want to become a chef.

[Dudley52]

hi all,

does anyone have experience in the cooking/catering industry? I've just left college (doing a-levels) and I would like to train to become a chef. Is an apprenticeship the best way to do this? Anyone know any good cooking colleges? I have no idea what to do, so if someone can point me in the right direction that would be great. I'm going to book an appointment with the careers advisor at college to see what they say but if anyone has any advice that would be great thanks.

 

[Shagrat]

My missus reckons you'd be a lot better trying to get a job in your local bistro/pub and getting your experience "on the job", and yes, she does work in the industry so it's not just random advice

 

[Dudley52]

My missus reckons you'd be a lot better trying to get a job in your local bistro/pub and getting your experience "on the job", and yes, she does work in the industry so it's not just random advice

Thats what my parents recommended. Is it worth going college to get qualifications then ?

 

[Raven]

Yes, you could probably do both anyway. My mum was trained at college, they will teach you a lot that the chefs will simply not have the time to show you. You will also do the food hygiene parts too.

 

[Mey]

Go to college get a good aprenticeship work your way up to head chef imo..

 

[old.Tohtori]

It depends(yes i'm a semi-trained chef, which was left when i joined ze game industry).

If you can take the boring, numbing, endless theory and protein values and calculating useless crap and learning "proper english" etc etc...basicly the boring part of school, then it's a good way to learn things, get a degree and get easier access to jobs.

If you're like me, and can't stand that numbing sitting at school parts...and want to make something!...then an internship, old school style "learn from the master" is the best way.

I quit my training twice because of the theory part, now that i'm older i might take it, but i doubt it. I'm more of a "have to do it instead of talk about it" kinda guy.

 

[cHodAX]

Go to college bud and get a part time job in catering if you can, best of both worlds. You will learn a ton of stuff in college that you will never learn in a full time catering job and vice versa. The main thing though is that you get the basics which means college even if it is just a part time course. Oh and get your food and hygeine certificate asap, I think it is something like a 20 hour evening course and it is a must have these days for the catering industry.

 

[Dudley52]

Go to college bud and get a part time job in catering if you can, best of both worlds. You will learn a ton of stuff in college that you will never learn in a full time catering job and vice versa. The main thing though is that you get the basics which means college even if it is just a part time course. Oh and get your food and hygeine certificate asap, I think it is something like a 20 hour evening course and it is a must have these days for the catering industry.

Ok then, do you work in catering?

I'll read up about that food and hygeine certificate

 

[cHodAX]

Ok then, do you work in catering?

I'll read up about that food and hygeine certificate

No but a close friend is a chef at a restaraunt so I have heard quite a bit about how things work. He has mentioned a few times that he rarely gets any good staff out of the people who aren't professionally trained and he has said that two years of catering college should be standard for anyone to work in anything other than a fast food joint. The untrained people rarely last long because they don't have the skills or the knowledge to get the food tasting and looking to the standard required.

If he was here I am sure he would confirm what I originally said, go to college and work part time if you have the stamina, you get the best of both worlds that way and will learn an awful lot in a short space of time.

 

[Dudley52]

No but a close friend is a chef at a restaraunt so I have heard quite a bit about how things work. He has mentioned a few times that he rarely gets any good staff out of the people who aren't professionally trained and he has said that two years of catering college should be standard for anyone to work in anything other than a fast food joint. The untrained people rarely last long because they don't have the skills or the knowledge to get the food tasting and looking to the standard required.

If he was here I am sure he would confirm what I originally said, go to college and work part time if you have the stamina, you get the best of both worlds that way and will learn an awful lot in a short space of time.

Ok m8, thanks for the help.

been looking at the NVQ level 1 & 2 courses which take a year each to complete. Possibly NVQ level 3 aswell which is 2 years.


edit:

are the NVQ courses the best ones to do?

 

[Haggus]

hmmmmm... been trained as a micro wave technician for about 6months now and when I started we had a starter chef who was part time and went to college. Tbh he was shit, the best way to learn is experience. There's no point wasting your life at college then finding out your actually no good at it (regardless of weither you enjoy it or not) no place will employe you if your no good wiethher you have A-levels or not. My advice would be go work for a pub/resturant (ie beef eater/harvester) and start at the bottum and work your way up. The only way your going to good is by knowing what your doing, do this and do that at the right time, pull this out of the oven,put that in before that, get that off the grill. Steaks.... meeeeeh I hate them >.< Trust me it's hard work.

Basic food hygene, I work for a company called Vintange Inn's (look them up they would be ideal for you) and all our chef's get Basic Food Hygene for free which lasts 3years I think. It's brand specific but alot of the time you will get away with it and trust me it's worth getting. Also offer the NVQ courses for free aswell 1, 2 &3

My honest opinion for someone with no experience would be starting off as a pot wash, then moving up to desserts, starters, assist and then main grill.

Ill happily anwser questions about the industry if you want mate!

Hope i've helped

 

[cHodAX]

Ok m8, thanks for the help.

been looking at the NVQ level 1 & 2 courses which take a year each to complete. Possibly NVQ level 3 aswell which is 2 years.


edit:

are the NVQ courses the best ones to do?

You might be able to take level 1 and 2 in the same year, have a word with the local college. If not then do level 1 part time, get your food and hygiene certificate and get a part time job in some kind of catering but not fast food as you won't learn a damn thing there.

 

[Dudley52]

hmmmmm... been trained as a micro wave technician for about 6months now and when I started we had a starter chef who was part time and went to college. Tbh he was shit, the best way to learn is experience. There's no point wasting your life at college then finding out your actually no good at it (regardless of weither you enjoy it or not) no place will employe you if your no good wiethher you have A-levels or not. My advice would be go work for a pub/resturant (ie beef eater/harvester) and start at the bottum and work your way up. The only way your going to good is by knowing what your doing, do this and do that at the right time, pull this out of the oven,put that in before that, get that off the grill. Steaks.... meeeeeh I hate them >.< Trust me it's hard work.

Basic food hygene, I work for a company called Vintange Inn's (look them up they would be ideal for you) and all our chef's get Basic Food Hygene for free which lasts 3years I think. It's brand specific but alot of the time you will get away with it and trust me it's worth getting. Also offer the NVQ courses for free aswell 1, 2 &3

My honest opinion for someone with no experience would be starting off as a pot wash, then moving up to desserts, starters, assist and then main grill.

Ill happily anwser questions about the industry if you want mate!

Hope i've helped

Thanks for the info m8. Since I'm under 19 I will get NVQ 1+2 courses for free anyway. I'm going to apply for the courses, then start looking for a job at a restaurant since the courses start in about 2 weeks.

 

[cHodAX]

Thanks for the info m8. Since I'm under 19 I will get NVQ 1+2 courses for free anyway. I'm going to apply for the courses, then start looking for a job at a restaurant since the courses start in about 2 weeks.

Very best of luck bud