Career Guide is a series of occupational briefs which aims to provide information on hard to fill and highly-in-demand occupations identified during the 2006 National Manpower Summit and the 2007 National Human Resource Conference. The Career Guides contain such information as the nature of the job, its education and competency requirements, earnings, employment and job outlook.

Cook

Cooks prepare and cook a wide variety of food stuffs in hotels, restaurants and other public eating places, on board ships and in private households establishments.

Tasks

Prepare and cook complete meals or individual dishes and foods;
Cook special meals for patients as instructed by a dietician;
Oversee subordinate personnel in preparation cooking and handling;
Plan menus;
Determine size of food portions;
Monitor and order kitchen supplies;

Basic Educational Requirement

There is no specific educational requirement for Cooks. However, most employers prefer to hire high school graduates, and those who had several years of work experience, on the job-training, and/or vocational training.

Skills and Competencies

Management of material resources;
Management of personnel resources;
Coordination;
Implementation and planning.

Physical Attributes and Characteristics

Have a keen sense of taste and smell;
Can withstand the pressure and strain of standing for hours at a time;
Manual dexterity;
Can withstand constant pressure to prepare meals quickly;
Work well as a part of a team;
Neat.
Physically fit (free from communicable diseases).

Salary/Compensation

Salaries of cooks vary greatly according to the type of establishment in which they work. Salaries are usually highest in elegant restaurants and hotels. The monthly salary of cooks ranges from P9,000 to 15,000.

Prospects for Career Advancement

Advancement opportunities for cooks depend on their training, work experience, and ability to perform more responsible and sophisticated tasks. A number of them may advance to Head Cook, Chef and specialist chefs, Souse-chef and Executive chef. Others go into business as caterers or restaurant owners, while others become instructors in culinary schools.

Employment Opportunities

Employment growth will be spurred by increases in population, household income, and leisure time that will allow people to dine out and take vacations more often. In addition, growth in the number of two-income households will lead more families to opt for the convenience of dining out.

Cost of Training *

The cost of training in commercial cookery is around P6,000. Basic kitchen skills and techniques in preparing stocks, soups and sauces are learned here. This cooking course will also teach the participants new recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner through the hands-on session.

* Based on 2007 rates