Student Work Preferences and Beliefs Surrounding the Tourist/Hospitality Industry

ABSTRACTSix hundred and seventy four high school students from an Australian tourist region responded to a range of employment choices involving the tourist/hospitality industry. Many students evinced a readiness to consider employment in this industry and over one-half of the sample would consider further studies in order to obtain a better job within the same context. Formal qualifications and practical experience were thought to be the more important factors in the attainment of tourist/hospitality jobs. It was also found that males were more likely than females to demonstrate no interest in this type of employment and less likely than females to indicate a readiness to undertake further studies. Finally, it was found that students demonstrating an internal locus of control were more likely to believe in a variety of factors as a method of attainment of tourist/hospitality industry jobs, including performance and presentation, whereas externals believed more in formal qualifications. The implications of these findings for the later employment of students and for educational psychologists working in this context were examined.