If you have a passion for cooking, a keen interest in food and a creative flair then a career as a chef could be perfect for you.
There are many people working within the hospitality industry but reports suggest there is a shortage of skilled chefs which bodes well for career progression.
Skills needed:
Strong communication and leadership skills
The ability to work under pressure
The ability to multi-task
The ability to work as part of a team
Excellent organisation skills
High standards of hygiene and cleanliness
Qualifications needed:
You may not need any academic qualifications to start work as a trainee chef.
However some employers will prefer you to have a good general standard of education including GCSEs in subjects like English and maths.
Many chefs start out as kitchen assistants or commis chefs, at this level you would spend time in each area of the kitchen, learning a range of skills and how to look after kitchen equipment.
With experience, you could progress to section chef (also known as station chef and chef de partie), where you would be in charge of an area of the kitchen.
The next step would be sous chef, where you would be running the entire kitchen for the head chef when needed.
At head chef level you would be responsible for creating and up-dating the menus, and for producing and meeting financial budgets.
At every step of the way it will be necessary to complete health and hygiene exams and to have a good knowledge of food safety issues in order to comply with legislation.
It is worth bearing in mind that chefs often work long, anti-social hours in hot, high-pressured environments so if you do not like the idea of shift work and late nights then this might not be the right role for you.