Time to talk about this.....
I'm not well versed on what a Galloway national park will entail, good or bad and I'm one who is genuinely sitting on the fence. It will be no secret that I may have a different professional opinion to my personal opinion on the matter, and that's just a truth that people would expect.
I raise 2 children in this area and am on eager watch with regards to the hardships a Galloway national park may bring. Reading avidly all about it to try see where my genuine, most integral thoughts may land.
All that aside, one thing I'm picking up on, and this is something I've heard consistently in my 17 years of being a hospitality business owner in the area, is the sentiment that hospitality is a dead end job, an undesirable stop gap, a job only those with no ambition would want to do, and worse, a job that's seen as only for those with no qualifications or aspirations.
This really saddens and frustrates me.
Quite simply, hospitality is the backbone of society. Ask anyone, what do you do on your long awaited holiday wherever you go? You find accommodation, you then look for places to eat, where to find a nice coffee, or nice bar for a drink. You may visit tourist attractions, cultural viewings, but you're also looking for that cuppa at the cafe whilst you're there.
During covid 19 lockdown, we had everything we needed, and access to video calls with our families, all the food and baking we could cope with, yet what did everyone count down the days until they could do....get out, go to a cafe, go out for dinner, be around other humans, not even to speak to, but just to know we weren't alone in this world! We sought out crowds, we sought out atmosphere, we sought out hospitality!
Where can hospitality take you? Ah, this list is absolutely huge! I'll attempt listing just some of the ways in which a job in hospitality is a great one!
No need to mention minimum wage either, as minimum wage is a wage put in place for a reason, if you pay NMW you're doing nothing wrong, however the right team member will rightfully be paid higher than this. For small independent businesses, especially those in hospitality, getting crucified with such high rates and taxes....because they are easy money for the government, because they are so busy and meet the high demand.....you see where I'm going with this.....NMW is the only option. Also worth bearing in mind it's certainly not just hospitality paying minimum wage in this area, and if the government helped us the way other sectors are helped, instead of taking more and more each year, everyone would pay more than NMW! For the record we are a higher than NMW payer however I just feel the above needs mentioned.
Anyway, moving on.....
Hospitality first and foremost gives a great introduction to people skills. Meeting and dealing with customers from all walks of life, a multitude of personalities, teaches anyone invaluable people skills that can be applied in any line of work. I'm actually certain it is learned the fastest and most efficiently in a hospitality setting.
Hospitality covers a wide range of personal skills too, with many different departments in any hospitality setting, you can learn everything from administrative duties, IT skills, human resources, accounts, stock taking, practical skills, and lots of communicative skills.
I've witnessed confidence levels raise dramatically in short spaces of time, preparing young people for university and other careers.
I've seen hospitality skills learned in Castle Douglas take people all over the world. Being hired quickly at bars, hotels and cafes in so many countries because the skills are world wide, people have literally paid their way around the world walking into hospitality jobs from skills learned in their small home towns.
I've seen 15 year olds learn the job in Castle Douglas, now managing world class hotels in cities, earning more than people with university degrees!
Meeting places for absolutely everything and anything....retired farmers associations, gaelic speaking groups, retired teachers associations, carers society's, scouts, guilds, NFU, hearing and vision impairment societies, ARCs, work nights out and the list goes on.....
Visiting Castle Douglas for work? Valued work that is desperately needed in many of the local businesses and running of our area? Where do they seek accommodation....hospitality! Without which, well you get the idea!
Ask yourself, what truly is a world without hospitality? Think of every time you frequent or rely on a place to go to be served, and you'll quickly realise we are so very important for so many things. For comfort, for company, for celebrations, for sad times, for donations towards your fundraiser, for advice, for a chat, for help!
We are more than a dead end job that you would hate your children to have. Think of a world without us, and really think about it..... hospitality isn't just pulling pints, it's so very much more!
Looking at every cafe, restaurant and hotel being as full as they are in Castle Douglas alone, you can see just how much it is needed, and should be valued so much higher than it is!
What you value as a good job, a worthy job, a job to be proud of, is a very personal thing, and I can't understand why it is so broadly criticised, when in any other circumstances, being so negatively vocal on someone's chosen job, or income, you'd be considered wholly wrong! Or is this just another punch that hospitality is just supposed to take and accept?
Thanks for reading.
Emma.
Contact
Address
7 QUEEN STREET,
CASTLE DOUGLAS,
DG7 1HX
Phone
01556 505070
