Experience

Do not confuse a Chef with a professional chef or a registered “TechnicalChef”.

“A cook is a trade person and a chef is a position of responsibility”, in Australia, a chef is considered as anyone who prepares food (with or without formal basic qualifications). Furthermore, cooks with merely basic qualifications are believed to have achieved mastery, and fully competent as a commercial chef. 

A TechnicalChef is different.
The Institute of Technical Chefs requires a member to provide evidence of a minimum total of six years experience (12000 hours) in a commercial kitchen inclusive of basic skills training.
To become consciously competent, a practice period immediately after basic training is necessary. This is “maturing” time, is when a cook practices the basic skills to mature into a legitimate chef. (This traditionally was titled a commis chef and now commonly called a station chef, or chef)

4. Experience 

Assessed by a combined training time and maturing experience (A combined minimum of six years, or 12,000 hours experience in a commercial kitchen)

EXAMPLES: One year fulltime training at culinary school requires 5.5 years of maturing experience.
Two Years year fulltime training at culinary school requires 5 years of maturing experience.
Three years fulltime training at culinary school requires 4.5 years of maturing experience.
Two years fulltime in a commercial kitchen as trainee requires 4 years maturity experience.
Three years fulltime in a commercial kitchen as an apprentice requires 3 years maturity experience.
Four years fulltime in a commercial kitchen as an apprentice will require 2 years maturing experience.
In considering various experiences the council will notionally require a total 6 years of practical cookery experience in a commercial kitchen.
Minimum allowed fulltime culinary studies is one year – Maximum allowed fulltime culinary studies is three years.

Rules and conditions – Experience.

  1. Applicants must verify commercial kitchen experiences after basic training,  defined by the Australian Institute of Technical Chefs as “ Experience”.
  2. Provided they fulfil all other conditions for membership, applicants who do not have the experience time may still apply to be recorded as a future TechnicalChef.
  3. Approved applicants who do not have the  experience time, shall be ranked as a “Paraprofessional Chef”.

Registration immediately after basic training has its advantages.

a) Paraprofessional chefs demonstrates their professional intensions.
b) Applicants are identified on the TechnicalChefs register as a “Paraprofessional Chef”.
c) Paraprofessional Chefs do not pay membership fees.
d) Registration as an affiliate becomes an automatic process and thereafter only membership fees apply.
e) Paraprofessional TechnicalChefs do not have the right to use the logo, nor are members, nor are TechnicalChefs until fully licensed.

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