'Tis the season to be in hospitality

The work's hard, the pay's terrible, but now is the best time to work in catering, says Amy McLellan

Welcome to the season of the office Christmas lunch, when co-workers don paper hats, load up on the only free drinks they'll get from their boss this year and take elaborate measures to avoid getting stuck under the mistletoe with Smith from accounts. It is also the season when workers in the hospitality industry brace themselves for their busiest - and most lucrative - time of year.

This is a large industry, employing up to 1.5 million people in restaurants, hotels, pubs, bars, clubs and hospitality services. From the beginning of December until New Year, it sees its ranks swell by tens of thousands of extra people in order to service a nation in the grip of the festive spirit.

Despite worrying signs earlier in the year, the 2005 festive season looks set to be as busy as ever. "There was a slight downturn in certain parts of the country earlier this year with people being very careful with money but it's turned out to be full bookings for Christmas and New Year," says Bob Cotton, chief executive of the British Hospitality Association, which represents 40,000 establishments employing over 500,000 staff.

Across the country, hotels, pubs and restaurants are now in full swing, servicing private parties and corporate functions, from the office lunch in the local to lavish banquets in plush hotels. This sudden surge in volume requires careful manpower planning, which most establishments will have tackled during October and November. Senior positions, such as restaurant managers or chefs, will have long been filled. It is frowned on for anyone in these critical positions to move jobs in December because it leaves establishments in the lurch.

Those positions lower down the catering hierarchy, such as bar staff, waiters, porters and pot washers, should also have been filled by now. These temporary positions require some training and a pleasant customer-facing manner but, most importantly, a willingness to turn up when needed and do the job.

"At this time of year, it's about arms and legs," says Peter Waycot of specialist hospitality recruiter C&M Recruitment in London. "Banqueting is almost like a production and you need a lot of pairs of hands to get the food out of the kitchens on time."

This is reflected in the wages: it's mainly minimum wage although some high-end places and central London locations will pay more, up to £5.50 to £6 per hour. Tips can bump this up - and diners are more generous over the festive period - but permanent staff will get the lion's share of the tips.

Most businesses have no difficulty finding the extra staff they need at this busy time of year. Many restaurants and hotels, particularly those outside London, rely on a local pool of seasonal workers, usually university or college students looking to earn some extra money over the holiday period.

This is certainly the case for pub and restaurant group Mitchells & Butlers. "We have a lot of loyalty with students," says Mitchells & Butlers HR manager Karen Skingley, who manages the Browns, All Bar One and Vintage Inns brands. "While they are at university for three to five years, they will build a relationship with a local business near where they live and then they keep coming back to us at the peak times of Easter, bank holidays and Christmas."

This is a win-win. The business secures a flexible and ready-trained pool of staff while the students earn extra cash at an expensive time of year. Any resourcing gaps are filled by those looking for seasonal work, such as housewives, or by existing staff upping their hours over the festive period.

As anyone who has ever worked in hospitality knows (and, according to Bob Cotton of the BHA, about 75 per cent of young people have worked in the industry at some point), this is hard work: the hours are anti-social, the atmosphere can be frenzied and it means a lot of time on your feet.

But far from being sickened at the thought of another turkey dinner or having flashbacks at every bang of a Christmas cracker, staff say it's one of the best times of year to be in the business.

"It's very busy and very tiring work," admits Skingley, who has worked on the customer-facing frontline. "But you do get a real buzz out of it. You find you get swept away with it because there's a real euphoria at this time of year and a great atmosphere."

www.mitchellsandbutlers.com; www.candm.co.uk; www.bha-online.org.uk