How To Become A Chef Instructor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a chef instructor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Aside from being the master in the kitchen, a chef instructor educates and trains aspiring chefs in high school vocational programs, vocational schools, and colleges.

They have a lot on their plates. They conduct and provide lectures, demonstrations, homework, and guide skill labs. They also assess their students and inform them of the latest trends in food handling and preparation. They may have flexible work schedules since most of them still work as chefs in addition to teaching.

Asuming the role of the chef instructor needs strong culinary, teaching, and communication skills. Their formal experience as chefs also weigh heavily in effectively carrying out their responsibilities as educators.

To become a chef instructor, the basic requirement is an associate's or bachelor's degree in culinary arts, along with three to five years of professional experience. Obtaining teaching credentials and earning professional certification are also necessary.

ScoreChef InstructorUS Average

Salary

4.5

Avg. Salary $57,650

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.2

Growth rate 15%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.80%

Asian 10.72%

Black or African American 9.72%

Hispanic or Latino 19.04%

Unknown 5.45%

White 54.28%

Gender

female 29.98%

male 70.02%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

9.2

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

0.2

Work life balance is

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a chef instructor

Explore chef instructor education requirements

Most common chef instructor degrees

Associate

46.2 %

Bachelor's

36.5 %

Master's

6.5 %

Start to develop specific chef instructor skills

Skills	Percentages
Wine	21.93%
Customer Service	15.63%
Kitchen Equipment	14.28%
Cleanliness	13.53%
Culinary	12.90%

Complete relevant chef instructor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New chef instructors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a chef instructor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real chef instructor resumes.

Gain additional chef instructor certifications

Chef instructor certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific chef instructor certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for chef instructors include ServSafe Alcohol and Certified Executive Chef (CEC).

More About Certifications

Research chef instructor duties and responsibilities

Lead workforce to implement ACF accreditation of the school.
Manage and mentor the college caf team including training of new employees, students, and interns.
Control food and payroll costs to achieve maximum profitability.
Administer culinary and hospitality instruction at various educational institutions to future culinary professionals through guide course curriculum and hands-on demonstration.

Prepare your chef instructor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your chef instructor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a chef instructor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable chef instructor resume templates

Build a professional chef instructor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your chef instructor resume.

Apply for chef instructor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a chef instructor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do chef instructors rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Chef instructor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020

Pros

Design & creating food making customer happy cooking every area as line, prep, steam, broil, grill, creating comfort food desserts and catering. Ordering and managing a kitchen

Cons

Nothing to complain about love being a chef