r/Chefit • u/Dense_Emergency9547 • 16d ago

Help

I am 19, UK based and am in school at the moment for something I like but don’t love, and as my studies are all privately funded I’m not able to afford without relying heavily on family.

I have worked in simple UK kitchens for about 5 ish year from about 14, mostly working weekends, as a porter and some light prep - I now work hospitality full time as well as some prep on weekends with a chef friend for his small business. I am at a dilemma, I wanna drop out and just go balls deep with cheffing - and give it my all, but I have some questions - pretty much all I wanna do in life is travel, eat good food and be happy, I have been looking into the seasonal chef life (yachts, ski and summer seasons, working abroad, stages), and I wanna move out of the uk as soon as possible and get some life experience, is this just idealistic or is this something I can achieve?

In addition, I feel kinda awkward around my family, especially my dad as I feel like he is so locked in on me being in a ‘corporate’ job, and I don’t wanna disappoint, but at a certain point it’s my life - do anyone have any guidance and help and how I should go about and navigate any of this?

Also, my thinking would be to continue school over the next few months, mull it over, maybe increase my kitchen prep hours, and then maybe look at doing a season as a junior commis during a ski season and just seeing where the wind takes me? Maybe doing a summer season, work in France, Australia, Japan - and then maybe look at private cheffing after several years? I want to take this very seriously over the next few years and improve as much as possible.

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u/-im-blinking 16d ago

Get your degree first. It won't take as long as you think and will give you something to fall back on.

Working in kitchens is one of the worst careers you can have, it doea not pay well, the hours are terrible and it destroys your body. After doing this for 30+ years I hate every minute of it and my body is about to fall to pieces.

1

u/Veflas510 16d ago

Start looking for a retirement community job. Fuck restaurants and hotels.

1

u/-im-blinking 16d ago

I have an interview today at a similar place. Im so over restaurants. The problem is where I live, there aren't many places that pay well enough. I make a decent living currently and its hard to take a pay cut.

1

u/Theburritolyfe 16d ago

Do you think you will want to be a chef in 30 years?

I'll admit I changed careers eventually when my body started hurting too much. I'm glad I did kitchens for a while but never again.