Shift from Industry to Academe: Lived Experiences of Hospitality and Tourism Industry Practitioners Turned Educators

The hospitality and tourism industry is characterised by demanding schedules, high turnover, and complex work-life balance challenges that motivate experienced practitioners to transition into academic careers. This phenomenological study investigated the lived experiences of ten former hospitality and tourism industry practitioners who are now educators at higher education institutions in the Philippines. Using in-depth interviews and thematic analysis guided by Creswell's (2007) phenomenological framework, six themes emerged: (1) the dynamic and multicultural nature of industry work; (2) family obligations and work-life imbalance as primary drivers of career transition; (3) industry experience as a pedagogical asset; (4) challenges in engaging millennial learners; (5) recommendations for industry-aligned curriculum reform; and (6) fulfilment and professional identity in academe. Findings confirm that industry-experienced educators enrich hospitality education by converting classrooms into experiential learning environments reflective of real-world industry practice. The study calls for structured faculty immersion programs, competency-based curriculum reform, and sustained industry-academe partnerships to close the persistent gap between hospitality education and workforce expectations.

Hospitality Education, Industry Practitioners, Phenomenological Inquiry, Career Transition, Academe, Experiential Learning, Philippines

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