How to apply for a Patisserie and bakery course at Westminster Kingsway College

Chef Career Advice

Jessica Cortice, Lecturer in Patisserie and bakery at Westminster Kingsway college London, offers aspiring industry professionals her careers advice and industry tips from her many years of experience of the industry alongside her knowledge of catering students and the colleges close links with industry.

My name is Jessica Cortice, I'm here at Westminster Kingsway College as the Bakery and Patisserie lecturer. Anybody who is about to leave college and go out into the industry needs to be ready to go open minded with the knowledge that they have just taken from college and be ready to work hard.

Young chefs can expect from the industry to definitely be working hard, with a great variety of chefs and experiences at their fingertips and there may be the opportunity to work abroad.

The best bit of career advice I had probably came from one of the first chefs I worked for, they said you should give as much as you can and you are likely to get rewarded for it in terms of being open minded towards the work which is offered to you - just give it your all.

When someone applied to the college, I want them to be driven, I want them to have passion about what they are about to do and I want them to be enthusiastic. As long as I see that I'm sure they will do well on the course.

The industry would expect from a chef who has been on our course a great range of knowledge, and enthusiasm and passion which hopefully we've inspired in them.

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