Career and Occupation: Being a Chef

The occupation of a Chef is someone who preps and cook’s food in places where food is served. Challenges such as working at a fast pace and multitasking is what makes the occupation of a Chef so physically demanding. Being a Chef can take a person anywhere around the World, learning other cultures traditional foods can build a Chefs experience and can open the door to a wider range of different restaurants and food services. This report will explore the occupation of a Chefs pre-requisites/requirements, job levels as well as job benefits.

A person can become a Chef from as young as 15 years old. The occupation is done by an apprenticeship, or a traineeship that takes time off an apprenticeship for later on. An apprenticeship is a 4 year course but depending on if a traineeship or other qualifications have been done by the Chef, it can take time off an apprenticeship. A lot of Chefs are trained in a restaurant while earning money because it is basically their job even if a trainee. Before going for an apprenticeship, it would be quite helpful if a person gets some work experience in a kitchen to see if the person likes it for starters, but also to see what the kitchen is like. There are some certificates that are required for the job. A trainee works towards a Cert II in Kitchen Operations, which leads to the apprenticeship which is a Cert III in Commercial Cookery which is the fully qualified Certificate of becoming a Chef (These certificates can also be done via TAFE). Qualifications are very important for Chefs because with those qualifications, a person can go anywhere.

In becoming a Chef, there is not only one job level to the job, there is many levels or positions a Chef can be. The head Chef (Chef De Cuisine) is the main Chef or in other words the manager of the kitchen. It is the Head Chefs job to sort out menus, sort out tasks for the other chefs, the roster of the chefs, order food supply, prepare meals and trains apprentices. The Sous Chef is the second in charge. The Sous Chefs job is to help other cooks, report any issues to Head Chef and fills in when the Head Chef is absent. The rest of the Chefs can be classified as Cooks as they are the ones mainly doing all the cooking and prepping. Salaries of a Chef can vary depending on region, food service and level of the Chef. On average a Chef can receive between $38,000 – $60,000 per year, averaging around $22.25 an hour. In any Kitchen, it is important to have different jobs because kitchens can be a very stressful place and with different jobs at different levels, it makes the kitchen a whole lot easier.

Most Chefs have amazing benefits to their job including bonuses and travel. Around 70% of Chefs reported receive health care benefits that will help throughout their whole career and beyond. Over half the population of Chefs being reported receive medical care and dental care, and around a third of the population of Chefs reported also receive vision care. In most restaurants and food services, Chefs receive free food and drink while working. Receiving a qualification in Cookery can take an individual person around the World in any type of place. A Chef can get a job at Restaurants, Cafes, Hotels, Cruise ships, Clubs, Casinos, Takeaway joints, and any other sort of kitchen anywhere around the World. The qualification of a Chef can take an individual anywhere around the World exploring amazing different food and cultures as well as having lifelong benefits.

Becoming a Chef is a very interesting career for people who love and thrive on the goodness of food. Job requirements, job levels and job benefits have been some of the key points that have been explored in this report. Further job opportunities can be as easy as getting some work experience at a restaurant or any food services. If interested in the pathway, asking for a traineeship or an apprenticeship will get a person the full qualification in commercial cookery. Learning different things is something very common in this job because it doesn’t matter if a person has life long experience or has no experience, all Chefs learn something new every day.

Works Cited

1. Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment. (2020). Chef - ANZSCO 351311. Job Outlook.
2. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021). Chefs and Head Cooks. Occupational Outlook Handbook. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/food-preparation-and-serving/chefs-and-head-cooks.htm
3. Grubhub. (2021). The Life of a Chef: What It's Like to Work in a Restaurant Kitchen. Grubhub for Restaurants Blog.
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8. The Culinary Cook. (2018). How to Become a Chef: Your Complete Guide.