialist EFZ, Hotel Specialist EFZ, Hotel Communication Specialist EFZ, Businessman / Businesswoman EFZ in the Hotel-Gastro-Tourism sector, System Catering Specialist EFZ.

Or

• Admission with another upper secondary level qualificationFor example, a federal certificate of proficiency (EFZ) in another profession, a high school diploma, vocational diploma or another equivalent qualification and professional experience in the hotel and catering industry.

And

• Very good knowledge of the language of instruction (at least level B2 according to the European Language Reference Framework)
• Knowledge of English and one other language to at least level B1 according to the European Language Reference Framework
• During the part-time degree course, at least 50% professional activity in a field related to the degree **.
   

Note:

• In addition to the above-mentioned requirements, the schools can define additional conditions for admission (e.g. passing an aptitude test)
• In some cases, it is possible to have previous educational achievements recognized. The school of your choice will provide detailed information.

* The universities of applied sciences (HF) decide independently on the admission procedure. There may therefore be differences between the providers. The admission procedure is set out and regulated in the study regulations of the respective HF. It must comply with the relevant legal requirements. More information on this can be found in the answers.

** In a full-time training course, the work experience or the transfer from specialist training to practice is regulated via internships.

Subject matter and content of the training

The Hotelier Gastronom / Hoteliere Gastronomin (formerly Hotelier Restaurateur / Hoteliere Restauratrice) training course covers the following topics, for example:

• Kitchen: nutrition, calculation, food, food hygiene, quality management, etc.
• Catering: types of service, service processes, food and beverage management, oenology, consumer goods, etc.
• Hotel industry: accounting, reception/front office, night operations, IT, legal, housekeeping, etc.
• Business administration: business organization, project management, employment law, social insurance, finance, marketing and communication, management and leadership, HR, sales, etc.

The course content listed here is not an exhaustive list. This is because, although the PET colleges follow the corresponding framework curriculum* when designing their further education courses in the hotel and catering industry, they have a certain amount of leeway when designing the further education courses. Which course content is ultimately covered or how it is structured and deepened can therefore vary from HF to HF.

* This is the framework curriculum for the hotel and catering industry. It is backed by a sponsorship consisting of the following organizations of the working world (OdAs) and training providers:Hotel & Gastro Union,GastroSuisse,HotellerieSuisse,Swiss Hotel Management School Lucerne (SHL),Belvoirpark Hotel Management School Zurich,Ecole Hôtelière Genève,Hotel management school Thun,Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality,Scuola specializzata superiore alberghiera e del turismo (SSSAT).

Costs and financing of further training

For the 4-8 semester Hotelier Gastronom / Hoteliere Gastronomin (formerly Hotelier Restaurateur / Hoteliere Restauratrice) course, you should expect the following costs:

• Tuition feesThe semester fee depends on the school and your canton of residence. For students residing in the canton of training, you can expect to pay an average of around CHF 28,700 to CHF 34,800*. As a rule, this also includes the costs for examinations and the diploma thesis.
• Registration feeapprox. CHF 300
• Fees for additional certificatesFor example, in English or project management (IPMA) etc. Whether you can complete additional certificates during your studies depends on the provider. In the answers you will find a selection of courses and suitable providers.
• Other extra costsSome schools will charge additional fees for various services related to training in the hotel and catering industry. For example, for the student ID card, for preliminary courses, teaching materials, training documents and exam retakes. Find out about the additional costs directly from the HF of your choice.

* Courses at universities of applied sciences are financially supported (subsidized) by the cantons. Students from outside the canton pay higher tuition fees. The following requirements apply in order to receive cantonal subsidies:

• at least two years of residence in the canton
• The course is listed on the EDK (Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education) list of eligible courses (you will find the link to the list in the answer texts).

The cantonal subsidies are usually regulated by the school, and these subsidies are usually already included in the tuition fees stated by the schools.

Duration of study, number of learning hours, forms of learning, teaching times, teaching format and learning effort

• Duration of studyHotelier Gastronom HF (formerly Hotelier Restaurateur / Hoteliere Restauratrice) training at a university of applied sciences takes between two and eight semesters - depending on whether the course is completed part-time (with at least 50% employment) or full-time (with integrated internships).
• Number of learning hoursThe curricula differ in their total number of hours, depending on whether or not a relevant occupation exists. With a relevant federal certificate of proficiency (EFZ), the course comprises at least 3600 learning hours. For courses without a relevant EFZ, the number generally increases to 5400 learning hours.
• Forms of learningThe learning hours are divided into the following academic and practical educational components:
  • Contact hours: including classroom teaching, accompanied learning (theoretical and practical), excursions
  • Unaccompanied self-study: computer-supported unaccompanied learning programs, follow-up time, literature study
  • Qualification procedure: Diploma thesis, written, oral and practical examinations
  • Internships
• Lesson timesWhen the lessons for the Hotelier Gastronom HF / Hoteliere Gastronomin HF (formerly Hôtelier Restaurateur / Hôtelière Restauratrice) course take place depends on the format. In the part-time course, lessons usually take place on one full day a week or on two evenings or on individual half-days per week. Lessons may also take place on Saturdays. The exact lesson times vary from provider to provider, as each school sets its own timetable. For full-time courses, lessons usually take place every day.
• Teaching formatIn addition to traditional face-to-face teaching, there is also a choice of online teaching formats, such as online and hybrid teaching or blended learning - depending on the learning content to be taught and how it is suitable for the respective teaching format. Thanks to the different teaching formats, you have the opportunity to choose exactly the format that allows you to optimally combine your training in the hotel and catering industry with your family, career and leisure time.
  Not sure about the differences between the various teaching formats? In the answers you will find a helpful link to an overview of the teaching formats.
• Learning effort: You should allow sufficient time to prepare for and follow up the lessons and for self-study - how much depends on your prior knowledge, working style, learning speed and chosen training model. We recommend that you allow at least 4-6 hours per week for the part-time model.

Note: Some schools offer so-called "taster lessons"/"trial lessons". This gives you the opportunity to gain an insight into the lessons and the learning atmosphere. Important aspects on the way to a successful graduation. Take advantage of this opportunity and contact the school of your choice directly.

Degree, diploma and title

During the HF course to become a certified hotelier gastronome HF (formerly hotelier restaurateur / hoteliere restauratrice), your learning progress is continuously monitored. This assessment can take the form of examinations, for example semester or intermediate examinations, or independent work, for example semester or project work and presentations. The grades for these qualification achievements are then incorporated directly into the final grades.

If you meet all the qualifications required for the course, you will be admitted to the final qualification procedure. This consists of a practice-oriented diploma thesis or a practice-oriented project as well as a written and/or oral examination.

The details of implementation are regulated by the respective HF in its study regulations.

Diploma and title*

Graduates of the degree course in Hotel Management and Gastronomy receive an HF diploma and are entitled to use the federally recognized and protected professional title "Dipl. Hotelier-Gastronomer HF / dipl. Hoteliere-Gastronomin HF".

In French: "Hôtelier-Restaurateur diplômé ES / Hôtelière-Restauratrice diplômée ES"

In Italian: "Albergatore-Ristoratore dipl. SSS / Albergatrice-Ristoratrice dipl. SSS"

The recommended translation in English is as follows: "Advanced Federal Diploma of Higher Education". This is not a protected title.

* If the universities of applied sciences adhere to existing framework curricula in the detailed design of their courses, their HF courses are federally recognized and lead to a protected title.Hereyou will find a list of recognized HF degree courses.