

Work Experience: Gold Dust For The Aspiring Chef by Josh StoneIf you are thinking about getting involved in the hospitality industry, it is simply imperative that you appreciate the demands that will be placed on you as a person; otherwise you will simply become one of the many people every year who contribute to the atrociously high turnover rate for the industry. The hospitality industry is one that is plagued by worryingly high rates of turnover and absenteeism which serves as some reflection as to the poor working conditions, but for those of us who are strong enough to endure such hardships, a rewarding career awaits us. Currently, there is a significant shortage of qualified and skilled chefs, and so in an attempt to attract fresh blood to the proceedings, restaurants and hotels are now offering far more generous salary packages. This has gone a considerable way to debunking the rather prevalent myth that all chefs are poorly paid (although they themselves may disagree with this!). When is a good time to start studying as a chef? Frankly, the younger the better because the simple truth of the matter is that given that it can take approximately ten years in order to reach the top of the food chain (if you pardon the pun), starting earlier can be a major bonus. Unlike other professions, there is no automatic requirement that you attend a higher education institution such as college or university or a culinary school as there are a number of ways in which you can progress through the ranks so to speak. A common approach adopted is to get a job working in a restaurant or hotel kitchen and continue to work there, slowly but surely cultivating your career from there and working towards the coveted promotions. This approach has been favoured by some of the top chefs in the country, because it has allowed them to get an appreciation for all of the various segments and aspects of cooking as a whole. The downside with this approach however is that the aspiring chef will have to work at the very bottom and act as a general dogsbody in order to gain the requisite experience. The major benefit of attending a college course is that it means that you are professionally qualified and certified, which in turn means that you have great content for your CV. Given that you have the necessary training as well as practical experience in the various aspects of food preparation (including food safety and good hygiene practises) this means that you can jump the queue so to speak and not have to start from the bottom. If you do not fancy working for someone else for the rest of your working life, then there is always the possibility of setting up your own business. Competition within this market is actually fairly low, although if you want to maximise your chances of success then it is strongly recommended that you take a business course in addition to the culinary preparation lessons as well!
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