being a chef??

Question

i am just about to finish school ( im from ireland) and the career path i wish to take is being a chef..i know its what i want to do for my life, but i cant decide weather to be a commis chef or to go and get a degree..im still unsure

any chefs out there can you give me some of the pros and cons of the job? thanks alot!! :)

Answer 1

I spent 2 years college working on what was then called City and Guilds qualifications. I then followed this with a year internship at a very good restaurant. My last Job as a chef was working in one of the few Michelin stared restaurants in the Netherlands.
You need to be well qualified and passionate about what you want to do, to get a good internship. In turn if you do intern at a restaurant with a very good reputation, you'll never have a problem finding work and will be able to command a reasonably good salary.

Answer 2

I too thought I wanted to be a chef when I graduated from school. O made the mistake of enrolling in a very expensive school in California for 2 years and after graduating I got an internship in a London restaurant.
Loving food and cooking is not synonymous with being happy and successful in a restaurant setting. I wish I had done the internship first and based on my experiences/interests, then gone to a school to specialise in particular areas (pastry, saucier, catering, wines, front of house etc)
ALL of the Chefs I know, the really fantastic ones, never went to school, all learnt by doing internships.
It's hard work, v.long hours, daily pressure (u are not sitting behind a desk, u are serving customers who are full of expectations 2 times a day (lunch dinner) and if u don't deliver.....u don't get a second chance.
Happy cooking!

Answer 3

My nephew went to College in Bournemouth, The Scholarship is arranged by the Academy of Culinary Arts and Waitrose and is managed by the Bournemouth & Poole College.

You will be sponsored by individual hotels and restaurants where you will work during your training. These are mostly but not all in London which includes Claridges, The Ritz, Restaurant Associates, House of Commons and Chewton Glen.

The course last 3 years but as you get to work for this really top restaurants you start earning money straight away.
The course is tough and only the best ones get through but is totally worth it if you love to be a chef.

Hope it help you, good luck you can check their website for more info.

Answer 4

How come you only aspire to being a commis?

Unsociable hours...late nights, early starts, low pay.

They're the bad bits.....now then..the good.........Being creative, designing your own recipes, enjoying what you do and eating it at the end!!

Life is sweet.........the best way to start, contact a specialist catering college. City and Guilds is the usual way but independants do equivalent recognised courses.

Beware.....it's hard work for the first 5-10 years, but worth it!

Answer 5

Be a master chef! get a degree and be on the cooking channel!

Answer 6

Get yourself on next years Masterchef! I love that programme!