Chef School

PAID WORK EXPERIENCE

Nothing can replicate the buzz of a real service in a professional kitchen and if you are considering a career as a head chef we certainly recommend getting a taste of professional cookery through work experience before committing to catering as a career.

Paid work experience is a relatively new option with providers offering to place you in a professional kitchen for a fee with the promise that your experience will open doors to a career as a chef. Paying for work experience can get you access to a good restaurant kitchen, but be aware that you are unlikely to gain any accredited qualifications (beyond the basics such as food hygiene).

Restaurants are tough working environments that have little time to focus on your needs as a learner – most chefs have no experience in teaching and you will likely be working on junior level tasks for most of your time.  At the end of it all you may have work experience on your CV but no qualifications to show.

Nowadays, employers are increasingly looking to recruit qualified chefs and at the Chefs Academy many of our graduates go on to start their careers as paid junior chefs in top restaurants after becoming qualified.

Our Advice:

Approach paid work experience with caution and ensure you have a clear understanding of the outcomes and structure of the training, which ideally should lead to a recognised qualification. Qualified chefs can expect to secure paid junior chef jobs in top kitchens immediately after graduating thus being paid for the experience rather than paying for it.

PRIVATE CULINARY SCHOOL

The Ashburton Chefs Academy is a private culinary school offering our unique chef training programmes developed by our team of expert chef tutors. As a private culinary school we are able to create a world-class adult learning environment, recruit the best teaching talent, and develop our own course content.

Our courses also incorporate accredited chef qualifications that are recognised qualifications.  Accreditation means we must meet high standards of delivery, training and student welfare, and are regularly inspected to ensure we meet these standards,  The Ashburton Chefs Academy is one of only 3 UK culinary schools to be accredited by the British Accreditation Council and the Confederation of Hospitality and Tourism to deliver some of the highest level chef qualifications in the UK.

We develop our courses to be intensive and highly practical, with small class sizes. You can expect to become qualified in much less time on our courses. Because we are independent our courses are not state funded, however we offer low-cost finance on our courses, and a Career Development loan option.

Graduates of the Ashburton Chefs Academy can expect to be taken seriously within the catering industry at the highest levels and our Graduates have gone on to achieve great success. Formal chef qualifications not only offer you a structured learning path but by earning a qualification you demonstrate to employers your commitment and skill as a chef