There is a range of varied and interesting opportunities for professional training in hotels. Depending on the position, to start the training you need to have completed the Abitur, which is the pre-university secondary school qualification, or the mittlere Reife, also called Realschulabschluss, which is the basic high school diploma. For some training programs, a Hauptschulabschluss (awarded after nine or ten years of schooling) is enough. The training programs generally last three years. As well as the two-track training program that combines theoretical training at a vocational school with an apprenticeship, there is the school training program, which has a practical component.

Professional training programs are:  

Hotelfachleute (fully qualified graduates in catering administration and hotel management) are employed in all areas of the hotel: they welcome guests and take care of their needs, and may also work in the restaurant.

Hotelkaufleute (management assistants in the hotel and hospitality business) coordinate the operations of all the various business areas, oversee operating costs, and ensure that everything runs smoothly.

In the restaurant and room service sections of the hotel are the Restaurantfachleute (restaurant specialists) and Fachkräfte im Gastgewerbe (specialists in the restaurant and hotel industry). They give advice to guests, take orders and decorate the breakfast buffet. Of course, every hotel also has a Koch (cook or chef) who is responsible for preparing the food.

Assistenten im Hotelmanagement (assistants in hotel management) provide management support. They draw up work schedules and look after business operations.