Teaching the Staff of a Hotel

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babala

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Teaching the Staff of a Hotel
« on: April 26, 2007, 11:09:54 PM »
I just got an assignment that I will be teaching the staff of one of the 5 star hotels in my city. They will have 8 classes altogether. I am to teach them language related to the hotel. The staff consists of front desk, room service, restaurant staff and the HR. Their levels are mixed (18 in all) but the majority have no English at all. Does anyone have any experience in this or know of websites that can help me put a lesson plan together. I have a few ideas but could really use some more.
Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try. Homer Simpson

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Raoul F. Duke

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Re: Teaching the Staff of a Hotel
« Reply #1 on: April 27, 2007, 03:13:07 AM »
I happen to be the developer of a very extensive Hotel English curriculum/textbook series in 5 books: General Hotel, Front Office, F&B Service, F&B Food, F&B Beverages...

I can tell you this much for sure: the hotel books on the market stink on ice. A dead end...
"Vicodin and dumplings...it's a great combination!" (Anthony Bourdain, in Harbin)

"Here in China we aren't just teaching...
we're building the corrupt, incompetent, baijiu-swilling buttheads of tomorrow!" (Raoul F. Duke)

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Vegemite

Re: Teaching the Staff of a Hotel
« Reply #2 on: April 27, 2007, 03:41:11 AM »
I taught 'Hospitality' in NZ for a year and there are some okay standards out there that we use. My google's not working (again) but if you google: NCEA NZ Hospitality Standards you should come up with some workbooks, or at least some ideas. Standards range from answering the phone to handling a complaint to pouring a good beer and making a lattee...there were certain teaching activities I enjoyed more than others. uuuuuuuuuu

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Mr Nobody

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Re: Teaching the Staff of a Hotel
« Reply #3 on: April 27, 2007, 06:36:26 AM »
I am planning of going freelance at the end of this contract, in Jan.

Teaching hotel stuff maybe an idea - I was thinking import export stuff, but I will need some income while my other plans are unfolding.

Any advice from those already freelancing?
Just another roadkill on the information superhighway.

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Raoul F. Duke

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Re: Teaching the Staff of a Hotel
« Reply #4 on: April 28, 2007, 12:58:50 AM »
Freelancing is extremely dodgy and unstable.
Freelancing in hotels is 10 times more so.

Hotels are wonderful places to work, but the people who own and run them are among the cheapest humans on the face of the planet. They tend to take two years to decide anything. The training manager or department managers may be quite gung ho about English training, but the GM makes the final decision and often won't let them spend more than 100 RMB per hour...if that. The ones who don't finally decide to hire in a local college student at 25 RMB an hour will finally call you on Monday to start classes on Tuesday. After 6 weeks of classes they'll announce that the hotel is getting busy and cancel classes for the next several months. Hotels are notoriously understaffed, and most inevitably find that they don't want their people tied up in English class 2 hours a week. The workers are often badly overworked (ie exhausted) and underpaid (ie unmotivated).

The hotel market in Suzhou is really small and not always very professional. I may take my course to Shanghai.

Freelancing tends to blow hot or cold. One week you can be turning away work, the next week mostly unemployed. Some of the most useless, bloody-minded, self-serving slugs I've encountered in China have been company training managers. Many companies won't simply pay directly in cash; they want a Tax Bureau invoice...and you wouldn't believe what a nightmare that can be to get. You get paid NOTHING over the interminable Chinese holidays. There's no support and no benefits. It can be nigh impossible to score a work permit and residence permit, and only a chump would work here without those documents for very long.

Freelancing can be a great way to supplement your income. It can be a wonderful experience. You get to keep the money (if you're truly freelance) rather than cutting in the lion's share of the total earnings to some corrupt, incompetent, baijiu-swilling butthead who runs a training center. You have a bit more freedom to get the kind of schedule you want.

But I'm coming to the conclusion that I can't recommend it as a full-time occupation unless you live in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou or Shenzhen; are very experienced; have an in to legal documentation, and have a great corporate network. Especially if you are a parent with kids at home!

Freelancing is a hard, hard road with many hazards. It takes an enormous amount of work to succeed at it. That road tempts us all at some point, but many are not really willing to put in the work (and patience and poverty) it takes to build a successful practice.
"Vicodin and dumplings...it's a great combination!" (Anthony Bourdain, in Harbin)

"Here in China we aren't just teaching...
we're building the corrupt, incompetent, baijiu-swilling buttheads of tomorrow!" (Raoul F. Duke)

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AMonk

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Re: Teaching the Staff of a Hotel
« Reply #5 on: April 28, 2007, 01:46:07 AM »
Freelancing in any trade/profession can be extremely rewarding. 

It is also often very frustrating and can frequently have l-o-n-g stretches between (generous) paychecks.  Yes.  You can make oodles of $$,RMB, etc.  But you may only make said oodles once in 4 months.  And you can't budget, either, because you don't know when or how much you will be paid for a job.  Some people pay promptly.  Others don't.  And there are no guarantees that the job will be available when your bills come due.
Moderation....in most things...

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Raoul F. Duke

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Re: Teaching the Staff of a Hotel
« Reply #6 on: April 28, 2007, 01:49:15 AM »
Yep. I've encountered all these obstacles.
I strongly suspect one major job of the Finance (we'd call it Accounting) department is to delay paying anything up to but not over the line of being taken to court for non-payment...  llllllllll bababababa
"Vicodin and dumplings...it's a great combination!" (Anthony Bourdain, in Harbin)

"Here in China we aren't just teaching...
we're building the corrupt, incompetent, baijiu-swilling buttheads of tomorrow!" (Raoul F. Duke)

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Mr Nobody

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Re: Teaching the Staff of a Hotel
« Reply #7 on: May 01, 2007, 12:54:47 AM »
I have done freelance work in other areas, including journalism. I know the normal stuff. For that matter, teaching kung fu in Oz is freelancing - dunno what I will get month to month either. Did that for 20 years.

I want to do part time work to supplement my income, which I get  through import/export (also slow and irregular right now, but I have hopes) and renting two apartments in Oz - what is left after the mortgage anyway, which soon will be finished.

I am just looking at sort of part time work to fill the hole in my wallet.

However, I concede that maybe the Hotels aren't the way to go. I can get part time work easily. I just don't want a contract right now, to give me freedom to pursue the business.

I have pretty much regular gigs as a kung fu teacher here, by the look of it, too. Plus English schools are falling over themselves. For some reason I am getting known here. Maybe something to do with the fact that 100% of my students in my classes passed the CETB first time.

Documentation ie visas etc easy peasy. Can get an F with no effort, and anyway, that is mostly what I want to do.

Plus we have the wife's income, which is enough if we don't pay for a maid.

Still thinking about it though. Life has been easier with a contract.
Just another roadkill on the information superhighway.

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babala

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Re: Teaching the Staff of a Hotel
« Reply #8 on: May 15, 2007, 09:55:49 PM »
Raoul,
      You said you wrote a book on hotel english. I'm hoping you can help me out on this one. It's gone pretty well so far, a little hard cause they are such mixed levels but on the whole, not too bad. I've been teaching the front desk and restaurant staff but now I have the housekeeping staff. I have taught them a few things in the room (toothbrush, towel...) and simple phrases like I need, this doesn't work and this is dirty but now I'm a little stuck on what to do next. Any ideas?
Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try. Homer Simpson

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Raoul F. Duke

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Re: Teaching the Staff of a Hotel
« Reply #9 on: May 16, 2007, 12:20:16 AM »
Housekeepers are tough. They typically have the least English of any staffer with guest contact.

Have you done standard operations..."Please make my bed" and so on?
Also, you should give them a general hotel overview...places and layout of the hotel, etc.
Giving directions is also good for any hotel staff.
"Vicodin and dumplings...it's a great combination!" (Anthony Bourdain, in Harbin)

"Here in China we aren't just teaching...
we're building the corrupt, incompetent, baijiu-swilling buttheads of tomorrow!" (Raoul F. Duke)

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babala

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Re: Teaching the Staff of a Hotel
« Reply #10 on: May 18, 2007, 12:08:36 AM »
I just wanted to say that the class with the housekeeping staff went well. We covered more items in the room, basic operations, layout and directions. They are a good bunch who are really happy to learn.
Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try. Homer Simpson

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Raoul F. Duke

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Re: Teaching the Staff of a Hotel
« Reply #11 on: May 18, 2007, 12:22:54 AM »
Excellent!  agagagagag
They often make up for their low level through eagerness to learn...
"Vicodin and dumplings...it's a great combination!" (Anthony Bourdain, in Harbin)

"Here in China we aren't just teaching...
we're building the corrupt, incompetent, baijiu-swilling buttheads of tomorrow!" (Raoul F. Duke)

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Stil

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Re: Teaching the Staff of a Hotel
« Reply #12 on: May 18, 2007, 12:26:41 AM »
Excellent!  agagagagag
They often make up for their low level through eagerness to learn...

and some are hot too!  afafafafaf

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Raoul F. Duke

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Re: Teaching the Staff of a Hotel
« Reply #13 on: May 18, 2007, 12:28:11 AM »
Amen, brother!
And they keep the place tidy, too.  uuuuuuuuuu
"Vicodin and dumplings...it's a great combination!" (Anthony Bourdain, in Harbin)

"Here in China we aren't just teaching...
we're building the corrupt, incompetent, baijiu-swilling buttheads of tomorrow!" (Raoul F. Duke)

Re: Teaching the Staff of a Hotel
« Reply #14 on: May 23, 2007, 02:18:27 AM »
Freelancing as a writer back home was punishing: unreliable, cbcbcbcbcb treacherous, cbcbcbcbcb , insecure  cbcbcbcbcb , demoralizing. cbcbcbcbcb  That's why I came to China.

Nobs, I think the trick is to put your eggs in many baskets.  I've seen Raoul make a lot of fun money teaching hotels... but I've seen how unpredictable it is, too.  I now teach part time at my college, mainly for the work permit, and tutor on the side for better salary.  When two different clients cancelled their lessons, I still had my go-to gig to keep the bills paid- barely  alalalalal - while I looked for new work.

I need more gigs.  bibibibibi
And there is no liar like the indignant man... -Nietszche

Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task. -William James

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