North Yorkshire hospitality careers scheme a reminder of life-changing hotel job: Chris Burn

You’d also end up with certain key songs stuck in your head – I’m fairly sure still know the Grease megamix off by heart.

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But despite (or possibly slightly because of) such quirks of the job, it was a truly fantastic role – hours on shift absolutely flew by and you’d get a genuine buzz from a successful night of service and playing a role in hundreds of people having a good evening.

You also met many very memorable characters – both guests and staff.

I loved the work and the people but I must admit I always saw the role as more of a student job than a career I wanted to seriously pursue and that was probably the same for many of my fellow teenage colleagues.

At 16, anyone above about 21 can seem like an experienced man or woman of the world. However, looking back on it with two decades distance and the perspective of age I now realise more clearly even those in fairly senior managerial roles at the hotel were really young themselves, with many in their early 20s.

One person admirably trying to push the message that working in hospitality can open career doors much more quickly than other sectors is regional tourism expert Philip Bolson, a former general manager of The Grand in York.

He has established the York & North Yorkshire Hospitality Junior Board made up of promising junior managers working in venues in the region and has hopes of expanding the scheme across the whole of Yorkshire.

Those selected for the initial cohort have been assigned individual mentors and set projects to help build their skillsets and aid their development.

Given the region’s fantastic range of bars, restaurants and hotels, it is a great idea that deserves to pay dividends.

Like many industries, hospitality has been facing all sorts of challenges but rather than hand-wringing about how tough it all is, taking proactive steps to make things better for everyone is a great way to go.

While journalism has ended up being my career, working at the Moat House changed the course of my life.

After becoming firm friends with one of my colleagues Darren, we ended up going to the same university in Leicester together and living in the same student accommodation.

One of our flatmates was from Sheffield and introduced us all to her best friend from home – the person who is now my wife.

Darren was the best man at our wedding and I’m looking forward to returning the favour next year.

Of course not all hospitality jobs will result in such lifelong connections, but as jobs go it is one I’d heartily recommend.

You never know where it could take you.