Culinary Jobs and Externships: Getting Work Experience

Get your foot in the door with entry-level culinary jobs and externships.

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Entry-Level Culinary Jobs: Starting Your Culinary Career

Getting some work experience under your belt in entry-level culinary jobs is an important step in mastering culinary skills. There's simply no replacement for real-world kitchen experience.

Because of the nature of culinary jobs, it might be a good idea to get some kitchen experience even before you enroll in culinary school to make sure it's a good fit for you. The restaurant business is tough. So before you spend your tuition dollars, be sure that a culinary career is really what you want. Your kitchen experience will either make you rethink your career choices, or it will reinforce your determination to persevere through cooking school and entry-level culinary jobs until you get where you want to go.

Getting Your Foot in the Door in Culinary Jobs

Your culinary education can give you an advantage when it comes to getting your foot in the door at a high-end restaurant, even if you don't have a lot of practical experience. But culinary jobs can be as much of an educational experience as school because you'll be learning the culinary arts in a real-world setting. Make sure you're learning what you want to learn. Don't waste your time in a position if you don't feel it's a good environment for training.

When you're getting started in the industry, pay attention to restaurants you like, local chefs who inspire you, and then find out if there are job openings working for them. Even if there aren't, you may want to consider volunteering. Learning from someone you respect and whose style you appreciate is well worth your time.

Culinary Externships

Many culinary arts programs require students to complete externships as part of the curriculum. Some of these are paid. Not only are culinary externships a great way to get your feet wet in a professional environment, but they can sometimes lead to permanent employment opportunities. Additionally, externships may present you with the chance to travel, allowing you to live and work in a new city—or even a different country.

When choosing where to do your culinary externship, you may be hoping to work with a well-known chef. However, keep in mind that there can be advantages to working with relatively unknown chefs as well. Working in an established restaurant with a top chef can be a great opportunity to observe and learn; however, positions at these locations may be competitive, and you may end up on potato-peeling duty. On the other hand, you may get broader hands-on experience working with a less sought-after chef in a lesser known restaurant.

If you need help setting something up, the career services department at most culinary arts schools can help you. Research your options before you jump into anything. A culinary externship can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Take advantage of the opportunity, and make the most of it!

Working Your Way Up in Culinary Jobs

When starting your culinary career, be prepared to start at the bottom of the culinary job ladder and work your way up. As in most industries, advancement to higher paying positions with more responsibilities takes time. Try to view the first few years as a rite of passage, and take the opportunity to learn all you can from those with more experience.