Chef

Lloyd, 24, Pasta Chef at Acorn House restaurant

How did you get into the job? I wanted to build a career for myself and the only thing I could do was cook, so I decided to go to college and learn how to do it professionally. My auntie gave me the form for  Fifteen restaurant's apprenticeship scheme - I went for it and got in.

Job history: I was on the Fifteen apprenticeship for 18 months and learnt loads about cooking, especially making pasta - my speciality. The guys at Fifteen helped me keep my temper down and taught me about discipline at work. After that I went straight to Val d'Isère in France to do a ski season as a chalet chef. It was like a six-month holiday, cooking breakfast and dinner and then going out every night. When I came back I went to see the head chef I worked with at Fifteen, who had just opened Acorn House Restaurant, Britain's first eco-friendly restaurant. He employed me as a pasta chef and I've found it to be a pretty cool place to work. We only throw away half a bag of rubbish per day, compared to the usual 20 bags. We recycle everything and make compost that goes back into the garden where we grow our own vegetables and herbs.

Best/worst bits: The best bit is getting to understand and work with food that you've never cooked before and going to places like slaughter houses and learning where your food comes from. The worst part has got to be the hours. You work unsociable hours and get pretty tired, but it's the love of food that makes me turn up for work every day.

Advice for wannabees: Make sure it's something you really want to do. Once you get into a kitchen it can be a really hard place, so you need to be disciplined and turn up on time. The best way to learn is to watch and listen to your head chefs and the people in charge and you should get along just fine.

CV essentials to do the job: To get your first job in a restaurant or onto a cooking course you don't need experience but you do need to be willing to turn up everyday and learn and listen. You can pick things up in no time.

To watch Lloyd's video interview, click on the 'Watch video' icon above.

Application process

It's possible to work your way up without qualifications, but you need to be prepared to start at the bottom. This may involve jobs like peeling vegetables and cleaning the kitchen, but you'll get to learn from watching others. Most restaurants advertise in local papers or put advertisements in the window. You can also look online at some of the sites listed in the recruitment box, left.

Get some qualifications first and you'll be able to start a bit higher up. Make sure you have an up-to-date CV, which includes your cheffing experience, qualifications and skills, and be prepared to sell yourself in an interview and maybe work a trial shift (or 'trade day') to show what you can do.

Job description

Chefs typically work long days and work hard while they're at work. Their day often starts early, around 8 or 9am, in order to prepare all the food for the lunch 'service'. Hotel chefs will often work shifts, which will include early shifts to cover the breakfast service.

During the day, they'll also stock take, deal with suppliers and order in food for the following day, devise menus and specials and brief waiting staff about what's being served. Head chefs are also responsible for staff management and recruitment, managing kitchen budgets and ensuring the kitchen meets health and safety standards.

Many chefs then work the dinner service as well, so expect more preparation in advance of cooking in the evening. At the end of the day it's time to clean your workstation so it's clean and hygienic for the next day.

Skills/experience/training

Many chefs, like Lloyd, start out by doing an apprenticeship. Over 16s can apply for modern apprenticeships, which teach you the necessary practical skills while working on the job. After three years you'll get your Level 3 National Vocational Qualification (NVQ). Further education colleges also offer practical cooking courses, and City & Guilds has various courses for aspiring chefs. To find courses in your area, search on the People First website.

Maths and English GCSEs are often required - budgeting is a big part of the head chef's job, so you'll need to be numeric to make it to the top.

Personality/who would it suit

Most chefs will tell you that it's a passion for food that keeps them in the job, so this has to be the most essential trait. You'll also need to be hardworking, determined and organised, and as kitchens can be stressful environments it helps to know how to keep a cool head and thicken your skin up to all the shouting and criticism that might come your way.

On a more positive note, it takes creativity to get to the top as you'll need to devise new and exciting dishes to tempt new customers in.

Career prospects

The first title for trainee chefs is the commis chef. In this role you'll be learning all the necessary culinary skills and about kitchen equipment and utensils. Many chefs then go on to specialise in a certain area, such as pasta or pastry. Put in some hard graft for little pay and eventually you could work your way up to a head chef position, or in larger restaurants/hotels, an executive chef. This BBC guide will help you familiarise yourself with the kitchen pecking order. Aim your sights really high and open up your own restaurant, or do a Gordon Ramsey and build your own cooking empire.

Entry level positions usually start at around £10-12,000, but can also rise quite quickly, with head chefs in reputable restaurants earning upwards of £30,000. Working for an agency can be a good money earner, and you'll gain lots of experience working in different kitchens. For a better idea of the salary brackets you can expect to be paid at each stage of your career, see this salary checker.