ashburton chef academy

[Helpneededbyanoutsider]

Anyone been here/ know anyone who has?

My boyfriend would like to change his career to be a private chef. Cooking and nutrition is his real passion and his current career makes him feel very unfulfilled. We’ve looked into and researched different chef academies so that he can qualify very quickly and start his career ASAP- avoiding years of college/ chef apprenticeship.

This is an expensive option however- £20k all in (accommodation included) but then he’s not got any other student debt so won’t be much different then all those people who attend uni.

Is this a good option for him, or too good to be true?

"avoiding years of college/ chef apprenticeship."

Isn't that the way to go, though? Surely it takes years of practice/experience to be a good chef/cook.

I'd research how well this qualification is regarded in the real world before investing that sort of money.

Yes, not really sure how to research this to be honest... a lot of restaurants are closed currently...

Which course is he interested in, the 30 week one? Honestly there are many cheaper options out there I'm sure. There is a huge shortage of trained chefs and he would have an excellent chance of employment (post covid obv) if he even had some relatively basic training.

There is not really a short cut to becoming a professional chef - once he graduates he will need to gain a huge amount of professional experience.

Private chef jobs are also very hard to come by, and I'm not sure this course would speed up the process for him.

Sorry, my reply is slightly confusing to read - he would have a much greater chance of restaurant work than private cheffing.

Nah I’d go to Ballymaloe instead

I don't have an insight on Ashburton (except that a few semi-professional chefs I follow on Instagram have attended courses there), but being a successful private chef does take a lot of continuous hard work. Going on a course will not guarantee a successful career.

Does he have a good business mind, as he will effectively be running his own business? Is he highly self-motivated and willing to put in the hours?

It may be worth him building his experience by cooking for others during the pandemic, taking plenty of photos and showcasing his menus in social media. This will help him gather first hand experience and even a potential client base.

Sorry if I sound negative/critical, but I have a family member who invested similarly in (what they thought was) their dream career. They took a specialist intensive course in hair and beauty training but once they realised the reality involved (long hours, rental costs for a hairdresser chair, need to build up a client base), they gave up.

Their course cost thousands and it is a massive source of resentment with their partner that this money has effectively been wasted.