Jobs After Being a Chef

Finding new jobs after being a chef or sous chef can be difficult, but it is clear to see why so many people change their roles after years of being in a stressful kitchen. Luckily, working as a chef can give you lots of transferable skills, and this can lead to plenty of other job options.

Transferable Skills of Chefs

It is wrong to assume that a professional chef is just good at cooking. There is a whole range of skills required to become a chef and work in a kitchen, and these skills can help find jobs for former chefs.

• The ability to work under pressure. Kitchens need to provide quick turnaround times and often juggle many orders.
• The skills to lead a team. Chefs often have to manage a kitchen staff, which can be challenging. This experience can be transferable to jobs such as project management or team leadership.
• The mindset to stay calm in a crisis. In any kitchen, things can go wrong. It is the job of the chef to stay calm and solve any problems that arise. This skill is also useful in jobs such as customer service or crisis management.
• The ability to think on your feet. When cooking, chefs often have to make quick decisions and come up with solutions to problems. This type of thinking can be transferable to jobs such as teaching or roles involving problem-solving.
• Organisational skills. Chefs have to keep track of many different elements, from orders and ingredients to timings and staff. This type of organisation can be useful in jobs such as event planning or office management.

The job is demanding, and the fact that the hours are unsociable also means many people consider retraining and making a career change at some point.

Potential Jobs for Ex-Chefs

The world is your oyster (chef pun intended). There are many opportunities for chefs to use existing skills or totally change their job prospects later in life.

Jobs for former chefs include:

• Food writer. You can use your passion and knowledge of food to write about the subject.
• Recipe developer. Use your cooking skills to develop recipes for books, magazines or companies, such as supermarkets offering ready meals.
• Food photographer. Showcase culinary creations with food photography.
• Caterer. Start your own catering business and cook for special events.
• Food blogger. Share your love of food with the world by starting a blog.

If you don’t want to continue to work with food, you can also retrain and work in any field you wish. If you have always wanted to try your hand at a different job, you can take steps towards a total career change.

Finding Career Change Jobs For Ex-Chefs

If it is time to make a change in your career, you can check our jobs board for opportunities from a variety of employers who recognise your transferable skills and are open to employing people who are changing careers later in life.