It Takes Just a Few Minutes to Start Your Culinary Arts Career Below!
Researching Cooking Institutes
By now you should have made a decision regarding the type of degree that you wish to earn, and whether or not you want to enroll in a public or private college. Since there are numerous culinary institutions in the Southeast area and across the USA, you need to develop a checklist of essential qualifiers so that you can begin limiting your choices. Certain obvious qualifiers, including location and cost are a good place to start. But picking a school because it is the nearest or the cheapest is not the best way to decide on your education. There are other considerations, such as reputation and accreditation that you must assess also. So below are some key areas that you need to investigate for every school as you compare them and make your final selection.
Accreditation. It's imperative that the culinary arts program you decide on has some form of accreditation from either a local or a national organization. As previously stated, the accrediting authority should be a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged authority, for example the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have successfully completed a comprehensive review relating to their curriculum, instructors and facilities. So not only does accreditation help ascertain that you will receive exceptional training, but it can also help in acquiring a student loan or financial aid which are frequently not accessible for non-accredited schools.
Age. Recently established schools generally have the advantage of having modern facilities and equipment. However, they may not have been in operation long enough to garner an accreditation or to cultivate a reputation. On the other hand, more established schools may still be using their original, dated equipment, but have established a long history of success and acquired one or more accreditations. Also, the longer a school has been in business, the more graduates the school can solicit for its job placement program. Certainly there is some give and take dependent on the age of the culinary schools. And older, more highly regarded schools commonly update their facilities and equipment. The significant takeaway is that in the best case scenario, your chosen school will have an excellent reputation, accreditation and a modern facility with modern equipment.
Job Placement Rates. First, find out what the graduation rates are for the culinary arts colleges you are evaluating. Low graduation rates are red flags that many students were unhappy with either the schools or the courses and quit before graduating. They can also signify that the instructors were not competent to teach the course of study. Request that the schools supply their job placement rates as well. If a school has a higher job placement rate, it will help validate that it has a good or exceptional reputation within the cooking field, as well as a large network of professional associations. Watch out for any school that will not supply this information.
Location. The culinary school that you attend should be within driving distance of your Southeast home, unless you are willing to move. You may consider attending college online, but you would still have to travel for your externship training. Conversely, perhaps you have opted to go to a particular culinary arts college located in a different state because of its reputation and courses offered. It would be a wise decision to check out the campus before enrolling, to make certain that you are satisfied with the area and your prospective living conditions. Tour the training facilities in person to make certain they are modern and that the equipment is state of the art. Consider also that some schools target their job placement programs within their local communities, so select a location where you will be happy working.
Class Sizes. The ideal method to learn how to cook is with a lot of one-on-one training. If the culinary arts school you enroll in has large classes, you will probably receive limited personal attention from the instructors. The ideal manner in which to assess the communication and interaction between teachers and students is to attend some of the classes. Ask some of the students what their experience has been. Find out if they are pleased with the level of attention they receive in class as well as the entire course of training. Also, talk with some of the instructors and find out what their teaching approaches are along with their backgrounds and qualifications.
Flexible Class Schedules. There is no benefit to in enrolling in a culinary institute if you will be unable to attend the classes. Therefore make certain that the school you pick has available class scheduling that will fit in with your active lifestyle. If you can only attend at night or on Saturdays or Sundays near Southeast NY due to your work schedule, make certain that the school you choose offers either weekend or evening classes. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, confirm that the culinary college has a part-time offering. Also, check to see what the make-up protocol is if you must miss a class as a result of family, work or other commitments.
Learn More About Chef Institutes in Southeast