Lousy Pay for a hard job

Greetings ,
We all know chef work is tough and the hours long
and the wages in the U.K are abysmal.How does the pay in the U.S stand for a decent chef ?
In fact the pay in the U.K is so bad that I work as a relief Chef to make a decent wage.
1/ Almost all of the people i went to Chef school with 15 yrs ago left catering pretty damn quick .
2/The wages in the Southwest of England are a joke
in tonights paper "Chef Manager" £4.75 per hour
around $6.50 U.S.
3/Is it trained chefs they want or college kids
who don't know how to make a bechamel .
4/Why is it hotels here would rather staff a kitchen with kids who know zilch , rather than pay a decent wage to a experienced chef .
5/The bums on seats attitude to catering training
sucks , N.V.Q 1&2 is a joke (you can't fail even if you are a numpty),City & Guilds 706/1,2,3
weeded out the idiots.
6/before you shout i have City &Guilds 706/1,2&3.
I would like to hear your opinions

By Cheftim (Cheftim) on Wednesday, January 24, 2001 - 09:37 pm: Edit

1/ N.V.Q 1&2...What does that mean?
2/ What is a numpty?
3/Please Explain "City & Guilds 706/1,2&3.

Other than that I agree Cooks and Chefs Wages suck.

By W.DeBord on Thursday, January 25, 2001 - 09:23 am: Edit

Ditto, please explain what city & guilds 706/1,2&3 mean???? Is that a union?

No company anywhere wants to pay for experience...not only in our field. It's part of the economic times. Of course CEO's get paid outragous salaries....things seem out of balance here in the States too! The rich get richer and the poor get poorer, and the middle-class holds on for dear life!


But $6.50 per hour....for experienced help, I'd say $10.00 or more if it's not fast food. For $6.50 an hour people in CA couldn't afford to put a roof over their head.

By Peachcreek (Peachcreek) on Thursday, January 25, 2001 - 07:09 pm: Edit

I live in an area with a pretty low cost of living and still all you get around here for $6.50 an hour are the dregs: alcoholic burnouts, druggies, or people who have no business in a restaurant! I'd rather pay one person $13.00 and get the quality and commitment than pay for two of those losers any day!

By Hamlet on Thursday, January 25, 2001 - 08:08 pm: Edit

City & guilds was the old testing method used when i went to college in '82-'84 ,it was really tough and as i had stated weeded out the rubbish, there was a 95% failure of the 706/2 exam,happily i was in the top 5% of passes.
The new N.V.Q (National Vocational Qualification)
is a joke, you cannot fail,you are given a task book and as you do tasks you are ticked off,if you don't know the answer-you are told the answer
and then ticked off,How do i know this..as a head chef i have often had to take a kiddie through their task book .This churns out rubbish "bums on seats" a second year student whom does not know how to make white sauce. The catering trade in this country is awful it has gone way downhill .
By the way a NUMPTY is a stupid person .

By W.DeBord on Friday, January 26, 2001 - 09:04 am: Edit

Thanks for answering Hamlet...I've never heard your phrases before. I may have to add numpty to my vocabulary, do you know where it comes from?

Sorry to hear things are so bad in your part of the world. Everyone could handle being paid more but I don't think American kitchens are that bad over-all. We get lazy people and so on, but I think for the most part the people in our kitchens really care and still try to do a good job.

By Rodriego on Friday, January 26, 2001 - 10:26 am: Edit

I work as an executive chef in Canada. The highest starting wage I can pay to a journeyman cook is $8.50 / hr. My 16 year old son just got a part time job bagging groceries at grocery store for $11.50/hr. Whats wrong with this picture? More importantly, how do we change it?

By Hamlet on Friday, January 26, 2001 - 08:00 pm: Edit

Hi
Have been reading the replies,gheres an idea of how bad things are here.....
The $ today £1.00=$1.40
Chef Manager £5.25 per hour ($7.10)
Chef £4.00 " " ( $5.60)
I was also offered a Sous Chef job in plymouth
at the sea life centre ,my duties included..
Cooking
Cleaning
Washing the dishes
deputising for the head chef
no overtime paid
In the winter you were laid off,and half wages were paid in leiu of the overtime worked in the summer....NOW HERE'S THE HOURLY RATE
£4.75 per hour ($6.40)

By chris on Tuesday, February 06, 2001 - 09:24 am: Edit

If you wanted to make a lot of money while bringing joy to people you should have looked into the prostitution field.

By W.DeBord on Wednesday, February 07, 2001 - 07:50 am: Edit

Interesting answer chris! Where were you when I was acused of the sin of scaring off people from entering this business by just telling the truth about the hours and money?

By chris on Wednesday, February 07, 2001 - 02:18 pm: Edit

I was slaving away over a hot stove while throwing pans at the waitstaff.

By chris on Wednesday, February 07, 2001 - 02:31 pm: Edit

I left out: while going broke but loving every f****ing minute of it!!

By Steven (Steven) on Tuesday, February 20, 2001 - 07:25 pm: Edit

Chris, you seem to take alot of grief on these boards...I just wanted to tell you man, I appreciate ya.

By chris on Thursday, February 22, 2001 - 04:45 pm: Edit

Thanks Bro. Not alot of people appreciate my sick and twisted sense of humor.

By Sunny on Wednesday, August 29, 2001 - 02:26 am: Edit

Hamlet, Have you thought about teaching your trade? My friend lives in Nuneaten, England and he teaches at the local city college. He makes about 28 pounds per hour. He doesn't have half the years of experience that you have. Go to your local community college and ask. All they can do is say no-GO FOR IT!

By pat trame on Wednesday, August 29, 2001 - 11:15 am: Edit

Hello,
I'm sure I am a real novice here. A nurse of 30 years interested in a culinary career. I don't have to make alot of money, but a living would be decent. Is this all there is?

By Chefmanny (Chefmanny) on Wednesday, August 29, 2001 - 01:31 pm: Edit

Oh no! that's not all, there is all u can eat and drink!!! All the time. A little casual sex in the cooler or the storeroom, the best drugs, abuse by ownership, you get taken care of by fellow Chefs when you go out to eat, but who the hell wants to do that when you are in a restaurant all week???, bad benefits for a lack of a more inflamatory term, looooooong hours, bad pay, small, unskilled, poorly trained labor pool, culinary school graduates who think they can run the place better then you ever have or could, but they can't cook rice or boil water!. I'm not trying to discourage you but you asked, I think you might better serve the restaurant industry, since you are a nurse, by establishing a 12 step program for Chefs, charge astronomical fees, get it to be labeled a medical condition; such as sautee pan elbow, or post traumatic kitchen syndrome and I think you will make millions!!! LOL (Don't forget my 10% for the idea)!!!