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Study Hospitality

Potential Career Outcomes

Some hospitality occupations include:

Course overview

The hospitality industry comprises of businesses that provide accommodation, food and beverages such as cafes, restaurants, pubs, hotels, motels and other accommodation and hospitality service providers. Due to the ‘foodie’ culture in Australia, the industry has been growing steadily over the past 5 years.

According to the Industry Reference Committee (IRC) for Tourism, Travel and Hospitality, the top skills in demand in the industry include teamwork and communication, resilience, problem solving and self-management.

In these courses, not only will you be able to learn the above skills, you will be able to learn about the accommodation services, client and customer service, human resource management, events management, food safety and many more interesting topics that will assist you in building a career in the industry.

Insights

  • The weekly earnings of a Café and Restaurant Managers is on average $1,346.
  • On average, a Retail Manager earns $1440 per week.
  • In Australia, a Hotel and Motel Manager earns approximately $1250 per week.
  • Hotel Service Manager earns $1105 on average per week.
  • The average working hours for people in hospitality is 48 to 54 hours.
  • Gender: 54% of workers are female
  • Age: average age is 40 years
  • In Australia, it is expected that the future growth for this industry is stable/strong.

Common Course Requirements

  • Completion of secondary education
  • Meet English proficiency (Usually at least IELTS 5.5 overall).

Related Courses

Some related courses include:

  • Diploma of Hospitality Management

Duration: 22 to 129 weeks
Intake: February, July

Cost: $5150 to $44,170

Locations: most cities, including Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Broome, Cairns, Hobart, Perth, Brisbane

  • Diploma of Travel and Tourism Management

Duration: 21 to 117 weeks

Intake: February, July

Cost: $6300 to $29,000

Locations: most cities, including Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Cairns, Hobart

  • Advanced Diploma of Hospitality Management

Duration: 14 to 156 weeks

Intake: February, July

Cost: $4950 to $51470

Locations: most cities, including Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, Byron Bay, Adelaide

Sources

Studying Hospitality in Australia: What the Course Covers

Hospitality courses prepare you to work in and manage restaurants, cafes, bars, hotels, resorts, clubs and event venues. You learn customer service, food and beverage service, coffee and bar skills, food safety, front office and accommodation operations, rostering and leading teams, financial management and budgeting, marketing, human resources, compliance with liquor, food and workplace laws, and managing guest experience. Management courses include work placements or practical work in a training restaurant or hotel.

Qualifications and AQF Levels

Qualification AQF level What it prepares you for
Certificate III in Hospitality AQF 3 Food and beverage attendant, barista and front office roles
Certificate IV in Hospitality AQF 4 Supervisor and shift manager roles
Diploma of Hospitality Management AQF 5 Restaurant, cafe, bar and front office manager roles
Advanced Diploma of Hospitality Management AQF 6 Senior venue and operations manager roles
Bachelor of Hospitality or International Hotel and Tourism Management AQF 7 Hotel, resort and tourism management careers

Study Pathways

International students commonly study a Diploma followed by an Advanced Diploma of Hospitality Management, sometimes packaged with commercial cookery. Graduates can move into a bachelor degree in hospitality, tourism or business with credit. Hospitality manager occupations usually require substantial supervisory or management experience, so a qualification on its own is rarely enough for a skills assessment.

Related Occupations and Visa Pathways (as at October 2026)

Occupation ANZSCO CSOL (482 and 186) Skilled lists (189, 190, 491, 485)
Cafe or Restaurant Manager 141111 No STSOL
Hotel or Motel Manager 141311 Yes STSOL
Hotel Service Manager 431411 Yes Not listed
Retail Manager (General) 142111 Yes Not listed

Our Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) guide explains which visas use each list and what that means for hospitality managers. Cafe or Restaurant Manager was one of the occupations not included when the CSOL started on 7 December 2024.

Career Outlook

Hospitality is one of Australia’s largest employers of young people and international students, with work available in cities, regional towns and tourist areas. Many roles are casual or part time with evening and weekend shifts. With experience and qualifications, staff can move into supervisor and management roles, and regional and tourism employers often have difficulty finding experienced managers.

Applying for a Student Visa to Study Hospitality

Hospitality is a common student choice, so give the case officer a clear reason for it, such as previous hotel or restaurant work, or a plan to move into hotel management. Our Student visa (subclass 500) page covers the current English, money and work rules.

Hospitality Study FAQs

As at October 2026, Cafe or Restaurant Manager (141111) is on the STSOL. It is not on the CSOL, so it cannot be used for the 482 Core Skills stream or the 186 Direct Entry stream.

Yes. As at October 2026, Hotel or Motel Manager (141311) and Hotel Service Manager (431411) are on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL), so an employer can sponsor experienced managers through the 482 Skills in Demand visa if the other requirements are met.

Generally no. The 485 Post-Vocational Education Work stream requires an MLTSSL occupation closely related to your qualification, and the hospitality manager occupations are not on the MLTSSL. A bachelor degree may make you eligible for the Post-Higher Education Work stream.

If you serve or sell alcohol, yes: you need a Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) certificate recognised in the state where you work, and venues with gaming machines may also require gaming training. Kitchen and food service roles usually need food safety training. Many hospitality courses include the RSA.

Related guides

Am I eligible for a Student visa? Student Visa Funds Calculator Study a Trade Course Assessment Study a Uni Course Assessment

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