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Cooks

Cooks prepare, season and cook food, often using pre-prepared ingredients, in clubs, private households, fast food outlets, shops selling food cooked on the premises and the catering departments and canteens of other establishments.

Wages

New workers
AVERAGE
Experienced
£6,533
£13,770
£28,538

New workers start around £6,533. Normal pay is £13,770 per year.
Highly experienced workers can earn up to £28,538.

Available jobs

In the past year there were 83,579 vacancies for this type of job

4.49%

Projected job growth over the next 8 years

Related courses

People work towards these careers by taking these courses at college and uni.

What they do most days?

  • Plans and co-ordinates kitchen work such as fetching, clearing and cleaning of equipment and utensils.

  • Cooks and sells a range of meals, such as fish and chips, over the counter.

  • Plans meals, prepares, seasons and cooks foodstuffs.

  • Requisitions or purchases foodstuffs and checks quality.

Hard Skills

Hard skills are specific, learnable, measurable, often industry or occupation-specific abilities related to a position.

Skills are ranked based on the number of job adverts that list them as required skills.

  • Cooking

  • Food Safety And Sanitation

  • Food Preparation

  • Restaurant Operation

  • Stock Control

  • Hazard Analysis And Critical Control Points (HACCP)

  • Menu Planning

  • Control Of Substances Hazardous To Health (COSHH)

  • Meal Planning And Preparation

  • Recipes

Soft Skills

Soft skills can be self-taught and usually do not necessitate a certain completed level of education.

Skills are ranked based on the number of job adverts that list them as required skills.

  • Communication

  • Cleanliness

  • Customer Service

  • Planning

  • Management

  • Detail Oriented

  • Enthusiasm

  • Operations

  • Teamwork

  • Organizational Skills

How do I get a job like this?

People in these types of job started their career paths after studying courses like the ones below.

Routes to this career

See all

Food and Nutrition Top-up

University College Birmingham

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Variable · Birmingham · 16/09/2024

Tariff points: N/A

Food Science

University of Leeds

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Leeds · 25/09/2024

Tariff points: 128/147

Food Science

University of Nottingham

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Loughborough · 23/09/2024

Tariff points: N/A

Food and Drink Engineer

University of Greenwich

DipHE · 2 Years · Full-time · Chatham · 09/2024

Tariff points: 96/96

Culinary Arts

Newcastle College University Centre

FdA · 2 Years · Full-time · Newcastle upon Tyne · 09/09/2024

Tariff points: 64/64

Food Science and Technology

Teesside University, Middlesbrough

BSc (Hons) · 4 Years · Sandwich · Middlesbrough · 16/09/2024

Tariff points: 96/112

Artisan Food Production

Nottingham Trent University

FdSc · 2 Years · Full-time · Southwell · 13/09/2024

Tariff points: 64/64

Food Innovation and Technology

College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise

FdSc · 2 Years · Full-time · Cookstown · 09/2024

Tariff points: 48/48

Culinary Arts and Management

Middlesbrough College

FD · 2 Years · Part-time · Middlesbrough · 16/09/2024

Tariff points: 48/48

Culinary Arts

Grwp Llandrillo Menai

FdA · 2 Years · Full-time · Colwyn Bay · 02/09/2024

Tariff points: 48/48

Food and Nutrition

Sheffield Hallam University

BSc (Hons) · 4 Years · Sandwich · Sheffield · 09/2024

Tariff points: 112/120

Food Science and Nutrition

Cardiff Metropolitan University

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Cardiff · 23/09/2024

Tariff points: 112/112

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