Basic approach

We want to give students of tourism and hotel management, who show commitment, interest and motivation for the education as well as for the profession in the gastronomy and hotel industry, the opportunity to initiate supportive relationships with executives from companies or relevant organizations already during their school/university time and to get "first-hand" insights into various aspects of practice and individual career design.

The mentors advise the mentees on career planning, CV design, interview preparation, etc., depending on their current situation and individuality, and provide constructive feedback on their educational profile, performance and skills. They impart important action knowledge about requirements, structures and processes in the hotel or catering industry, explain unwritten rules and aspects of professional life and facilitate access to networks with active contacts.

The mentoring program runs for 9 months, starting in November and ending in June. This is followed by an internship in the mentor's company. This practical experience intensifies the relationship between mentor and mentee and makes it even more sustainable.

Organizational procedure

The mentoring talks take place over 8 months, preferably once a month. As a recommended option, the (summer) internship in the mentor's company follows. We encourage the tandem pairs, after successful completion of the mentoring year, to continue the mentoring relationship "on their own"  in the students' following years.

As a general rule, each mentoring tandem agrees on the schedule together, ideally defining the time possibilities or expectations right at the beginning. In general, the intensity of the mentoring depends on the commitment of both (the mentor and the student).

The mentoring program provides a clear framework (guidelines, duration, minimum number of contacts, conclusion), but the individual design is the responsibility of mentor and mentee, with the mentee bearing responsibility for the process in that he or she takes the initiative, asks questions, approaches the mentor, etc. .

Apart from the organizational framework, mentors and mentees receive online support during the mentoring phase (8 months) in the form of regular e-mails with impulse questions. These tools can, but do not have to be used or worked through. In addition, there are reflection meetings with the program management every 4  months to accompany the process.