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A career in the kitchen
SO you want to be a chef? Well expect hard graft all the way - really hard graft. The ‘celebrity’ chefs you see making their millions on TV have nearly all started at the bottom and worked their way up through years of crucifyingly repetitive tasks in the kitchen and working hours that would bring lesser people to their knees.
Professional kitchens can be brutal places where only the really strong survive. They can be highly competitive environments where people are only in it for themselves and where bosses can be the hardest taskmasters you will ever experience. Let’s just say that the ability to work under pressure is an absolutely essential attribute for the aspiring chef.
So, you still want to be a chef? Well, if the above hasn’t put you off, then the rewards can be huge, as can the salaries if you persevere and make it to the top.
Most chefs start as a ‘commis’ (click here for more on titles and positions) - effectively a trainee - where you will learn how the kitchen works, the necessary hygiene standards required of a kitchen and the tools of the trade. As a commis you will experience all the different sections within a professional kitchen.
As we have said, the tasks at the commis level are often extremely repetitive and frequently involve mass producing the same part of a meal over and over again for hours on end. You may be on the pastry section, or you could be responsible for preparing the vegetable element of a meal, but either way it means preparing the same dish, or part of a dish, time and time again for weeks on end.
The good news is that you don’t need to be a high achiever academically to enter a kitchen, although most prospective employers would probably expect you to have a reasonably good ability in English and maths.
There are course available at many colleges and universities that can help you prepare for your career, and work placements will always benefit you in the long run. There are also various qualifications available, such as a diploma or BTEC in professional cooking which can be advantageous.
Always consider getting a work placements (or work experience) as this can be the easiest way for you to decide whether working in a kitchen is for you. You will experience the early starts and late nights and get a feel for what the job is like and whether it is right for you.
Only a tiny few of the tens of thousands of people working in kitchens and catering ever make it to the top jobs, so get a feel for it before you stake your future on owning a series of Michelin-starred restaurants.
Starting salaries can be pretty mean. According to the learndirect website (see link below) as of the time of writing (2008), a commis chef can expect to earn around £12-15,000. This sounds depressingly low, however salaries do rise pretty healthily as you progress up the career ladder. The learndirect site suggests a head chef can earn around £30,000, while an executive head chef at a top venue can achieve up to £50,000.
And don’t forget, there’s always a chance you will be one of the handful that reach celebrity status, if that’s what you desire, and at that level you could be making millions.
Useful links:
» Learndirect
» Cater.com
So, you still want to be a chef? Well, if the above hasn’t put you off, then the rewards can be huge, as can the salaries if you persevere and make it to the top.
Most chefs start as a ‘commis’ (click here for more on titles and positions) - effectively a trainee - where you will learn how the kitchen works, the necessary hygiene standards required of a kitchen and the tools of the trade. As a commis you will experience all the different sections within a professional kitchen.
As we have said, the tasks at the commis level are often extremely repetitive and frequently involve mass producing the same part of a meal over and over again for hours on end. You may be on the pastry section, or you could be responsible for preparing the vegetable element of a meal, but either way it means preparing the same dish, or part of a dish, time and time again for weeks on end.
The good news is that you don’t need to be a high achiever academically to enter a kitchen, although most prospective employers would probably expect you to have a reasonably good ability in English and maths.
There are course available at many colleges and universities that can help you prepare for your career, and work placements will always benefit you in the long run. There are also various qualifications available, such as a diploma or BTEC in professional cooking which can be advantageous.
Always consider getting a work placements (or work experience) as this can be the easiest way for you to decide whether working in a kitchen is for you. You will experience the early starts and late nights and get a feel for what the job is like and whether it is right for you.
Only a tiny few of the tens of thousands of people working in kitchens and catering ever make it to the top jobs, so get a feel for it before you stake your future on owning a series of Michelin-starred restaurants.
Starting salaries can be pretty mean. According to the learndirect website (see link below) as of the time of writing (2008), a commis chef can expect to earn around £12-15,000. This sounds depressingly low, however salaries do rise pretty healthily as you progress up the career ladder. The learndirect site suggests a head chef can earn around £30,000, while an executive head chef at a top venue can achieve up to £50,000.
And don’t forget, there’s always a chance you will be one of the handful that reach celebrity status, if that’s what you desire, and at that level you could be making millions.
Useful links:
» Learndirect
» Cater.com
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