English corner

Welcome to Hotel Management School Thun

Hotelfachschule Thun is a German speaking college of Professional Education with Training (PET). It is an institution of hotellerieSuisse (Swiss Hotel Association) recognized by the Swiss Federal Government and subsidized by political authorities. Offering a state of the art educational environment, Hotelfachschule Thun is the ideal place for students who wish to train for demanding positions in the hospitality industry. During the three-year training, semesters at school alternate with internships of practical work. Students graduate as «dipl. Hotelier -Gastronom HF / zur dipl. Hoteliere-Gastronomin HF» (Hotelier and Restaurant Manager, PET qualified). They are qualified for different levels of managerial positions in hospitality.

Contact

Address
Hotel Management School Thun
Mönchstrasse 37
3600 Thun
Switzerland

Reception
Monday – Friday: 07:45 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 17:00
Weekend: closed

Head of International Internship Programme: Karin Schaechtele
Karin.Schaechtele@hfthun.ch

How to get to Hotel Management School Thun
See map

Karin Schächtele, Head of International Programs

My area of international expertise specializes in international internships as well as international projects.

The expertise and global network of the Hotel Management School Thun continues to grow and is influenced by:

• Worldwide student internships
• Exchange with partner schools and the affiliated schools of hotelleriesuisse
• Job training programs in developing and newly industrialized countries
• Exchange with foreign delegations

International Internships

International experiences are pivotal in our industry. During their internship abroad the students gain valuable work experience in a very different cultural environment. This challenge presents new horizons for the students, it significantly increases their self-confidence and leadership skills. To be able to list international, professional experience on your CV is so much more than “nice to have”.
Karin Schächtele is well connected worldwide and can competently give advice to students interested in pursuing an internship abroad. The photos you see here are of companies that offer internships in Asia, Canada, Australia, the USA, England and South Africa. These depict only a small selection of many placements available.
Foreign hospitality and restaurant companies can easily register on our job market.

Please click on the interactive map to see where in the world our students are currently working or have gained experience in the past.

Partner schools

hotelleriesuisse partner schools
The Hotel Management School Thun collaborates very closely with the hotelleriesuisse affiliate schools in Australia and Nepal which follow similar training syllabi to the ones we offer in Switzerland. Further joint projects with other affiliated schools are being planned for future collaboration. The core of the joint effort is the exchange between students, professors, lecturers and employees. The value found in this exchange of knowledge lies within the transfer of experience on an international level.

The affiliated schools carry the logo of hotelleriesuisse. Their development and quality is controlled on a routine basis. Karin Schächtele is also an auditor for hotelleriesuisse and assures that the affiliated schools comply with the standards of hotelleriesuisse.

Global Academy of Tourism and Hospitality Education (GATE), Kathmandu/Nepal
The Hotel Management School Thun is currently in close collaboration with GATE Nepal. A culinary docent as well as a student went on an expedition to Nepal in March/April 2017. This summer another docent from the housekeeping department will travel there yet again to develop the exchange concept even further.

Our specialist subject instructors Sandra Burri and Reto Weber report from their impressive experiences:
Field report from Sandra Burri, specialist instructor, Housekeeping Department
Field report from Reto Weber, specialist instructor, Culinary Department

Here an entertaining insight into the Fab College..

Your possibilities for a fulfilling commitment in Nepal
Through occupational training in areas of poverty – straightforward and sustainable ! FAB School, the vocational training school of our affiliate school GATE, is located in the touristy town of Pokhara in Nepal. Children are there introduced to perspectives on life that then lead them and their families away from poverty by means of occupational education. The Hotel Management School of Thun is directly connected with both schools, therefore the support provided is immediate and sustainable.
On-site commitments are available to those able to participate for at least one month. The various options are presented in the documentary.
Please watch this touching 5 minute video to see just how much your commitment can provide change.
Application process
Please send your application in English and with reference to the following 4Ws via email to Bibek Poudel – General Manager GATE Vocational Westend / FAB School, bibek.westend@gate.edu.np

• Who – CV
• What – what would you be able to do (or think you might)
• When – desired / possible duration and ideally when (at least 1 month)
• Why – Short motivation letter addressed to:
  Megha Shrestha, Project Manager at GATE Vocational FAB School
  GATE- Global Academy of Tourism & Hospitality Education
  Mahankal -9, Mandikhatar, Kathmandu 44600

Please send the motivation letter, even though addressed to Megha, also to Karin Schächtele

Our former student Karina Büchi also has strong ties to Nepal. She has her own business in Nepal, runs a relief organization and supports 80 school children. Her fascination for the Nepalese culture grew through her parent’s long term project/engagement in Nepal with their company Aktivferien AG. Along with HF Thun more opportunities for collaborating projects are presenting themselves. More stories on their visit to Nepal Aktivferien Blog.

International College of Hotel Management (ICHM), Adelaide/Australia
ICHM has carried the hotelleriesuisse logo since 1992. Following an extensive phase of partnership, the active exchange concept between the schools will now commence. In the beginning it will be in form of a content exchange between the students. In hopes of future prospects, the SBFI is currently putting forth efforts towards the accreditation of the 4th semester at ICHM.

The quickest path to achieving a master’s degree at the Hotel Management School of Thun: master’s degree in International Hotel Management in 3 semesters
Graduates holding the degree «dipl. Hotelier -Gastronom HF / zur dipl. Hoteliere-Gastronomin HF» (certified Hotelier/Restaurateur) have the possibility, by directly enrolling in the master’s program in International Hotel Management, to obtain a second degree in only three semesters time. The master’s program is taught at the hotelleriesuisse affiliate school, International College of Hotel Management (ICHM) in Adelaide, Australia. ICHM issues the master’s degree and belongs to the Darwin University. The master’s degree is recognized by the Australien government (TEQSA).
Benefits ICHM Master of International Hotel Management

• Due to international core curriculum comparisons (European Qualifications Framework, EQF) direct access to the master program is granted after graduating from the Hotel Management School.
• Subject to agreement to the course of studies of both schools, the graduates of the Hotel Management School of Thun commence their studies in the 2. master program semester. Requirement: Level C1 in English

There are two options for the course of studies
The quick option
1 year of studies in Adelaide plus 3. semester with paid full-time work in the hospitality industry in Switzerland with submission of research and observation (reflection) documentation.
Course of studies with Option Stay and work in Australia
3 semester ICHM master study program and a 2 year work permit after receiving a master’s degree (otherwise not possible with a Swiss passport).

Further information to the master program can be found on the website of ICHM

Partner school – School of Business and Tourism Management Yunnan University, China
Yunnan is a province in the Southwest of the People’s Republic of China. In terms of surface area, it is roughly the size of Germany and The Netherlands combined. The university registers over 20’000 students. In March 2017 two senior managers from this university discussed possible collaborations with the Hotel Management School Thun. The main focus right now is on developing a two-week module for continuing education geared towards tourism professionals from Yunnan. The implementation and starting date should be in October 2017.

Vocational education and training projects with developing nations and newly industrialized countries

Export ingenuity – dual vocational education system. How well does this model fit in other countries?
The dual education system of Switzerland draws much attention and curiosity. Many countries would like to replicate this successful model. This Swiss system has taken over 100 years to grow into what it is today. Copying it 1 to 1 is challenging. The Hotel Management School Thun has the expertise necessary to provide valuable advice on how to transfer the attained skills and knowledge from the dual education system, to practical professionalism in the hospitality industry. The basic structure is created based on the given conditions and parameters of each individual location.

For many years the Hotel Management School Thun has maintained a strong, strategic network of international partnerships, all based on sustainable cooperative work, development and exchange of knowledge.

DEZA professional training in Cambodia — Commitment of HF Thun 2014 – today
The government provides foreign aid in form of sustainable structuring of a dual vocational education system in Cambodia. The professionalism of HF Thun was called upon during various phases:

2014: Consulting of the subcontractors

2015: Beginning phase of program
Karin Schächtele was in Cambodia in February and October as a hospitality expert to aid in developing customized hospitality education concepts

2017: Implementation phase of the program
In February Karin Schächtele was there for a third time to assist as a program advisor in preparing the additional project “Hospitality Coaching for Hotel and Restaurant Owners & Managers”. Starting in May four HF Thun graduates will work as coaches for owners and managers of various hotel and restaurant establishments.

Children UA, 2017: Bildungslager für ukrainischen Waisenkindern in der Schweiz
Once again Ukrainian orphans have managed to inspire the hospitality professions in Switzerland. Amongst many things learned during the educational camp, the importance of not only education but also the necessity of healthy social relationships within a community was introduced to the children. They learned valuable things such as: social competence, leadership skills, conflict management, being responsible, tolerance as well as a healthy lifestyle and care for our environment.

This exchange was made possible through the influential and valuable network of the Hotel Management School Thun. With help from an engaged community put together by the management team of the Hotel Management School Thun, former students and contacts within the hospitality industry, this incredible project was even able to completed during the peak season.

Children UA, 2016 – Professional education week for Ukrainian orphans in Switzerland
It took four months of preparation and dedication for the Team of Children-UA to enable 18 orphans from the Ukraine to spend a unforgettable vocational education week in Switzerland. Students and employees of HF Thun eagerly contributed to a charity event by selling brownies to fund the project.

Along with two students, Karin Schächtele schooled the children on culinary, service and intercultural topics. Because of Mrs. Schächtele’s impressive, global network she was able to connect a talented 12year old participant with a well-known artist in the Ukraine.

Delegations

In many countries there is a great interest in the successful Swiss dual vocational education and training system. Therefor the HF Thun receives a lot of inquiries from various foreign institutions in regards to informational meetings with the faculty, school board members and students. The delegations appreciate the expertise of HF Thun which provides international comparisons of vocational education systems and their opportunities.

ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), December 12, 2016
We presented our dual vocational education system to a top-class ASEAN delegation which is put together of affluent, educational ambassadors. They were highly enthused and impressed by the exciting and informative presentation of a student who did her internship in Bali and already has been able to acquire quite a bit of practical experience. Karin Schächtele also held a capturing presentation on the topic of “Comparison of vocational education on an international scale” and elaborated on the dedication of the HF Thun to the DEZA vocational education and training program in Cambodia. Cambodia is a member of ASEAN. Further information to the project can be found under the section “relief projects”.

The study trip was organized by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Presence Switzerland and the Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training.