Do you love food and drink? Are you passionate about trying new recipes and types of food? If so, you might want to consider these careers in the food industry.
There are lots of steps that go into producing, selling, and serving the food and drink products that we all enjoy every day. That means there are a wide array of possible careers in the industry for you to choose from. Here are six you might not have considered.
Chef
Do you love to cook? People love to eat and there is always space in the food industry for talented chefs. You could work in a small local cafe or a Michelin-starred restaurant, or in a completely different environment such as a school kitchen or a cruise ship. Working as a chef will involve preparing food, serving it in an attractive and appealing way, and working in a fast-paced and sometimes high-pressure environment.
When you’ve got more experience, you could grow into a Head Chef role. This will also involve planning menus, ordering stock, managing a budget, and overseeing the rest of the kitchen team. You could specialise in a certain type of cooking (for example, vegetarian food or a specific cultural cuisine) or even open your own restaurant someday.
There are many routes into becoming a chef. You might learn on the job as an apprentice, take a certificate in hospitality and catering, get an HND or HNC in Professional Cookery, or start at the bottom as a trainee chef or kitchen assistant and work your way up.
Head Chefs with a lot of experience can earn as much as £50,000 per year.
Food Technologist
Have you ever wondered who creates all those foods you see on the shelf in the supermarket? Who comes up with those new flavour combinations and those new and innovative ways of producing food? That’s the job of a Food Technologist.
If you have an interest in science as well as food, working as a Food Technologist is a fantastic way to blend these two passions into a tasty career. The job generally involves a mixture of office work, lab work, and kitchen work. You’ll use your scientific understanding of food and nutrition to create new products, refine existing products, and help ensure that all the products that make it to market are safe and delicious.
A degree in Food Science or a similar subject is a great way into this field. Some companies also offer Apprenticeships which will teach you the skills you need while you work and earn a wage.
Food Technologists in the UK can earn anything from £20,000 up to £45,000, depending on experience.
Restaurant Manager
Do you love food and providing an amazing experience for customers? If you’re a foodie with a passion for service and a great head for business, working as a Restaurant Manager will allow you to dazzle your customers, lead a team in a fast-paced environment, and help the business to thrive.
Restaurant Managers oversee many different aspects of day to day life in a busy restaurant. You’ll likely be responsible for hiring, training, and overseeing staff, for working with suppliers and managing stock and budgets, and for ensuring that the relevant rules and regulations are followed. You might also help plan menus, possibly in partnership with the Head Chef.
Many restaurant managers started as waiting staff or kitchen workers and worked their way up. This experience gives you a grounding in how a restaurant works and prepares you for management responsibility. Many large chain restaurants also offer management training schemes. Other options include a HND or HNC in a hospitality or catering subject, an Apprenticeship, or even volunteering to get your foot in the door.
Restaurant Managers can earn anything from £18,000 up to £45,000, depending on experience and location.
Catering Manager
If you love working with people and want to oversee every aspect of the food service process from kitchen to table, you might enjoy working as a Catering Manager. Catering Managers can work in a wide variety of locations, from hotels and restaurants to hospitals, schools, prisons, local authorities, or for special events companies.
As a Catering Manager, you’ll be in charge of planning menus to meet your clients’ expectations and budget. You’ll also recruit and train catering staff, organise shifts and rotas, liaise with suppliers, and ensure that health and safety regulations are followed. In some environments, you might also interact with customers or do some “front of house” work.
You can work your way up to a Catering Manager role from a food service, waiting, or kitchen role if you work hard and persevere. You could also take a BTEC or HND in a relevant hospitality or catering subject, or become an Apprentice.
Experienced Catering Managers can earn up to £40,000 per year.
Cellar Technician
When you order a drink at a pub or restaurant, various pieces of equipment are used to serve those drinks to you. Cellar Technicians are responsible for installing, maintaining, and repairing the pipes, taps, cooling systems, and other equipment used to store and serve beverages in catering environments.
If you’re a practical person who is good with your hands and enjoys building and repairing things, working as a Cellar Technician is a great way to use these skills in the food and drink industry. Duties might include ordering parts, visiting premises to install and repair equipment, diagnosing and fixing problems, setting up temporary bar systems for events, and training staff on the proper use of their equipment.
An engineering qualification, such as a degree or diploma, is a great way to get started as a Cellar Technician. You may also be able to become an apprentice, start by working behind a bar or in a drinks cellar and work your way up, or take the Level 2 National Certificate for Drinks Dispense course offered by The Brewing, Food and Beverage Industry Suppliers Association.
A typical Cellar Technician salary ranges from £20,000 to £30,000.
Food Factory Worker
All those frozen, tinned, dried, and baked goods you see on the supermarket shelves have been produced and packaged in a factory. Food factory workers operate the production line that begins with raw ingredients and ends with the foods we all buy. If you’re passionate about food, good with your hands, and pay close attention to detail, working in a food factory could be a great option for you.
Tasks might include operating machinery, checking and maintaining equipment and reporting problems, monitoring ingredients supplies and reordering stocks when necessary, and packing products ready for shipping. You’ll need to be thorough and meticulous and be willing to adhere to strict safety standards and quality controls.
You can apply directly for food factory jobs and often won’t need any specific prior experience. It’s a great way into the industry. GCSEs and experience of working in a production environment are advantageous, but may not be essential. You could also take a Food and Drink Process Operator Apprenticeship, earning a wage while you gain a qualification.
Food factory workers typically make between £14,000 and £27,000 per year.
