Catering jobs in the UK: a guide on how to progress and succeed
The catering industry in great britan is a thriving one, with yearly turnover close to £4 million. Moreover, with its ever-growing success rates, it’s a popular profession selection for both young and old. Anyone from any background can succeed in obtaining a catering job - all that is required is an eager approach along with an intense passion for food.
Training and qualifications
There's no fast track to becoming a fully-fledged chef. It takes a great deal of determination, skill, along with years of experience.
Catering job apprenticeship: If you’re still in school, and know for sure that you want to get a catering job, it’s advisable to submit an application for an apprenticeship at the age of 16, or when you’ve completed your GCSEs. This is how many chefs have started off - as food preparation workers. Duties involved will obviously demand less ability and minimal responsibility, however as you advance you will be given more responsibilities as well as higher-skilled duties to undertake. A catering job apprenticeship can be quite hard to come across, however there are several school programmes available for young people, offering internships and also workshops to enable you to end up with the catering job you’re after.
National Vocational Qualification: 3 years after you've began an apprenticeship, you'll be eligible for a National Vocational Qualification. A diploma in Business Mathematics or Business Administration will also help to secure a higher positioned catering job.
Culinary Arts School: A different (and better) way in which you can secure a good catering job is by signing up at a Culinary Arts school. The length of courses at these schools range anywhere from a few months to as long as 4 years or more, based on the course you take up. This kind of formal training will give you higher chances of getting the catering job you'd like as opposed to no past formal training.
Food Hygiene Certificate: If you know that you’ll be in direct contact with food in your catering job, you’ll need to obtain a food hygiene certificate. This shows your employer that you've learned about and understood the basics of food hygiene in the kitchen area.
Other courses: If you would like be a manager of a food establishment or pursue a more corporate-related catering job, there are also other courses you can take to achieve your goal. These are usually courses in establishment supervision and management, offered by private universities and vocational schools.
Various kinds of catering jobs
There are various different catering jobs to choose from for any level of skill. Each position has its own duties or specialisations - so with hard work and dedication it’s easy to work your way towards the specific catering job that you would like.
Kitchen Aide: This is an entry level catering job, normally for those who have entered into an apprenticeship. In this catering job you'll perform repetitious duties which include preparing ingredients, chopping meats and vegetables, blending soups or mixing sauces. You will also assist the chefs in handling pots, pans and cutlery. In this catering job you will also assist with the washing up of the utensils, and cleaning the cooking area after use.
Commis Chef: This catering job is a step up from Kitchen Aide. In this position, you'll undergo direct apprenticeship of the kitchen’s Chef De Partie. Under his/her direct supervision you'll learn the basic necessities of food preparation.
Chef De Partie: This catering job lets you pull together the operations of the kitchen. Your task is to ensure that the prepared food goes out to the customers in the restaurant area right away. This catering job also allows you to monitor the operations of the commis chef under his/her guidance.
Sous Chef: The head chef of an establishment will usually turn over his/her tasks to a sous chef. And so, basically, this catering job means that you'll be a second-in-command. You will undertake all the duties of the head chef in his/her absence.
Head Chef: All of the kitchen staff will operate under command of the head chef. In this catering job, you will choose specific menu courses and also control the economic side of the business. This catering job demands far more responsibility than other positions. It can take up to fifteen years of experience to become a head chef.
Executive Chef: If an establishment, such as a hotel, has more than one restaurant it'll usually employ the services of an executive chef. This catering job gives you even greater responsibility than a head chef. An executive chef controls everything from the menus to the cuisine speciality of a restaurant.
Training and qualifications
There's no fast track to becoming a fully-fledged chef. It takes a great deal of determination, skill, along with years of experience.
Catering job apprenticeship: If you’re still in school, and know for sure that you want to get a catering job, it’s advisable to submit an application for an apprenticeship at the age of 16, or when you’ve completed your GCSEs. This is how many chefs have started off - as food preparation workers. Duties involved will obviously demand less ability and minimal responsibility, however as you advance you will be given more responsibilities as well as higher-skilled duties to undertake. A catering job apprenticeship can be quite hard to come across, however there are several school programmes available for young people, offering internships and also workshops to enable you to end up with the catering job you’re after.
National Vocational Qualification: 3 years after you've began an apprenticeship, you'll be eligible for a National Vocational Qualification. A diploma in Business Mathematics or Business Administration will also help to secure a higher positioned catering job.
Culinary Arts School: A different (and better) way in which you can secure a good catering job is by signing up at a Culinary Arts school. The length of courses at these schools range anywhere from a few months to as long as 4 years or more, based on the course you take up. This kind of formal training will give you higher chances of getting the catering job you'd like as opposed to no past formal training.
Food Hygiene Certificate: If you know that you’ll be in direct contact with food in your catering job, you’ll need to obtain a food hygiene certificate. This shows your employer that you've learned about and understood the basics of food hygiene in the kitchen area.
Other courses: If you would like be a manager of a food establishment or pursue a more corporate-related catering job, there are also other courses you can take to achieve your goal. These are usually courses in establishment supervision and management, offered by private universities and vocational schools.
Various kinds of catering jobs
There are various different catering jobs to choose from for any level of skill. Each position has its own duties or specialisations - so with hard work and dedication it’s easy to work your way towards the specific catering job that you would like.
Kitchen Aide: This is an entry level catering job, normally for those who have entered into an apprenticeship. In this catering job you'll perform repetitious duties which include preparing ingredients, chopping meats and vegetables, blending soups or mixing sauces. You will also assist the chefs in handling pots, pans and cutlery. In this catering job you will also assist with the washing up of the utensils, and cleaning the cooking area after use.
Commis Chef: This catering job is a step up from Kitchen Aide. In this position, you'll undergo direct apprenticeship of the kitchen’s Chef De Partie. Under his/her direct supervision you'll learn the basic necessities of food preparation.
Chef De Partie: This catering job lets you pull together the operations of the kitchen. Your task is to ensure that the prepared food goes out to the customers in the restaurant area right away. This catering job also allows you to monitor the operations of the commis chef under his/her guidance.
Sous Chef: The head chef of an establishment will usually turn over his/her tasks to a sous chef. And so, basically, this catering job means that you'll be a second-in-command. You will undertake all the duties of the head chef in his/her absence.
Head Chef: All of the kitchen staff will operate under command of the head chef. In this catering job, you will choose specific menu courses and also control the economic side of the business. This catering job demands far more responsibility than other positions. It can take up to fifteen years of experience to become a head chef.
Executive Chef: If an establishment, such as a hotel, has more than one restaurant it'll usually employ the services of an executive chef. This catering job gives you even greater responsibility than a head chef. An executive chef controls everything from the menus to the cuisine speciality of a restaurant.
