It Takes Just a Few Minutes to Start Your Culinary Arts Career Below!
Researching Culinary Arts Programs
At this point you should have decided on the type of degree that you want to attain, and whether or not you want to enroll in a private or a public college. Since there a large number of culinary colleges in the Londonderry area and within the United States, you need to develop a checklist of important qualifications so that you can start narrowing down your options. A few obvious qualifiers, for instance location and cost are an excellent place to start. But picking a school because it is the nearest or the least expensive is not the best way to decide on your education. There are other criteria, for instance reputation and accreditation that you need to assess as well. Therefore, following are some key areas that you need to research for each school as you compare them and make your final selection.
Accreditation. It's important that the culinary arts school you decide on has some form of accreditation from either a regional or a national agency. As mentioned previously, the accrediting organization should be a U.S. Department of Education recognized organization, for example the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have passed a detailed evaluation pertaining to their course of study, instructors and facilities. So not only does accreditation help establish that you will receive quality training, but it may also assist in obtaining a student loan or financial assistance which are often not offered for non-accredited schools.
Age. Newer schools frequently have the advantage of possessing modern facilities and equipment. However, they may not have been in operation long enough to acquire an accreditation or to develop a reputation. On the other hand, older schools may still be using their original, outdated equipment, but have established a long history of excellence and obtained one or more accreditations. Also, the much more a school has operated, the more alumni the school can solicit for its job assistance program. Naturally there is some give and take dependent on the age of the cooking schools. And older, more reputable schools typically modernize their equipment and facilities. The important lesson is that in the best case scenario, your school of choice will have an excellent reputation, accreditation and a modern facility with newer equipment.
Job Placement Rates. Initially, ask what the graduation rates are for the culinary arts schools you are assessing. Lower graduation rates are indicators that numerous students were dissatisfied with either the schools or the courses and quit before graduating. They might also indicate that the instructors were not competent to teach the curriculum. Ask the schools to furnish their job placement rates as well. If a school has a high job placement rate, it will help verify that it has a great or exceptional reputation within the culinary arts field, in addition to a wide network of professional relationships. Watch out for any school that will not supply this information.
Location. The culinary institute that you choose must be within commuting distance of your Londonderry residence, unless you can relocate. You may think about attending school online, but you would still have to travel for your externship training. On the other hand, maybe you have decided to go to a specific culinary institute located in a different state due to its reputation and courses offered. It would be a good idea to visit the facility before enrolling, to make certain that you are comfortable with the location and your prospective living conditions. Inspect the training facilities personally to make certain they are up to date and that the equipment is state of the art. Remember also that some schools focus their job placement programs within their regional communities, so choose a location where you will enjoy working.
Class Sizes. The most effective way to learn how to cook is with a lot of personalized training. If the culinary arts college you enroll in has bigger classes, you will most likely receive limited individual attention from the teachers. The optimal means to assess the interaction and communication between faculty and students is to audit several of the classes. Ask some of the students what their experience has been. Ascertain if they are happy with the level of attention they receive in class as well as the entire course of training. Also, speak with several of the teachers and determine what their teaching approaches are along with their backgrounds and credentials.
Flexible Class Schedules. There is no point in enrolling in a culinary arts program if you will be unable to attend the classes. Therefore confirm that the school you decide on provides class scheduling that can fit in with your hectic lifestyle. If you can only attend in the evening or on weekends near Londonderry NH due to your work schedule, verify that the school you select offers either weekend or evening classes. If you can only attend part-time, make sure that the culinary school has a part-time alternative. Also, check to see what the make-up protocol is if you must miss a class because of work, family or other obligations.
Learn More About Cooking Colleges in Londonderry