It is no secret amongst my friends that I really like hotels. I like staying in them and I like going to them for lunch etc. For this magazine I often have to go into hotels to interview Managers and I really envy them their jobs. I think the hospitality business must be very exciting. Of course to rise to the top to become the Manager of a quality hotel needs hard work and also good training. Managers have to rise through the ranks, usually starting at the bottom and working their way up. This prepares them well, as it will make them understand fully what is involved in every aspect of hotel life. A good education in hotel management no doubt assists them greatly.

Actually I didn't realise that there were specialist schools for this kind of thing, but I have recently discovered the Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School, of which there are 2 campuses, one in Sydney and the other one in Leura, NSW Australia. This school provides such quality training that its reputation has been recognized by the hotel industry and it has won numerous awards over the years, including: in 2011 it was in the top three hospitality schools for Best Educational innovation at the World Hospitality Awards; also in 2011, it was awarded the Silver Award for Tourism Education and Training at the New South Wales Tourism Awards; in 2010 it won yet another award, the Education and Training Award at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards, which recognised Blue Mountains as the leader in hotel management education in Australia; In 2010 it was the Winner of the Best Communications at the World Hospitality Awards in Paris. The list goes on, finalist for Best Education Innovation; in 2009 it won the Gold Award for Tourism Education and Training at the New South Wales Tourism Awards. As well as this impressive pedigree it ranked number 1 in Australasia in a survey of international hotels hiring managers for an international career by TNS.

It seems then that if someone is looking to get a foot on the rung of hotel management, this school is a good place to start. There are also other compelling reasons to sign up with them. I asked Maggie Wang the School Representative in China for the school, why someone should consider going to their school. She told me that for Chinese students who have lived in a protected cocoon, living and studying abroad requires them to be independent. Of course it's very different to living in their own country, for instance in China it quite often can be seen that the kids are well taken care of by parents and other family members. This is not good the students as they rely on too much on others. Living in a foreign country offers an opportunity for them to face challenges alone, improve their problem solving skills and increase their self-confidence. But they don't necessarily need to go to Australia to live independently. Maggie told me International students enjoy the easy-going, laid back, ‘no worries' nature of Australians and the Australian lifestyle. Chinese students find integration into the Australian culture relatively easy. This is not surprising as they are well used to foreigners there, after all, a large percentage of the population was born overseas, over 24% actually, and over 200 different languages and dialects area spoken there. Add to that spectacular natural beauty and scenery and also the fact that Sydney is one of the most work's most popular tourist destinations Maggie told me there is yet another strong reason to go there, it offers students outstanding employment opportunities, both upon graduation and through placements while they study.

It does sound like a good place, but even so there will be the inevitable culture shock and loneliness to face, I wondered what the school does about that. I was told Leura is regarded as the backyard of Australia, and there are so many activities both there and elsewhere, and Sydney has a lot to offer, from dining, shopping, entertainment, and sports. Students will not feel lonely as there are plenty things to do. Most importantly the school schedule is pretty intense so they will find very little time to feel lonely or bored. The faculty and staff are happy to help students with issues. Students also have many chances to be placed in groups to finish study projects, so it's easy to make friends. The school also has an orientation week for new students to fit in, including introduction of the school surroundings, lifestyles, facilities in the school, term schedules, and teaching methods etc.

I have heard of the famous Aussie laid back culture, but I wonder if it is conducive to study, after all if there are all these activities going on, why would anyone want to be in a study environment, surely they would much rather be on the beach. I asked Maggie what would happen if a student was having problems with his studying, e.g. he is enjoying himself too much to study. Of course the teachers and staff in the school will be there to help students with any issues.

I also asked what kind of students go to their school, they surely must all be from wealthy families but she replied “Not all students are from wealthy families; the school tuition is reasonable and in comparison with other schools in the same category, Blue Mountains has a better value. It is considered to be a first class school with a mid-class tuition fee.

I wondered what their success rate is. She told me “Most students succeed as long as they work hard, focus and complete all the units in accordance with the standards of the school. Students are required to redo any units in which they do not attain a high score. This can be done in various ways such as assignments, retaking the test, submitting essays…etc., and the teacher guide them through the process. Student can also consult former students who are always happy to help as well.

I would also like to add that Undergraduate students live on campus during the first 2 years of their degree and learn in a simulated hotel environment – students are both the guests and staff. In the final year students complete their studies at the Sydney campus”. Yet another reason to study there is that doing so will give them many options as to their chosen pathway, not just whilst they are studying, but after graduation too. The school has other partners, which means that students can complete a semester abroad at one of their Laureate Hospitality Institutions in Switzerland, Spain, China or the United States. Naturally units completed during the semester abroad will be credited to the Blue Mountains program. For those to want to want to study even harder there is also the prospect of being abIe to complete a double degree at one of these institutions. Also the school will give a visa that allows students to work for up to 20 hours per week in order to support themselves.

Next time I stay at a hotel, maybe the Manager will be a former student of Blue Mountains school!