Paul Jervis, Course Co-ordinator, Professional Chef Diploma

The Staff Canteen

Chef Career Advice

Based on his extensive experience working within Culinary Education Industry, Course Coordinator, Paul Jervis offers his advice to aspiring Chefs in an attempt to help them on their journey up the career ladder:

My name is Paul Jervis, I head up the first year team of the full-time professional Chef students, for somebody that is about to take their first steps out into a career, so a lot of students will leave they will spend a year somewhere they will move onto somewhere new and always look at what the place is going to offer you.

I think certain students leaving will expect to basically be in a career full time, they should never be out of work they might move onto somewhere new, but there should always be something around the corner there’s plenty of job opportunities.

The best bit of careers advice I've ever had is to try harder, because you have never quite made it you always have something new to learn and we sit here as teachers and we give what we have been taught.

We are constantly learning ourselves we have never got to the point right I know this now, There will always be a different technique, a different ingredient, something new come on the market and it will be constantly, what can we do better. A new candidate coming in we would say Number 1, is the passion there, we can work with skills, there is no need for them to come and have worked and have an experience working in a Michelin star restaurant, anything like that at the end of the day they are going to be doing a lot of hours in cramped environments, things like that you have got to be in love with your job.

During the 3 years at Westminster Kingsway College, our students will leave with a well rounded education, even the ones that choose to specialise in the 3rd year in front of house because they have done 2 years on the full time diploma they would have a good grounding in kitchen in pastry, and in front of house and they would be able to go in confidently enough knowing not necessarily everything in those areas, but a really good basis level.

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Whether you're an aspiring Chef soon to be leaving education, or you are an established Chef looking for a new culinary challenge, we have a variety of Chef roles to suit you;
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The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 23rd February 2017

Paul Jervis, Course Co-ordinator, Professional Chef Diploma