I am just graduating from culinary school in a couple of weeks and I just wanted to post something for everyone out there who may find themselves in a similar situation. That situation is being used extensively for free labour. Now I understand that there are certain hurdles to clear in order to graduate, paying my dues is something that I don’t mind doing, but at what point is a person being taken advantage of? How many free shifts and stages does one have to work to prove their dedication.
I have currently been looking for a job for about 2 months now and have applied at alot of great places. The chefs all have the same idea. “Come in for a stage and see how you work out.” 10 hours and no money later I find myself back in the same place, still without work, still giving my time for free. I believe that restaurants use young cooks as free labour in order to keep costs down. I doubt that half of the places that offer these stages have any real intent to even hire that cook, no matter how good a job they do.
Everytime I go into one of these stages I always put my best foot forward. Show up on time with clean uniform, work clean and hard and show genuine interest in the kitchen and the food. I may not be the most experienced cook but I know my value and I see alot of the people in these places, and I know that I would be an asset for many of them, yet their miserly ways keep them from bringing me on. They would rather have one free shift, than take a chance on someone who seems really passionate and dedicated. I am interested to see how many of you out there are suffering from or have suffered from the same fate. Putting time and work into a place and getting very little if anything out of it. Any advice or comments are always appreciated. Until then, I guess I will just keep the faith that one of these days, all of the hard work and free labour will lead to something more than sore feet and a negative account balance.
I know how you feel dawg, sometimes it feels like no matter what you do, or what you’re capable of, it never amounts to dirty dick all, but when you know you want something, and you want it bad enough, there’s nowhere to go but forward, one day you’ll be the guy taking chances on a passionate young go-getter and you’ll know how you got there. : )
You’re one of the best, keep the head up and it’ll all come back to you, remember that luck is the residue of hard work!!
It can certainly be a grind. I firmly believe that when you find the place you need to be, they will welcome you in. You are going to spend a lot of your time working so why not be a little picky and wait for the place that fits just right. That goes both ways. I know it can be stressful looking for a job and getting treated as free labour, but it will pass. Keep your head up and don’t compromise.