The next generation - Teenagers willing to work weekends to get ahead

The image of the íidle teenagerí is being overthrown by todayís hardworking secondary school students. Noughties youngsters are willing to put in the hard graft and work weekends to follow in Gordon Ramsayís footsteps and pursue a career in the hospitality industry.

According to research released today by Caterer.com*, the UKís leading hospitality recruitment web site, a staggering 78 per cent of young people are willing to work weekends and a further 65 per cent are happy to work shifts.

Unsurprisingly, itís the boys who fancy themselves as the next celebrity chef with one in three keen on this career option compared to just over a quarter of girls. However, it is not just catering that appeals to todayís young people; 44 per cent would like to be a hotel manager and 33 per cent a hotel receptionist.

A career in hospitality seems ideal for todayís teenagers with sixty nine per cent eager to work in a job that involves dealing with the public.

Youngsters did voice one concern about working in the hospitality industry, with twenty per cent of respondents rating difficult customers as the least attractive aspect of the job.

Perhaps not surprisingly, sitting in front of a computer all day is the biggest turn off, with 42 per cent not keen on being office based.

Work experience is shown to be extremely beneficial, with half of young people revealing that it has made them think hard about pursuing a career in hospitality.

Simon Taylorson from Caterer.com says: It is refreshing to see that young people are aware that it takes hard work to get ahead in life. It is also great to see so many positive thoughts coming from students towards getting a career. The rise of celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay appears to have had an influence on studentsí perceptions of the industry. This bodes well for the future of the hospitality industry but it is important that we nurture this interest and provide tomorrowís stars with the education and training that they need.