Five Tips for Choosing a Culinary School
October 10, 2011
•Le Cordon Bleu
•Le Cordon Bleu
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Five Tips for Choosing a Culinary School
You may have already decided that you would like a career in the culinary arts, but like most people, you are having trouble deciding whether or not to go pursue a cooking degree. There’s no doubt it’s a big decision. And like most decisions, the answers are different depending upon whom you talk to. Older chefs and culinary professionals, who climbed the culinary ladder by working hard day after day, year after year, might tell you that on the job experience is the only way to succeed. Younger chefs, many of whom have culinary certificates, might tell you that culinary school gave them an edge over their non-graduate competition.
Is a Cooking Degree Right For Me?
When it comes down to it, only you can decide whether or not a cooking degree is the right career move for you. With that in mind, we’ve put together these five tips for helping you choose a culinary school so that making an informed decision will be a little easier.
The Right Fit
A culinary school may be the best in the nation with a stable of celebrity chefs listed as graduates and an even more impressive list of instructors, but is it right for you? We’re not suggesting you settle for second best, but you must truly understand whether or not a school will be right for you. Where is it located? How many students are there? What cooking styles and techniques do they concentrate on? What are its placement rates for graduates? These are just a few of the questions to ask when deciding if a school is right for you.
Hands-On Training
From in-class hands-on training to student-run-restaurants to intern and externships, a good culinary school will have at least one if not all three of these educational opportunities. You cannot learn to cook without getting food on your knives and hands. The more hands-on experience there is the better, especially with student-run restaurants that truly mimic a working restaurant. A culinary arts certificate is only as valuable as the amount of time you’ve actually spent cooking.
Cost
Let’s face it. There are not a lot of chefs, even successful ones, who are getting rich. Sure there are a lot on TV, but they make up only a fraction of working chefs. Even if a culinary education could guarantee success, entry-level jobs are notoriously low paying. So, if you do decide to go to culinary school, you must consider if the price is worth it. Could you get a similar, or even better, education at another school for less? Conversely, could the added prestige a more well-known school be worth the price?
Accreditation
Just like 4-year colleges and universities, culinary schools are accredited. That means that the schools are judged to be able to provide a uniform standard of instruction and a top-quality culinary arts education as defined by the accrediting bodies. For culinary schools, the largest accreditation organization is the American Culinary Federation Foundation Accrediting Commission (ACFFAC). Other accrediting organizations include:
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
- North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges
- Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges
- Middle State Association of Colleges and Schools
Facilities
Huge, sparkling and state-of-the-art kitchens will not prepare you for working in an old and cramped professional kitchen, but a culinary school’s kitchen facilities should be adequate for the needs of the students. You should not have to compete for work space or positions at the burners and ovens. You may not need an immersion circulator, but it should have a Salamander.
Once you’ve decided upon pursuing a culinary arts certificate or diploma, these tips will be of great value to you for choosing the school that is right for you. Just remember that nothing replaces hard work. Even after graduation, you will have to outperform and out produce your competition at every level.
This article is presented by Le Cordon Bleu. Le Cordon Bleu offers culinary, pâtisserie and baking, and hospitality and restaurant management training programs across the United States. To learn more about the class offerings, please visit Chefs.edu for more information.
Find disclosures on graduation rates, student financial obligations and more at www.chefs.edu/disclosures. Le Cordon Bleu® and the Le Cordon Bleu logo are registered trademarks of Career Education Corporation. Le Cordon Bleu cannot guarantee employment or salary. Credits earned are unlikely to transfer.