If you have a passion for experimenting with food, recipes, and new creations, then becoming a chef in South Africa may be the ideal career choice for you!
Read on to learn more about what the role of a chef in South African entails.
Career Overview
A chef is expected to work under high-pressure conditions in a restaurant’s kitchen. Typical duties include developing recipes and menus, executing quality dishes and working efficiently and precisely. Therefore, you will require some level of creativity, a good palate, and the ability to produce a finished product under tight time constraints.
It’s important to note that the culinary industry works on a ranking system in the kitchen, meaning you will earn more, the higher you rank. To climb up the rank, you will need to work your way up. Years of experience are invaluable in this industry.
The ranks of a kitchen chef are as follows:
- Commis chef: In this entry-level position, you’ll have responsibilities, such as preparing meat/fish dishes or chopping vegetables for all dishes.
- Professional chef: As a professional chef, you’ll be in charge of planning, preparing and cooking a wide variety of dishes.
- Sous chef: This is the assistant to the head chef. A sous chef is in charge of running the kitchen when the head chef is away.
- Executive chef: This is the top role in the kitchen and some kitchens have two, depending on the restaurant. You would only expect to take on this position after about a decade in the profession and it pays extremely well. It is also a highly pressurised job as you are responsible for everyone in the kitchen.
Required School Subjects
You will need to have completed the following at high school:
- English (Grade 10 level)
- Although, some institutions require you to have this subject at a matric level
Recommended Subjects:
- Hospitality Studies
- Physical Science
- Mathematics
- Consumer Studies
Institution and APS
The following institutions are highly recommended for chef training:
- International Hotel School
- Prue Leith Culinary Institute (PLCI)
- The Fusion Cooking School
- Chefs Training & Innovation Academy (CTIA)
Chef courses don’t have the strict requirements or the necessity for entrance exams that other courses do and passing your last year at school is enough. The minimum pass rate amounts to an APS of 28.
Required Qualification/s
Qualifications range from a one-year certificate course to a four-year bachelor degree. Alternatively, a student can get an apprenticeship while studying at a culinary school. Once you’ve completed basic training, you may turn to more focused studies in a specific area. You can become as qualified in this field as you would like to.
Required Skills
You will need to check the following boxes:
- have a creative flair for food
- be well-organised and hygienic
- have the ability to take initiative and work unsupervised
- possess the ability to work in a team
- be able to work under pressure
- have a good memory and hand-eye coordination
Where you can work
The area you work in will depend on your culinary qaulifications as well as your practical experience. In general, you will usually work in one of the following spaces:
- Hotels
- Restaurants
- Guesthouses
- Hospitals
- Schools and universities
- Contract caterers
- Government departments
- Cruise ships
- Self-employed: consultant, own practice, freelance
Working Hours
Your working hours will range between a starting time of 7am/10am up to 7pm or until closing time. Staff are usually split into two shifts, but some restaurants will require longer/double shifts depending on staff availability. If you work outside the realm of a restaurant, the working hours may vary depending on the frequency of eating times, the number of guests, the type of cuisine and more.
Expected Salary
Although your salary will vary depending on rank, you can expect to earn an average of R180 000 a year. With that said, it’s important to factor in additional income, such as tips from customers. Overall, the two main factors that determine compensation are where you work and your rank in the kitchen.
What to expect
As a chef, you can expect to work long hours, including evenings, weekends and holidays. In general, you will be exposed to a stressful, pressurised environment as well as heat from the equipment used. You can also expect continuous standing and walking, moderate to loud noise levels and working under time pressure. As a chef, you’ll also be exposed to an environment that allows you to create different dishes, explore combinations ingredients and cater to various cuisines.
