Food Service Aid

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS PROFESSION? My passion for people and their well-being, and a strong belief in the concept of Ubuntu, played a huge and important role in influencing me to choose this career. In hospitality, you work with people, and you are expected to keep a smile on your face at all times, so without Ubuntu, I don’t think you could survive in the hospitality industry. Being exposed to the physical work environment after completing my theoretical learning made me realise the love that I have for this profession and awakened my passion for it.

WHAT TRAINING DID YOU UNDERGO? I did my N4-N6 courses in hospitality studies – the framework of my career – at Ekurhuleni East TVET College at the Springs Campus, which is where I first fell in love with hospitality. After completing my N6 theory, I did a one-anda-half-year internship programme in one of the local public hospitals. My training included the essential responsibilities of a food service aide, who assists the cooks in preparing meals, distributing menu cards to clients, serving food and beverages, cleaning. A food service aide must know all the tasks involved in servicing guests in restaurants or cafeterias. My training also involved a lot of customerfacing tasks, and learning skills in food preparation, communication, customer service and physical stamina. After the intensive but enjoyable journey of both the theoretical and practical work, I then qualified with a National Diploma in Hospitality.

“Hospitality largely deals with the tasks involved in food and catering, but I believe that people can taste your personality in the dishes that you prepare” “I love the clients. People leave their houses and beautiful spaces and come to our space to relax and enjoy the food, and the hospitality we offer”

IS THERE A TYPE OF PERSONALITY BEST SUITED TO THIS WORK? Yes, you have to be a people person and have patience and understanding, because in a hospital you come across many different personalities. As I have mentioned, the basic principle is to have Ubuntu. Hospitality largely deals with the tasks involved in food and catering, but I believe that people can taste your personality in the dishes that you prepare. So, a great personality for me is key.

IS EXPERIENCE AS IMPORTANT AS FORMAL TRAINING? Experience is wisdom, so, yes, it is important. This is exactly what made me choose a TVET College over any other institution of higher learning. TVET Colleges offer extensive experiential training, and this is very different from normal training. Another reason experience in this field is important, is simply because you have to learn all the formalities, the do’s and don’ts, to do this work efficiently.

DESCRIBE A TYPICAL DAY ON THE JOB There is a famous saying that goes, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen”. I think this sums up the description of my normal day at work. To give you more context, in hospitality you are always running. Even though when you serve a client, you are expected to look and sound calm, behind the scenes it’s high energy. You have to keep performing the routine tasks and keep in mind that your poor performance could affect ten other people you’re working with. Although we’re constantly on the run, it must be mentioned that hospitality maintains a high level of hygiene and you have to make sure that your operational spaces are clean at all times.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE THE MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB? Funnily enough, I love the clients. People leave their houses and beautiful spaces and come to our space to relax and enjoy the food, and the hospitality we offer. I really appreciate that, and it is the most fulfilling thing ever. In hospitality, you learn every day, and our teachers are our clients. Sometimes you can see when people don’t like what you are doing; sometimes they even make suggestions about what they would prefer. So, if you are open to learning, you will learn.

WHICH ASPECTS ARE YOU LEAST ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT? In this field of hospitality, you can travel

SISANDA MAGAGA FOOD SERVICE AID

FAR EAST RAND HOSPITAL

the world and experience new things and different cultures, norms and personalities. I also enjoy the learning. I’m always looking forward to learning new dishes and I enjoy the healthy competition when it comes to the cooking and presentation of our work.

WHAT’S BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR CAREER TO DATE? I am now working at the Far East Rand Hospital and I’m really enjoy dealing with local patients, knowing that the work of my hands contributes to them becoming better.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE STARTING OUT IN YOUR CAREER? First and foremost, if you want to venture into this career, you need to understand yourself, your personality and your traits. You won’t have the capacity to understand the different personalities that you will be working with if you do not understand yourself first. Unfortunately, passion is a standard feature in hospitality – you must be passionate and enthusiastic about your work. Lastly, you need to have a great personality!

DESCRIBE YOUR JOB IN THREE WORDS Great, wonderful and honouring.