How to become a chef

Being a chef is a role you could do in a number of different settings, from restaurants to cruise ships, cooking many different types of food.

Once you have experience, you could progress to section chef (aka chef de partie), looking after a particular area of the kitchen, or sous chef, running the kitchen when the head chef is busy. A head chef (aka chef de cuisine) runs the kitchen, decides on the menu and manages the budget.

Gaz Oakley is a chef, author and YouTuber who created the brand Avant Garde Vegan, which was born out his success posting pictures of his food on social media.

Network, meet different people, get a good team around you. Try and do everything to the best quality that you possibly can.

Isabel is a chef de partie, meaning she is responsible for a particular area of the kitchen. She works at a Rick Stein restaurant in Cornwall, having completed The Rick Stein Chef Apprenticeship.

It's been challenging at times and the progression from apprentice to chef de partie has been intense, but I'm doing what I love!

Dominique turned her cooking hobby into a career. She now has two roles – private chef and food vlogger.

I doubted myself a lot. I’ve only just come into loving myself and loving my career. Now I have a lot more confidence in my food, so I don’t doubt myself as much as I used to.

What to expect if you want to be a chef

• Chef average salary: £15,000 to £30,000 per year (£23,000 to £50,000 per year for head chef)

• Chef typical working hours: 40 to 45 per week. You could work shifts, which could include evenings, weekends and bank holidays

What qualifications do you need to be a chef?

You could get into this role via a university course, a college course – such as a T-level (England-only) – an apprenticeship or by working towards the role via other jobs. Harnessing the power of social media like Gaz and Dominique could help you demonstrate the skills you've built through training or practice. You could also train to be a chef with the armed forces – The British Army, Royal Navy and the Royal Air Forces – where you'd complete basic military training as well as being trained to cook.

This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the National Careers Service pages for chef and head chef for the latest information and all the qualifications needed. (Sources: LMI for All, National Careers Service).

For careers advice in all parts of the UK visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).