Though the enrollment fees are quite steep at over $30,000 per student, much of this fee is actually funneled back into the program in the form of state of the art equipment and world class instructors. The Culinary Institute of America is registered as a non-profit educational institute, meaning the tuition fees don’t end up in someone else’s pocket.

Small Class Sizes

One of the biggest complaints with most education institutions is large class size. After all, how can you learn when the teacher has to oversee and answer questions from students at the same time?

At CIA, the class sizes are deliberately very small. Instructors will be able to demonstrate various techniques while you look right over their shoulders. You’ll be able to practice with close supervision. The teacher will be there to answer any questions you have without you having to wait until after class.

The Revolutionary Block System

The CIA uses what they call a block system for organizing their classes. Every three to six weeks, you get a new block of classes. Each block of classes focuses on just one specific arena of the culinary arts.

For example, while you’re in the “Cuisines of Asia” block, you’ll learn how to cook Chinese food, Thai food and Japanese food. You’ll learn all about the various spices like star anise and lemongrass that are used specifically for Asian cooking.

You’ll learn how to use techniques that are relevant specifically to that type of cuisine. For example, you’ll learn how to roll sushi or how to prepare soup for making Pho noodle soup.

Externship in Freshmen Year

CIA understands the importance of real world experience in the culinary world. The last thing they want is to send you out into the world with theoretical knowledge, without preparing you for what it’s really like to work in a restaurant.

That’s why CIA helps place you in an 18 week externship right in your freshmen year. You’ll get real world experience in a kitchen while you’re still learning at CIA.

On and Off Campus Activities

In addition to having a world class educational curriculum, CIA also has a very active social life. There are tons of activities both on campus and off campus. When you want to relax for the weekend, there are also plenty of parties to go around.

There’s a reason that CIA is considered the premier culinary school of the world. If you’re willing to make the investment in your culinary education, there’s no better place.

As romantic and important as it is to go to culinary school, it’s important to know that they won’t teach you everything you need to know about becoming a chef. Here are three things that they won’t teach you in culinary school.

How a Hectic Kitchen Operates

In a hectic kitchen with dozens of customers streaming in and out by the minute, the pressure is much different than it is in school.

In school, you might be able to carefully measure out each ingredient, pay special care when chopping your vegetables and work out careful co-ordination with your fellow chefs. Not so in a real kitchen.

In a professional kitchen, you have to get stuff done fast. Your vegetables need to have been chopped 5 minutes ago and you’ll be juggling five customer orders at the same time.

While learning to cook in culinary school is an invaluable experience, learning to cope with the speed and pressure of a real kitchen is something different entirely.

The Financial Realities of Being a Chef

Few schools will teach you how to navigate the financial realities of being a chef. People who go to culinary school often envision themselves as top chefs in important restaurants, taking home a generous salary.

While this may very well be your future a decade down the line, the truth is that the moment you graduate from culinary school, you’ll probably be earning between $9 and $15 an hour. You won’t be earning tips and may be getting paid less than the waitresses.

A world class chef can absolutely command six figures a year. However, until you’re truly at that level, you’re going to have to navigate some hard times.

Being a great chef is a career chosen out of love for the craft, not because it’s the easiest or highest paid career.

Handling the Emotional Stress

One of the toughest things about being a chef is handling the emotional stress. This is also something that can’t be taught – It’s something you pick up on the job.

Some head chefs will throw food at their chefs if they make a mistake. You might get screamed at by your boss for a simple mistake. You’ll probably get no respect your first year on the job. All this can add up to an extremely stressful work environment.

All chefs have to go through it, but nobody can teach you how to do it.

These are some of the things you just won’t learn in culinary school. Culinary school is a vital springboard for anyone who wants to be a chef. There’s a big difference between being able to cook and being able to work in a restaurant. But going to culinary school won’t completely bridge that gap – A lot of it you have to learn on the job.

Rung #1: Commis Chef

Every chef can expect to start at the Commis Chef level, which is essentially the starter chef’s job. At this stage, you won’t be responsible for cooking anything. Instead, you’ll be helping with all different stations and helping with the overall pace of the kitchen.

You might be responsible for cutting vegetables or keeping a pot stirring while another chef tends to other matters. Generally you’ll get experience working under several different chefs at this stage to build your experience.

Rung #2: Line Chef, Station Chef or Chef de Partie

At this level, you’ll be responsible for only on specific section of the kitchen.

For example, as the roast chef, you’ll be responsible for roasting meats and making sure they’re cooked to perfection. You’ll be responsible for braising the meats, but you might not be responsible for the sauce, which is handled by another chef.

Larger kitchens will naturally have more chefs dedicated to a wider variety of tasks. In smaller kitchens, chefs often have to multi-task several different roles.

Line chefs have their own hierarchy, with the First Cook being at the top of the ladder.

Rung #3: Sous Chef

The Sous Chef is essentially the #2 chef in charge of the kitchen. Unlike line chefs who’re responsible for preparing just one dish, sous chefs are responsible for the quality of the food as well as the efficiency of the kitchen as a whole.

The management of the kitchen will often fall on the sous chef’s shoulders while the head chef tends to other matters. In other words, in order for the sous chef to do his or her job, they need to be able to run each and every station of the kitchen.

The sous chef needs to be able to step in wherever help is needed. The sous chef may also be called upon to help with ordering food, menu design, staff training, wine selection, management and more.

Top Rung: Executive Chef

The executive or head chef is at the top of the ladder. As head chef, your role is to make sure the food side of the restaurant runs smoothly. Your responsibilities expand beyond just cooking.

In addition to running the kitchen, the head chef needs to be able to source high quality foods at a low price. The head chef also needs to be able to maintain hygiene standards to meet regulations and protocols. The head chef needs to create staff schedules that work for everyone and keep up employee morale.

This is the typical career ladder you can expect to work through after graduating from culinary school.

What should you look at when you’re choosing a culinary school? How do you make your decision? Here are some of the most important things to consider.

Overall Reputation

This is perhaps the most important thing to consider. Certain schools have an extremely strong reputation in the culinary community. Going to one of these schools will not only help you get a great education, but look great on your resume. But the benefits don’t stop there.

Many of these top schools can also help you make valuable connections. Many of the teachers and professors are chefs or have been chefs at some of the world’s top restaurants. Getting a recommendation from such a teacher can give you a leg up in the job market.

The School’s Kitchen

Another big consideration is what kind of kitchen and restaurant the school operates. Some schools operate with state of the art equipment, while others use very outdated equipment.

Ideally, you should go to a school that serves real people in a real restaurant-like environment. For example, over 800 patrons frequent the Los Angeles Trade Tech College every day. Culinary students studying at this school get real hands on experience in cooking in a real restaurant’s kitchen environment.

The Social Life

What will your overall social experience of the school be like? Of course, this isn’t something you can find out by reading the school’s marketing materials. Yet it’s still an important factor to consider.

The best way to figure out what the social life of a school is like is to visit the school before enrolling. Ask other students and other teachers what the social atmosphere and general vibe is like.

Type of Cuisine and Specialty

Another important factor is to consider what kind of cuisines the school teaches. Some schools specialize in just one type of cooking, while other schools run the whole gamut.

Try to get a sense for a school’s reputation for various types of cuisines. A French cooking school for example might not have the best pastry department, even if the school overall has a strong reputation.

Costs and Location

How much is the tuition going to run you? Generally, you can expect to pay around $10,000 a year for a lower end culinary school and as much as $40,000 a year for a top end culinary school.

Of course, location can also play a big factor in determining costs. If you’ll be traveling between school and home regularly, things like flights and driving costs need to be taken into consideration. Also, the location of the school is going to play a determining factor in rent costs.

These are some of the most important things to consider when you’re deciding on a culinary school. Weigh the various pros and cons of these different factors before making your final decision.

In order to make an intelligent financial decision, it helps to get a good sense of what the numbers are like beforehand. This article will help you explore some of the most important financial aspects of making this decision.

Tuition Costs

Of all the different factors, the tuition cost is probably the most important factor.

If you choose to go to a community college that has cooking classes, you could pay as little as $2,000 a year in tuition. By contrast, if you decide to go to a world class culinary school, you could pay as much as $40,000 a year in tuition.

The question you need to ask yourself is “what kind of jobs can this education get me?” Make sure that if you’re paying for a higher end education you’ll be making up for it by a corresponding increase in salary.

Rent, Books, Food & Other Expenses

Make sure to factor in other costs as well. Rent is a big cost, as is food, transportation and books. Also, every chef likes to have their own set of knives, which can also run up your total costs.

These costs are not constant between schools. A school based in suburban Texas is going to have rents much lower than schools based in downtown Manhattan.

Financial Aid & Pay Distribution Programs

Some schools will offer financial aid to students who come from less privileged backgrounds. Some schools will also offer “pay over time” packages, where you can pay for your tuition on a monthly basis, sometimes stretched over years.

Make sure to consider these options as part of the financial equation of making your decision.

Expected Earnings

Factoring your expected earnings after getting a culinary degree can be tricky. The wage span and career path of a chef can vary greatly from chef to chef, restaurant to restaurant.

A chef starting at a small hotel or restaurant might expect to earn $30,000 a year – Possibly less. It’s not uncommon for chefs to take home less than $2,000 a month in the beginning of their careers.

On the flipside, if you have connections or recommendations and can land a job at a large hotel or a four to five star restaurant, you can easily be earning $40,000, $50,000 or even more.

Consider all the expenses, everything that can offset the expenses (such as financial aid) and how much the degree will ultimately help you earn. If a high end education will set you back $90,000 in debt and only boost your pay by $10,000 a year, you need to seriously consider whether or not that’s a worthwhile investment.

Here are some of the most important things to know about the campus lifestyle.

Residence Halls, Dorms & Roommates

The college dorm experience is one of the most formative experiences of being in school. Different schools structure their living situations slightly differently.

Some will have large professional-grade kitchens available for students for their personal use. This encourages students to experiment with cooking different kinds of foods in their off time. Also, it encourages students to share recipes and cook with other students.

A dessert chef may be sharing a room with a French cuisine student. This allows both of them to get to know each other’s art and learn from one another, in addition to making a new friend.

The Joys and Pressures of Total Immersion

Many schools aim to create an atmosphere of total immersion. Schools do this in a variety of ways.

Culinary schools often have their own student operated restaurants. While cooking in this restaurant, you’ll get intense hands on experience in working in a busy kitchen. You’ll learn shortcuts to get things done quickly and you’ll gain valuable skills for working in the real world.

Much of what you need to know to work in the real culinary world is passed down from peers, as well as from your teachers in school. While you’re in culinary school, you’ll eat, breathe and sleep the art of preparing delicious foods.

Different Kinds of Culinary Schools Offer Different Lifestyles

The culinary school you choose has a big impact on your campus lifestyle.

If you’re going to a community college that happens to offer cooking classes, naturally you’re going to be much less immersed in cooking. Your friends may be studying other things and there won’t be nearly as much note-sharing around cooking.

On the other hand you have extremely dedicated culinary schools that focus just on cooking. Then you have everything in between. Some schools are only two years while others are four, some focus on one kind of cuisine while others focus on cooking in general, some have extensive real kitchen experience while others teach only in a classroom environment.

All of this will contribute to a different kind of lifestyle. Before choosing a culinary school, as yourself: What kind of lifestyle is important to you? Do you want to be able to relax after school and not think about cooking? Or do you want to spend your spare time refining your dishes and have all your friends also be immersed in the cooking world?

#1 – Texas Culinary Academy

The Texas Culinary Academy scored highest in the Chef2Chef rankings. It also has one of the strongest reputations in the culinary world.

The Texas Culinary Academy offers a very comprehensive culinary education. In addition to the standard array of cooking courses you’d expect at such an academy, you also have courses like cost control, butchering, baking, nutrition and more.

#2 – Culinary Institute of America (CIA)

CIA’s program stresses in-kitchen experience. By the end of a degree from CIA, you’ll have spent at the very least 1,300 hours in the kitchen getting real cooking experience. You’ll learn how to manage other chefs, as well as gain experience in every role in the kitchen.

Towards the end of your education at CIA, you’ll be placed in a top restaurant as part of your internship. This helps you get real restaurant experience, as well as increases your chances of getting hired there.

#3 – Scottsdale Culinary Institute

The Scottsdale Culinary Institute (SCI) that houses the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts program is one of the world’s most renowned culinary institutes. They sport no fewer than 8 state of the art kitchens, where you’ll gain experience using all kinds of different tools and cooking techniques.

SCI also teaches communication skills to help chefs communicate with other chefs effectively in the hectic kitchen environment.

The course includes placement in a 3 month internship program.

#4 – The Art Institute of Dallas

At the Art Institute of Dallas, you’ll learn both the traditional and the cutting edge. The program of course covers essential skills like menu management, cutting techniques and a variety of cooking techniques.

However, the Art Institute of Dallas also makes a special effort to include world cuisines in their curriculum. Staple cuisines like French and Italian are included, as are more fringe cuisines like Chinese or Mediterranean.

#5 – Johnson & Wales

Johnson & Wales University also offers the standard array of classes, with a focus on also understanding all the essentials you need to successfully run a restaurant.

Classes include: Restaurant marketing, food nutrition, managing a team, starting a restaurant from scratch, restaurant interior design and more.

These are five of the most well known restaurants in the United States. If you’re trying to choose the right school for you, any one of these five schools is a very safe bet.

Here are a few of the career paths you can choose from upon graduation.

The Typical “Chef Career Path”

Most people who graduate from culinary schools will take the traditional path of becoming a chef. That means starting out as a line cook, usually at the bottom of the ladder. Then you work your way up the ladder until you’re the First Cook, which is the most prestigious of the line cooks.

Eventually you work your way to being sous chef and finally head or executive chef. Many chefs dream of being the head chef of a world class restaurant.

Personal Chef

On the other hand, you can choose to circumvent the traditional career path entirely by becoming a personal chef.

A personal chef cooks for wealthy clients who need to hire a chef for a variety of reasons. Perhaps they’re extremely busy and need someone to cook nutritious meals for their kids. Perhaps you have a cadre of clients who regularly host moderate sized parties and hire chefs to whip up delicious foods.

Whatever the case may be, as a personal chef you’re essentially a freelance chef for hire. You need to master both your culinary arts as well as the business arts of building a customer base.

Pastry Chef

Love sweets? From chocolate to cakes, the pastry chef is the master of everything desserty and sweet.

Typically pastry chefs are employed by larger hotels and restaurants who have enough volume to warrant having someone on staff cooking just desserts. Pastry chefs can also work at small bakeries and pastry shops.

Test Chef

The test chef is an often overlooked career because they’re so behind the scenes.

A test chef invents new recipes and new food products in a test kitchen. They might work for magazines that regularly publish recipes. These magazines don’t come up with the recipes out of thin air – Instead, they have chefs on staff who help figure out these brand new tastes.

A test chef could also work at a multinational corporation. When a company like Krafts or McDonalds comes out with a new food product, there’s a good chance there was a test chef at work behind the scenes. Of course, this department is also dominated by food engineers, but a test chef is a critical part of the team.

Critics & Advisors (“Culinarians”)

Finally, you have food critics and food advisors.

As an advisor, your job is to go from restaurant to restaurant helping them improve their menus and helping them select what kinds of foods to offer to customers.

As a food critic, your job is to go from restaurant to restaurant, tasting the foods and writing reviews.

These are some of the possible career paths open to you after graduation. It really helps to figure out what you want to do before you enroll in culinary schools so you can take the right classes to help move you closer to your career goals.

Here are five benefits of culinary schools that you might not have expected.

#1 – Networking

The people you meet in culinary school can help you in your career for decades to come.

When you decide to leave a job in search of better work, you might get contacted by a former classmate on Facebook about an opening.

When you’re sous chef and need to find a top notch pastry chef, the perfect candidate might come your way from a former classmate.

You’ll find help in the most unexpected places.

#2 – Individual Mentoring

Teachers who take a liking to students will often offer individual mentoring. This is different from a classroom environment, where there’s usually a set curriculum the teacher is following.

If you’re truly curious about how to cook something or do a certain task, a caring teacher may go out of his way to show you how it’s done. This can really help firm up your fundamental cooking skills.

#3 – Skipping Unnecessary Classes

If you went to a non-culinary school, you might expect to have to take a lot of unnecessary classes before you can get your degree.

For example, even if your major was culinary arts, if you were in a more generic college you might be required to take chemistry, history, English, various math classes and so on before you can graduate.

While culinary schools might still require some general ed classes, the requirements are usually much more lenient. That means more time spent on classes that’ll actually impact your future.

#4 – Job Placements

Finding a job as a chef without a referral and without any contacts can be very tough. By contrast, going to culinary school will put you smack dab in the middle of a huge network of culinary professionals.

The parents of students might own restaurants. Teachers almost definitely either work or have worked in famous kitchens. Placement programs in schools can also help you get jobs.

Culinary schools don’t just improve your cooking, but help improve your employability by getting you in front of people who know people who can give you a job.

#5 – The Shared Kitchen Environment

Working in a shared kitchen for the first time is a life changing experience. You’ll learn how to work with other chefs to make your creations perfect. You’ll share notes and give one another feedback on whether dishes need more salt or more sugar. You’ll learn how to operate in a team environment.

These are five benefits you’ll get from culinary schools that most people won’t tell you about. For the aspiring chef, going to a great culinary school is an incredibly important investment.