I saw another ad on TV last night for culinary schools. It had the flash and the glitz. There was the woman dressed as a chef talking about training chefs for exciting careers. And then today, I got another email from somewhere out there asking whether culinary school programs are worthwhile. So I’ve decided to take this one on.
Before going forward, I have to admit to biases and a point of view. I represent a group of students here in Oregon who are pursuing claims against Western Culinary Institute and Career Education Corp. Through the case, I’ve learned generally about for profit culinary schools. My take on all of this is colored by that experience, but it’s also driven by my private life as a dad who is putting kids through school. So none of this is legal advice. Think of it as one dad’s take on the cost of a private for-profit trade school education.
When you’re thinking about for-profit culinary school or any trade school, you’re already in a defined area of education. This isn’t about learning for the sake of learning. Instead, it’s getting skills that help you qualify for a job. That’s kind of obvious. Still, don’t ever lose sight of that because what you really want to know is whether the cost is worth it.
Costs at for-profit culinary schools can be very high. It’s not unusual for students to borrow $40,000 for a program that grants an associates degree in a period of one to two years.
The first question is what that buys you. Many trade schools provide potential students with placement information. Get it in writing. But you need more than just the numbers of students who are placed in the trade. You need to know what kinds of jobs they got, and you need to know what those jobs pay.
Here is what I mean.
There are plenty of jobs available in the culinary field. Think about all the baristas, line cooks, and dish washers out there. But those jobs usually pay very low wages, and they rarely require any formal training. So if a culinary school says that 95 percent of its graduates are placed in the field, you’ll want to know what kind of jobs those graduates are doing.
Here are some questions. How many of those 95 percent are chefs? Or restaurant managers? If 95 percent are placed in high-level jobs, then that’s one thing. But if those placement statistics include fast food workers, that’s a huge problem.
The other piece is that you need salary information, and it needs to be more than just an average salary figure. To say that graduates earn an “average” of $36,000 per year could mean that a lot of the students who graduate earn at that level, or it could mean that some earn $18,000 and some earn $54,000. You would want to know–wouldn’t you–if you were taking on debt of $40,000. So you would want to know how many earn $X, how many earn $Y, and how many earn $Z to put that average salary in context.
Some schools won’t give you that information. I would suggest that if a school will not provide that information, you might be getting into a really bad deal. You wouldn’t want to borrow $40,000 to go to school if the jobs that you get pay wages that won’t allow you to repay your loans. You also wouldn’t want to go to a program that doesn’t improve your job prospects.
Bottom line: Ask questions. If you don’t get answers, think about alternatives. There are a lot of great lower cost programs at our community colleges. They don’t straddle students with debt. The other way to get into the trade is to start at the bottom and work your way up. True, it takes time, but so does culinary school. The big difference is that working your way up the ladder doesn’t put you in debt.
Tags: culinary school, working on
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In response to this article, I would like to chime in on a few additional thoughts. There seems to be some constant factors that are almost always missed in these postings; the students personal schoolastic performance, class ranking and certainly the determination. I can teach anyone to cook but what many who go to culinary school look for is the bigger picture. Owning your own business, running a kitchen, working in the food service industry outside of the kitchen in a management capacity etc. I attended a college with a very highly regarded CA program and was in the top 5% of the class…hence was afforded a job opportunity with a quality employer. The college was proud to have their name on me as a representative of the institution…rather than someone who “skated” through without the seriousness required to be at the top. It is certainly about reputatuion. Again, I repeat it is certainly about reputation. I now own my own business and recruit directly from the top colleges and highly ranked students…just like any other profession. So in summary I would conclude that outsiders that have NO personal experience with culinary school or food service to be cautious when offering opinions and advice about whether a student should attend. The system works the way all colleges/post secondary educational facilities should. Perform and you will be rewarded. Slack and you will get by. Unfortunately in the collegiate world, simply having a “tag” from a particular school gets you in the door…which is wrong. We should all want to recruit from the top. So if your ambition is to work in a kitchen on a line for your career, certainly don’t go to culinary school. You’ll be fine. Save the great positions/opportunities for those who truly self evaluted a deep passion for the industry.
Adam-
Thanks so much for your comment and for adding your perspective. You raise some interesting points.
I have no experience with culinary school. But actually many years ago, I worked the line in a few restaurants to help fund my college education. So yes, I have experience in the trade. I continue to admire those who work in kitchens. I even credit much of my success as a trial lawyer to the training and experience I received as a line cook. Quality, speed, timing, discipline, and results are requirements for successful line cooks. Same is true for trial lawyers.
The thing is that according to labor statistics, less than 1 percent of workers in the culinary trade are chefs or head cooks. That means that there are few high-paying jobs and lots at the bottom. So that being true, isn’t it the case that a lot of CA degree students are going to be left out of the hi-paying end?
Congratulations on your great results to date. I hope they continue.
David Sugerman