We are a group of volunteers who all have catering backgrounds and have worked in the industry from the ground up. Feel free to explore this site which has great articles as well as links to further resources.

Within catering there are lots of different areas. You can work in the kitchens preparing or cooking food, you can work in restaurants, hospitals, sandwich shops, fine dining, corporate events and even mobile catering. There are catering courses covering all the culinary areas from basic food hygiene, menu planning, teamwork and even catering management courses.

Working in catering can be very challenging, demanding and often fast paced. However it can also be very rewarding and fulfilling. There’s nothing quite like the feeling at the end of a busy Saturday night shift that customers have enjoyed your food and you have made magic moments for your very special guests that will last a lifetime.

There are BTEC qualifications, diplomas, college degrees, online courses, distance courses and professional culinary schools. What ever you are looking for there are catering courses to give you the exact catering experience that you need.

When working in catering you need to:

• work as a team,
• work well under pressure,
• work unsociable hours (evening and weekends),
• work with food hygienically
• understand food safety,
• manage cost control,
• manage stock rotation,
• have superb presentation,
• have great communication skills,
• how to handle suppliers and food ordering,
• manage deliveries,
• and maybe train other staff members,

As you gain experience you can progress to team leader, pastry chef, sous chef, assistant kitchen manager or catering manager, and then onto the much coveted head chef or executive chef positions. Again as you proceed up the ladder there are catering courses available all along the way to help you progress quickly.

Catering courses come in many shapes and sizes. Firstly there are catering internships (apprenticeships). These are very good because they can give you real life relevant training alongside going to class for studying.  Usually approximately twenty hours per week are in the kitchen and the rest spent learning in the classroom.

Secondly, then there are Commercial Food Preparation Courses. When making food which is to be eaten by the general public you need to have obtained certain skills before you are let loose. To attend this course you usually have to first attend a culinary arts course as a pre-requiste requirement.

In addition to the above courses there are catering courses on subjects such as Menu Planning & Design which are all about how to make profitable menus whilst at the same time keeping customers satisfied.  This usually in addition covers the area of Marketing i.e. how to attract new customers and keep existing customers returning.

Others catering courses can be found on purchasing, baking, pastry, food safety, food sanitation, cost control and food waste, food hygiene, management of food and drinks, buffet catering, to name a few. Feel free to explore this site which is dedicated to catering training for all levels and provide all the resources and information to start your new culinary career or enhance your existing one.

Basically catering employees break down into two categories. Front of house or Back of house. Firstly lets start with front of house. Front usually refers to customer facing i.e. catering staff who interact directly with customers or guests. Here are some typical roles for front of house workers:

• bar staff
• waiters/waitresses
• food servers
• floor supervisors
• cloakroom staff
• butlers

Secondly, back of house refers to catering staff who work behind the scenes and usually don’t interact directly with guests or customers. Here are some examples of back of house positions:

• kitchen porters
• head chefs and Sous chefs
• cooks
• kitchen manager
• pastry chefs
• glass washers
• kitchen assistants

Whether its a corporate event, a private party or a seminar you can hire catering staff for all occasions leaving you to relax and enjoy your event knowing that all the hard work is done for you.  Alternatively if you are looking for workers who are more permanent for full time positions that can also be easily arranged as there are many staff looking for wok registered with catering agencies.

If you looking for a job then think about the types of role you might be suited to. For example do you enjoying mingling with customers and consider yourself to be presentable or would you prefer working behind the scenes.

If your planning an event, think about the number of guests you will be serving and what and how it will be served. For example do yo need catering staff to serve drinks and canapes when guests enter, next will you guests form a line to be served buffet style or will you require formal seating and silver service.

Next think about the setting up, cooking and clean up. If its a larger event you will probably need a supervisor to coordinate between the kitchen and the waiters.  You’ll also have to consider whether you need caterers to bring wine glasses, dishes, cutlery etc.

Also have a think about how you would like the waiting staff to look. Do you prefer chef style jackets or more formal waistcoats and ties. You’ll also want to consider either hot or cold food depending on the time of year, time of day and amount of time you have to serve your guests. Food can range from sandwich platters to 5 course meals depending on what you want.

If your looking for work as catering staff then think about when you are available, for example can you work evening and weekends or only in the daytime. Lots to think about but if you plan your event carefully it usually goes smoothly and you guests will be praising your efforts.

Only you can decide which you’d rather prefer, do you need the prestigious name of some famous culinary school on the certificate or would you rather have more practice so your ready to get started in the kitchen.

Basically however they are dressed up, all catering courses cover the same basic principles. They usually all start with some type of food hygiene.  Which covers how to keep germs under control and how to handle raw and cooked foods.

Next on the catering courses curriculum is tools used in the kitchen. There are many tools chefs use from meat mincers, salad spinners, food processors, blast freezers and ovens to mention some. You will learn how to assemble, clean and when to use each tool.

After that most courses go onto look at different sauces and how they are produced. You have all the classics like hollandaise based on egg yolk, bechamel based on milk, veloute which is based on white stock just to mention some.

Further you will go onto to learn all about the many different meats. There are all the usuals like beef and chicken. Also the not so usual like game and veal. You discover how to cut up, clean, cook and grill the various meats.

After that catering courses usually cover all the different types of vegetables from pea shoots to pureeing. There are lots of interesting vegetables to learn about from squashes to roots.

Then we move onto different cooking techniques. You have everything ranging from frying, grilling broiling,steaming, oven roasting, barbecuing and basting techniques. You get the chance to learn the theory as well as trying the cooking styles out for yourself.

This just covers some of the common topics to be found on most catering courses. In addition you’ll also discover all about baking, pies, pastries, starches like pastas and so on. If you have a particular speciality you can always find a specialised cooking class on say French or Italian cuisine to suit you.

As you may of gathered not only can catering be extremely useful for a great career it can also be very exciting and loads of fun too.

So what are the opportunities and training. Well you might be working in the kitchen as a chef or cook. The next step may be to become a kitchen or catering manager. A kitchen manager is responsible for hiring and firing kitchen staff, managing work rotas, ordering supplies, quality control, food hygiene as well as health and safety in the kitchen.

You will report directly to either the owner or general manager of the establishment. You may also be responsible for menu planning and cost control. Good communication skills are essential as you will normally be the link between the boss and the kitchen staff.

There are diplomas, degrees and other certification you can pass to gain decent catering management qualification. Take a look around this website to see which Catering management courses that may be available.

Alternatively if you are really good you can gain practical experience working in a restaurant or other food business and get promoted based on the skills you demonstrate without any need for formal qualifications.

Other Catering Management Courses could be on front of house and customer service type training.  If you are a waiter or assistant manger you will find many training programs on moving into a management position.

For example as a restaurant manager you report directly to the owners and will be responsible for hiring and firing staff, staff training, work rotas, menu planing, cost control, bookings, customer complaints. You will liaise directly with kitchen staff to make sure food is served efficiently and to customers expectations. Another key duty is to handle the payments of the business.

There are part time and full time catering management courses. You may want to work while your studying and if you explain this to your employer they may even help pay for your course. Alternatively if you study full time then you be able to receive your qualification quicker. Always look for a training program that provides both practical as well as theory side to the course.

A good management qualification will look good on your resume and prove to any future employer that you are committed to leaning, growing and developing.  This will give you added advantage over other potential candidates applying for the job or position.

You will probably be asked about your previous experience and backgorund. The agency staff have many ccontacts with food service companies. They will look thorught heir list of employers who are looking for staff either on a full time, part time or casual basis. They will match what you are looking for to a suitable job or work.

Same goes if you are looking to hire staff. The catering agencies will go through your requirements and exactly what you are looking for in the person or persons you would like to hire and what you are willing to pay. You normally have to pay slighltly over the usual rates as you are employing on a casual basis and to cover the admin costs and advertising costs of the agency.

Often you may find you are well suited to the type of job the agency has postioned you in and you can ask your employer to employ you on a full time more permanent basis. The recruitment agency usually charge their client a fee for this.

Regarding billing, all staff will be given a time sheet. At the end of the day or week you fill in the days and hours you have worked. You then hand the time sheet to your supervisor who will check it is correct and sign it. You hand the completed and signed time sheet back to the catering agencies and they will pay you usually weekly for the hours that you have worked.

The agency makes its money by billing its clients more than what they pay you the staff.
Companies usually use their services to deal with seasonal fluctuations, staff shortages or for temporary events.

Some companies will provide uniforms whilst others will expect you to provide your own uniforms. Always makes sure they are washed and clean.  If you fit in well in your placement you can ask or you may be asked to work for the company full time on a pernment basis.

If you are asked to work on a more permanent basis speak to the catering agencies contact and explain the situation. Sometimes this can work out really well for both you and the client. As people always have to eat there are always many vacancies available within the catering sector.