Cook Up a New Career: Overseas Cooking Schools

— Rebecca Falkoff

If you can smell a new career cooking in your future, you might be heading toward the kitchen. A career in culinary arts can be an exciting way to work, study or travel overseas and gain an understanding of international cultural traditions. There is an abundance of work available throughout the world for chefs trained in the United States. In addition to work opportunities, there are many excellent culinary arts schools overseas that could make you a more attractive candidate for chef positions in the United States and throughout the world.

Do You Have What It Takes?

Culinary arts can provide an incredibly rewarding and artistic career, providing chefs with opportunities to develop new dishes and perfect old ones. However, a successful career in the kitchen involves more than outstanding culinary skills. Robert Clarke, a certified executive chef and the certification program coordinator for the American Culinary Foundation, says that to make a good chef you need "a certain amount of education, a good breadth and depth of experience, and a lot of dedication and hard work." You also need "managerial skills, especially the ability to keep people on staff. You need to be able to forecast business and schedule employees."

Training in America, Cooking Overseas

There are more than 700 cooking schools in the United States, about 70 of which are certified by the American Culinary Federation. If you have studied culinary arts and have some experience working in restaurants, you can probably obtain one of the levels of certification offered by the American Culinary Federation. These certificates, according to Clarke, are widely recognized overseas. Worldwide, there is no shortage of positions available for those who can demonstrate their expertise.

The Demand for Specialization

Recent years have seen a proliferation of new restaurants, and this trend is expected to continue indefinitely, as increases in population, household income and leisure time allow people to dine out more often. In addition, the growing number of two-income households will lead to an increasing dependence on the convenience of dining out. Because of the number of new restaurants, eateries need to differentiate themselves by providing a more specialized menu and atmosphere. Chefs who have studied overseas can demonstrate knowledge of specific local cuisine or regional fare, and are often sought after by specialized restaurants.

If You Can't Take the Heat, Stay Out of the Kitchen

Cooking is an art, and like most arts, it can be difficult to break into. Because most culinary schools are fairly expensive, a career in culinary arts usually requires some initial funding. Even after obtaining certification in the culinary arts, you may have to endure several years of low-paying positions. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook published by the United States Department of Labor, the median hourly wage of restaurant cooks in 2004 was $9.39. Lastly, chefs must withstand such frustrations as time pressure, working in close quarters and lifting heavy supplies. If these drawbacks don't deter you from pursuing a career in the kitchen, and you think you have what it takes to become an international culinary star, check out our useful resources.

This article originally appeared on Monster.

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