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- Joined Oct 3, 2010
As the time for me to choose a serious career path becomes closer and closer, I find myself filled with questions which I'd like to ask educated chefs.
My number one priority in a lifelong career is freedom. Many serious careers suffer from lack of freedom such as medical and legal careers. The main thing which geared me towards culinary school was the apparent freedom that chefs seem to have.
Theoretically - a chef can work anywhere. Whether they live in New York, or San Francisco, or Paris, food is always there. There are no limits, no state-bound licenses, and no permits for working as a chef. All that's required is knowledge about food and you're good to go...or so I thought.
To all the educated chefs out there, is a culinary degree and a few years experience all you need to work anywhere? Let's say I have a 2 year degree from Johnson and Wales and a few years experience in fine New York restaurants. Would I able to take a one-way ticket to say Paris, or Tuscany, or Luxembourg and find a job, or would the regional differences and language barriers make it impossible?
Is it possible for a chef to find jobs internationally, regardless of compensation, or is it just unrealistic? Is it unrealistic to invest in a culinary education expecting that it will be of use around the world, or will I be forced to fly back to America and keep a stationary job in one city for the rest of my life?
If anyone has ever tried this, or know anyone who has tried something similar, I would appreciate some serious feedback...who could I talk to about a question like this?
My number one priority in a lifelong career is freedom. Many serious careers suffer from lack of freedom such as medical and legal careers. The main thing which geared me towards culinary school was the apparent freedom that chefs seem to have.
Theoretically - a chef can work anywhere. Whether they live in New York, or San Francisco, or Paris, food is always there. There are no limits, no state-bound licenses, and no permits for working as a chef. All that's required is knowledge about food and you're good to go...or so I thought.
To all the educated chefs out there, is a culinary degree and a few years experience all you need to work anywhere? Let's say I have a 2 year degree from Johnson and Wales and a few years experience in fine New York restaurants. Would I able to take a one-way ticket to say Paris, or Tuscany, or Luxembourg and find a job, or would the regional differences and language barriers make it impossible?
Is it possible for a chef to find jobs internationally, regardless of compensation, or is it just unrealistic? Is it unrealistic to invest in a culinary education expecting that it will be of use around the world, or will I be forced to fly back to America and keep a stationary job in one city for the rest of my life?
If anyone has ever tried this, or know anyone who has tried something similar, I would appreciate some serious feedback...who could I talk to about a question like this?