Education · 1 of 5

The path

You can start this month. School is optional and comes later if you want it.

1. 1

   Get a food handler certificate

   1 day

   A short online course your local public health unit recognises. Most kitchens want it before your first shift.

2. 2

   Get hired

   Days to weeks

   Dishwasher or prep cook. Walk in with a resume in the afternoon between lunch and dinner service. Many cooks started at 16.

3. 3

   Learn the stations

   1 to 3 years

   Salad, grill, saute, then working the pass. This is the real training and it happens on shift.

4. 4

   Apprentice or take a diploma

   1 to 3 years

   Optional. A cook apprenticeship pays you while you work and sends you to school in blocks. A college diploma runs 1 to 2 years.

5. 5

   Red Seal Cook

   About 3 years

   Pass the interprovincial exam. In Ontario the apprenticeship is 6,000 hours: 5,280 on the job plus 720 in school.