Most chefs begin by becoming apprentices for a few years so that they can get the necessary experience of working in a kitchen. Being a chef often requires you to stand on your feet for hours at a time and you are rarely able to relax for very long.

Most chefs start out helping out kitchen staff in urban restaurant environments because they are the most busy and offer a great deal of experience.

You will begin by helping the sous chefs, cooks, and prep cooks with their daily work like cutting vegetables, stocking shelves, or ordering food as per your instructions from the sous chef. This position is called an apprentice.

You may not necessarily be paid for your work depending on whether or not you are taking your position through a school’s curriculum requirements.

Some apprenticeships do pay you for the chance to train, but it really depends on your location. Trained apprenticeships that are required for your certification, and if they do pay; they pay little.

Of course, it is worth it because in the end, you can qualify for your certification. And the experience is invaluable to you when looking for a better and higher paying opportunity.

You can also choose to work in more than one restaurant so that you can associate under more than one mentor and get a better idea of what you want to specialize in.

If you can handle the stressful environment of working in a restaurant or whatever you decide on, then you can work your way into high chef relatively quickly.

For some people it can take as long as ten years to get to that position. In the culinary industry that’s considered fast. Here is a list of some of the jobs that you can get in the culinary industry while trying to work into head chef position.

·         Line cook

·        Line or station cook

·        Garde manger cook

·        Sous chef

·        Chef’s apprentice