Chef Amongst Top Career Choices for Kids
A recent survey by Curry’s PC World has revealed that a career as a chef is one of the most sought after choices for young people in the UK.
The survey questioned a total of 1515 UK adults and teenagers about the nation’s passions and aspirations and exposed a number of revealing trends. Whilst older generations in the UK dreamed of being footballers, doctors, teachers and scientists, the choices of the younger generation were rather different. Instead, the younger generation are turning to jobs like writer, food blogger and most interestingly, chef.
Psychologist Emma Kenny said: “In today’s fast-paced, always ‘on’ world, the boundaries between work and personal life are becoming increasingly blurred. So it’s of no surprise that the younger generations feel more confident that they can turn their passions into careers.
This wouldn’t have been as easy a few decades ago but with technological advancements, people are able to connect across the globe, simply with a laptop or tablet. Studies have shown that when people are happier and in a job they’re passionate about, they’re more likely to be successful because they are doing something they well and truly love.”
This news comes as the hospitality is faced with a looming recruitment crisis. Thanks its rapid growth, its rise in standards and now a possible ‘Brexit’ effect, more and more hotels and restaurants are struggling to find and retain good quality, well trained and reliable staff.
Statistics indicate that as many as 660,000 new positions in hospitality will need to be filled by 2020. To put this into perspective, that is more than the current population of the city of Manchester. Therefore, news that a career as a chef is rapidly rising in popularity amongst the young is a good thing but one must treat this with some caution.
Amongst the other popular jobs that teenagers desire are filmmaker, singer, musician and YouTube sensation. Are young people being seduced into thinking that a career as a chef is as it is often portrayed on TV rather than the real-life version? There’s no doubt that a career as a chef is a rewarding one (we place candidates into some of the finest restaurants in London every day) but the difference between the reality and how it can be portrayed is significant. Are these young people aware of the long hours? The heat of the kitchen? The constant nature of the job in which you must always be striving for perfection? We hope so, because for the right person, there really is no better or more rewarding job than a chef.
If you would like to discuss your career in catering, then don’t hesitate to get in touch. Here at West One, we have vacancies for chefs at all levels across a broad range of London venues including some of the finest restaurants in the land.
