When looking for the culinary training provider that would best suit your needs, there are a few questions one should ask

1. Where would an aspiring chef go for training?

In South Africa there are two mainstream training options open to aspiring chefs.  The first is a specialised Culinary School or College; and the second is an In-Service style apprenticeship programme within the Hospitality Industry combined with an off-site block release component at a Culinary School.

Because these apprenticeships in industry are limited at this stage in South Africa, most wanna-be chefs are trained through Culinary Schools.  Culinary Schools whether governmental or private require huge investment to set up, run and maintain and for that reason, they are expensive to attend.  Before committing yourself to a Culinary School there are a number of pointers to seriously consider when selecting the most suited Culinary School.

2. How long does the average chef training course take?

There are predominantly 2 levels used by chef training institutions, the first level is Certificate level and according to SAQA’s 1200 notional hours of learning, the duration of a Certificate Programme should be in the region of one academic year.

The second level is the Diploma level that is most commonly used and again according to SAQA, Diploma’s require 2400 notional hours therefore the recommended duration for a Diploma Programme is two academic years.

3. How much would a good chef training course cost?

Exit level and duration would determine this but expect to pay anything from R25 000.00 to

R50 000.00 per year.

4. What kind of person makes a good chef?

Chefs need to be creative, artistic, patient, able to work well with people, good organization skills, work well under pressure and be able to work long and unsociable hours.

5. What is the starting salary for a trained chef?

A newly trained chef can expect to earn anything between R2500.00 to R4000.00 a month, of course this varies as various establishments such as lodges and resorts would offer live-in positions as part of a package.

6. What’s the average salary for a professional chef after a few years?

This depends on the type of establishment, A head chef in a guest house or lodge for example could earn anything from R15 000 to R20 000.00 and an Executive chef, in a five star establishment could take home between R40 000 to R60 000.

7. What other opportunities are there for chefs, beside the obvious restaurant work?

Airline catering to industrial catering, recently a boom in retail catering (ready meals for consumers), Hospitals, Lodges and Cruise liners, food styling, food photography, food journalism, consultant chef and lastly training - chefs may consider giving back to industry by way of training other aspirant chefs.

8. What are the job prospects like for prospective chefs in the SA job market right now?

Even in hard economic times the Hospitality Industry is one sector that continues to grow ensuring all graduates good opportunities in a sound sector.

9. There are a number of Culinary schools available, how does one chose which one to go to?

Do your homework!  There are a number of factors that should influence your decision such as:

Is the School Accredited with awarding bodies such as City & Guilds or CATHSSETA? 

Does the School have a good reputation?

As previously explained, does the School offer a Certificate Programme of no less than one year and a Diploma Programme of no less than two full years?

What is the ratio between students and lecturers?  The statutory requirements are no more than 20 :1

Do the lecturers have all the necessary Chef qualifications themselves as well as the required ETDP Qualifications and of course do they have sufficient quality work related industry experience?

How long has the School been in operation?

Research the School for any achievements for itself or its current and past students.

Is the school focused on chef training only or does it entertain and present multiple hospitality programmes?

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City & Guilds
City & Guilds provides qualifications and certifications directly linked to workplace skills, as compared to pure academic degrees which certify knowledge but not competence on the job. This approach to learning and certification has made the name of City & Guilds synonymous with practical excellence in 22 occupational sectors, and 120 countries worldwide and has earned it worldwide recognition as a developer of competent and qualified workers, benchmarked against the best in the world. It awards over a million certificates every year in over 500 different vocational trades. Their qualifications are valued by employers because they’re developed in conjunction with key industry bodies – so they’re always relevant and up to date.

What is the South African Qualifications Authority?
The South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) is a body that oversees the development of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). It formulates and publishes policies and criteria for the registration of bodies responsible for establishing education and training standards or qualifications, as well as for the accreditation of bodies responsible for monitoring and auditing achievements in terms of such standards and qualifications.

What is a National Qualifications Framework?
It is the framework that sets the boundaries - a set of principles and guidelines which provide a vision, a philosophical base and an organisational structure - for the construction of a qualifications system.

CATHSSETA
Cathsseta, the Culture, Art, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Education and Training Authority, is the Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) established under the Skills Development Act (No. 97 of 1998) for the Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Economic Sector.

A SETA's main function is to ensure that people learn skills that are needed by employers and communities. Training and skills development is not just for young people starting their first jobs - the skills of people already in jobs must also be enhanced.

Training must be to agreed standards within a national framework and must be compared to the best international standards. Qualifications must be recognised in all provinces and by all employers. To achieve these objectives while supporting the National Qualifications Framework, a SETA develops and implements a sector skills plan, provides learnerships, and collects levies from employers. For quality assurance, the SETA reports to the Minister and the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).

World Association of Chefs' Societies

The World Association of Chefs' Societies (WACS) is a global network of chefs associations dedicated to maintaining and improving the culinary standards of global cuisines. First founded in October 1928 in Paris, there were originally 65 delegates from 17 countries, representing 36 national and international associations, and the venerable August Escoffier was named the first Honourary President of WACS.

Today, this global body has 93 official chefs associations as members, representing over 10 million professional chefs worldwide and the biennial congress has become a hallmark tradition.

WACS is managed by an elected presidential body consisting of the WACS president, vice president, treasurer, secretary general and ambassador honourary president, as well as a board of continenal directors who look after the regions of Asia, Europe, Africa, the Pacific and the Americas. Their programs and activities are managed by three separate committees: the Culinary Competitions Committee, the Education Committee and the Marketing and Communication committee.