Basics of Getting Top Chef Jobs

In all likelihood, you have joined the ranks of job seekers once you have qualified as a chef, your chosen challenging and highly competitive profession. Typically, you will have the desire, ambition and drive to want to rise to the top ranks of your profession.

Each type of industry, however, has become highly specialised and niche in nature, almost existing in a world of its own, while remaining a component of the bigger picture. People in each profession generally know what is going on in their particular industry, who’s who, the reputation of others, their backgrounds and where they trained.

Establish a Sound Foundation

The same applies to chefs, their training, vacancies and job opportunities, and as a result, who is likely to succeed, eventually reaching the top echelon. Logically, it follows that the reputation, curriculum and standards of one’s training academy plays a most fundamental role in establishing a foundation for one’s later career as a sought-after chef and successful top job application/s.

Our highly regarded academy has been training chefs to world class standards since 1997, and our patron, Prue Leith CBE, who has achieved the highest industry accolades, continues to monitor and endorse the outstanding progress of both the school, its curricular standards and the professional chefs who graduate at our establishment, fully prepared to take up jobs immediately.

The training we offer is so well-regarded by our peers and the wider hospitality industry, that numerous job vacancy advertisements state that only our Prue Leith’s graduates need apply, as a prerequisite – a gratifying endorsement of highly definitive, benchmark standard, which simplifies getting a chef’s job and moreover, being able to choose optimal career opportunities.

Qualifications and Courses

• Learners must pass both our own national and City & Guilds international examinations in order to graduate, although our training extends even further.
• These qualifications enable graduates to obtain employment within South Africa and virtually anywhere else in the world.
• Courses focus on classic French techniques, whilst introducing other styles and influences
• Comprehensive theoretical and practical training, presented by passionate, qualified subject focussed and experienced specialist lecturers/chefs, ensures that our new chefs are ready and able to assume a professional position as soon as they have graduated.

Kitchens and Classes

• Training kitchens are fully fitted with state-of-the-art aids and equipment and no expense is spared in exposing students to the finest ingredients available – local and imported – and the pastry kitchen is optimally temperature controlled, as it should be in a top professional establishment.
• Classes are small and manageable, having a student to lecturer ratio of less than/not exceeding 20:1, enabling tutors to give personal attention to all learners where and when required.

Modules

• Modules include Pan African Cuisine (important to develop SA’s growing culinary industry), and the Spice Route/International Cuisine (promotes a respect for, knowledge and understanding of the origins and uses of diverse raw ingredients, flavours of the world and their critical role in food preparation and fine dining).
• Finance and kitchen management modules, taught by relevant professionals, equip chefs to control these aspects of their kitchens too, especially invaluable for the day when they decide to establish their own eateries.

Practical Experience

• Our academy’s restaurant, where students gain invaluable practical experience in fine dining service, ranks amongst the top 100 in South Africa, often receiving bookings for meals from overseas diners, prior to their departure for a visit to this country and our establishment.
• Additional practical experience is obtained at other practical host sites, which rate among the top 25 South African restaurants. These establishments frequently offer our graduates permanent chef jobs once they’ve qualified.

Standards, Facilities and Reputation

• Discipline is of fundamental importance in a restaurant kitchen and it is integral throughout our training, as are uncompromising sanitary standards of equipment, the kitchen environment and overall hygiene and neatness.
• Comprehensive campus facilities include a library with internet access for research purposes, the most up to date, relevant books and other culinary publications and DVDs.
• Our esteemed patron is a well-known, household name in most countries where English is spoken, throughout the world. Her guidance and support speaks volumes for and about our academy where we train professional chefs for top jobs in the culinary world.

Advantage from Day One

Visit our campus on 12 September 2015, when we’re hosting our next open day. Learn about our courses and what they encompass. Make certain that you have an advantage over other candidates for top chefs’ jobs, right from day one, the first day of your professional training and your future career.