A study by ETS and the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) has found that English language requirements in the hospitality sector depend on job responsibilities rather than seniority.

The report, released at FHRAI’s 56th annual convention in Varanasi on August 24, assessed six junior and senior positions across front office, food and beverage, and housekeeping departments.

The findings showed that junior housekeeping staff required stronger listening, reading and speaking skills than senior colleagues because their roles involved more interaction with guests. In contrast, senior front office and food and beverage employees needed higher writing proficiency for responsibilities such as preparing reports and documentation.

Speaking emerged as a key requirement across guest-facing positions, particularly for handling enquiries and complaints. Food and beverage roles involved communication with guests, employees and clients.

The study drew on assessments by 27 hospitality professionals with an average of 21 years of industry experience and TOEIC Link test scores from 331 employees working in the six positions.

FHRAI president Surendra Kumar Jaiswal said the findings could help hotels and restaurants develop recruitment criteria, training programmes and career development plans based on the requirements of individual roles.

The report recommends incorporating role-specific English proficiency standards into job descriptions, interviews and employee training.

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