Where Do I Go To Become A Chef?

Accredited Colleges, Universities & Culinary Academies To Become A Chef 

Going to a 2-4 year college in order to become a certified chef is the best place to start if you are hoping to be accredited nationwide.

College courses offer you are more rounded view of the culinary industry and give you much of the skills that you will need in order to excel at your field.

Employers at finer restaurants are more eager to hire an accredited chef that has a college degree in the field than a graduate from a trade school. This is also a great way to know that you are accredited all over the world as well.

Trade schools may not necessarily grant you the same promise. Naturally, there are some pros and cons to choosing to get your certification from a College or University. Let's take a look at them.

Pros
 
2-4 year College or University: You are accredited worldwide 
You will receive your post secondary diploma 
You can often start in a head position in the kitchen 
You are eligible for a higher starting wage 
You can make invaluable connections in the business 
You are recognized in the field as a chef once completed 
You get hands on personal help 

Cons

It takes 2-4 years of study to get your certification
The cost is much higher than any other method of training
It saves you little time to get your hands on experience working in a kitchen
You may not be eligible for an apprenticeship
The competition is fierce for graduating with honors
Not all colleges offer chef training
You are still required to apprentice somewhere (time consuming)

As you can see the benefits of choosing to get your training in a college or university can have it drawbacks as well as its good points.

The best reasons to choose a college is that you will be accredited worldwide which is not possible with other methods. As a college graduate in this field you are recognized in the field as a chef for a lifetime, whereas a trade school will not let you be recognized until you are hired as a chef.

Tuition can also be an issue although many colleges and universities offer financial aid if you qualify for it.

Most schools that offer you the chance to become a chef can have their tuition range anywhere from $5000 to $15,000 per year. That is quite a bit of money, but the benefits are well worth it.  Many culinary institutes are just as good as colleges and Universities, and in some cases better.

Culinary academies are basically the same as colleges and universities. The cost is about the same, but you can get your credentials in less time at some of them.

Some culinary academies can even get you credited in as little as 9 months. Culinary Academies often let you live on campus as part of your tuition, and cover your food costs. They actually train you while you cook all of your meals. That's helpful and practical!

Trade or Vocational Schools

A trade school offers you the chance to get you accredited in a shorter time period than colleges can. You will still learn much about the culinary industry but your classes are condensed so as to suit a certain time frame.

Trade schools are becoming more and more popular among those that wish to begin a career as quickly as possible,

Pros 

It is much cheaper than college or culinary institutes 
You can be certified in less time 
Condensed classes leave more free time 
You can work at your own pace 
You get some hand son experience 
 
Cons

You are only accredited in the State in which you trained
You still must apprentice somewhere
Condensed classes neglect some necessary courses
You can work at your own pace (you may rush yourself)
You have to buy your own equipment separately

It's a cheaper and faster option but you will be not be learning all that you can in a college.

On-Site Training

On-site training is basically when an employer trains you to be a chef in their establishment. The best thing about this type of training is that you generally get paid to do it.

You are not accredited. This means that you are not a certified chef. You will not be recognized in the field as a chef either.

Another bad point to this type of training is that if you lose your job, you are back where you started. Training on-site doesn't make you a chef, it makes you a cook. Without your chef certification, you are not eligible for a chef's wages either. As a cook, you will earn a cook's salary.

A benefit to this type of training is that you will already have a job waiting for you.Training on-site can give you plenty of hours in the culinary field if you happen to live in a state that requires a certain number of hours of experience before starting the certification process.

Online Training

Internet courses are also available. But be very careful and research it thoroughly before parting with any money. But it can't really be of any use. You can't learn how to be a chef from an online manual. You don't get the obvious benefits of hands on learning, and there is no one available to help you if you have any problems. It can't be better than reading a cookbook for your qualifications.

Online courses just don't cut the mustard insofar as teaching you to become a real chef. Without a real teacher there to help you along the way, you will not learn anything that you can really use in the work force. All an online course can do is to give you the basics. It can't get your credentials.