• You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community, you will have access to additional post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), view blogs, respond to polls, upload content, and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free, so please join our community today! Just click here to register. You should turn your Ad Blocker off for this site or certain features may not work properly. If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us by clicking here.

getting a job as a dishwasher

prplchknz

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
34,397
MBTI Type
yupp
I want to go to culinary school, to become either a caterer or a personal chef. but I have to pay for it myself I figure get a job in a resteraunt the problem is I don't know Spanish which is useful in California do you think it's still possible to get a job as a dishwasher and work my way up? I do not want to get my BA it makes me suicidal thinking about going back to school, which if i did finish my BA my mom would pay for culinary school. My mom being so controlling I want to do this route so I can finally cut the ties from her and live my life how I choose.
 

kelric

Feline Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2007
Messages
2,169
MBTI Type
INtP
I suspect that it's possible to start out as a dishwasher and work your way up... but there's a limit. It's been quite a few years since I've worked in restaurants, but in my experience, you're likely to hit a ceiling on the "work your way up" path. Especially if you're looking to do something that ordinarily comes from a culinary-school track. It's far more likely that you'd work your way up (assuming that would work out) to restaurant management rather than a more creative (which is I'm guessing what you're interested in?) role.

Also -- this may not be a big deal, but you'd struggle financially on the way up. Dishwashers, particularly, are at the bottom of a low-paying industry, in general. Frankly, if you see any way you could put up with it, (I know you don't want to hear it, and hence I hate saying it, but...) finish that BA and accept your Mom's help, if she's really prepared to help you with what *you* want. You've already put in a lot of time for the BA, and once it's done, it's done -- and yours forever.

But, if you're really not into that option, I think you'd be better off avoiding a national chain-type restaurant. You don't want to enter the system as a cog.
 

prplchknz

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
34,397
MBTI Type
yupp
I don't want to work in a resteraunt for the rest of my life, I just was thinking if I'm going to have to support myself through school all I can get is minimum wage so it means loans and hard work. and i figure resteraunt work makes the most since, I don't plan becoming head chef or anything. But I still don't think it hurt to work in a resteraunt even if I ultimately fold and get my BA which is my mom's choice not mine.
 

Thalassa

Permabanned
Joined
May 3, 2009
Messages
25,183
MBTI Type
ISFP
Enneagram
6w7
Instinctual Variant
sx
I actually would like to work in a restaurant for the rest of my life if I A) had to work and B) couldn't write for a living. Except I wouldn't want to wash dishes or wait tables or be a manager. I'd love to be certified as a pastry chef, and making fancy wedding cakes (well, and cakes for other occasions) would be ideal.
 

prplchknz

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
34,397
MBTI Type
yupp
yesterday I applied for a volunteer position at berkeley food and housing project. the posistion includes prepping the food, serving it, and cleaning up after. I'm waiting to hear back from them I'll be able to do it probably tues-thurs. But it be nice to get a paying job on top of this.
 

Coriolis

Si vis pacem, para bellum
Staff member
Joined
Apr 18, 2010
Messages
27,230
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
You might not have to settle for minimum wage while working your way through school. For part of my school time, I was able to earn almost twice that doing office work through temp agencies.

On the other hand, a BA in a field like management or marketing might actually help if you eventually want to do catering.
 
Joined
Jun 6, 2007
Messages
7,312
MBTI Type
INTJ
I think if you work your way up in restaurants and THEN go to culinary school, you might be ahead of the game by actually knowing how restaurants work. I'm sure a lot of that knowledge would be applicable to catering operations as well. Instead of applying to be a dishwasher though, why don't you call every catering company in your city and see what they have to offer? Be perfectly blunt with them. Say that you have interest in a culinary career with a specific interest in catering. They're more apt to hire someone with a long term interest in the field than someone just looking for a $10/hr job. Good luck!
 

prplchknz

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
34,397
MBTI Type
yupp
I think if you work your way up in restaurants and THEN go to culinary school, you might be ahead of the game by actually knowing how restaurants work. I'm sure a lot of that knowledge would be applicable to catering operations as well. Instead of applying to be a dishwasher though, why don't you call every catering company in your city and see what they have to offer? Be perfectly blunt with them. Say that you have interest in a culinary career with a specific interest in catering. They're more apt to hire someone with a long term interest in the field than someone just looking for a $10/hr job. Good luck!
I'm actually planning on talking to my sister-in-law's friend who has worked catering, in resteraunts, and bakeries and see if she can give me pointers on the best route to take.
 

Sanctus Iacobus

New member
Joined
Mar 9, 2011
Messages
286
MBTI Type
STP
I've heard of plenty of people who start at a position like dishwasher and work into various high paying roles. It's just a matter of how hard you're willing to work. Hard-working dishwasher who can learn is more suitable for a cook position than someone with a culinary education that won't do a good job no matter what they know.
 

prplchknz

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
34,397
MBTI Type
yupp
I can already cook most things I started learning when I was 3 so I can defiently learn. I'm pretty natural at figuring out how much spice something needs and what spice to make a dish amazing
 

Giggly

No moss growing on me
Joined
Jun 12, 2008
Messages
9,661
MBTI Type
iSFj
Enneagram
2
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
I don't know if it's been mentioned already but you don't have to work as a dishwasher first to become a caterer.
You can just become a caterer now if you want.
You have a kitchen in your home already to cook in (or your clients home if you are hired) and the internet and a mouth to advertise.

You can start by selling boxed lunches or boxed dinners to people, if you like.
Think about the kinds of people who would need a caterer and try to market to them with your boxed meals.

anyways, just an idea....
 

Betty Blue

Let me count the ways
Joined
Jan 19, 2010
Messages
5,063
MBTI Type
ENFP
Enneagram
7W6
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
If you are happy working minimum wage then why not. Work is work and if it's in a field you want to progress in then it's a good start esp if it's just to pay your way through college/uni. I'd say you could probably go straight into a role as commis chef though in a small place rather than start as a dishwasher.
I also agree with Giggly about starting your own business but i imagine that would be really quite time consuming if you are also going to college/uni, but who knows could be a real benefit.
 
F

FigerPuppet

Guest
I actually would like to work in a restaurant for the rest of my life if I A) had to work and B) couldn't write for a living. Except I wouldn't want to wash dishes or wait tables or be a manager. I'd love to be certified as a pastry chef, and making fancy wedding cakes (well, and cakes for other occasions) would be ideal.

START YOUR OWN THREAD
 

ICUP

New member
Joined
Apr 26, 2011
Messages
1,787
MBTI Type
ISTP
Enneagram
6w5
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
If my food was of pro-quality, I would start catering then, or open my own restaurant. Do some reading on the ins-and-outs.
If you feel like you need restaurant experience to understand more and get your feet wet, go that route.
I don't see why you need a culinary degree to meet your objective, unless you want one for some other reason.
 

CzeCze

RETIRED
Joined
Sep 11, 2007
Messages
8,975
MBTI Type
GONE
Culinary school is not necessary and if you do go to culinary school you might as well go for the most prestigious one you can get into. FMW is right, if you have any restaurant experience before you go to culinary school you will have a huge leg up. The fact that you are young also helps, the restaurant/kitchen business is still openly ageist in a lot of kitchens. I think Anthony Bourdain...or some other famous was quoted as not hiring anyone over the age of 23 or something to work in the kitchen - because he wanted people who would learn quickly and had nothing to unlearn. Try it out and see if you like it before you go to culinary school. Because you make love cooking but you might hate working in a kitchen. I've been in at least one large kitchen at a restaurant and I thought I was in the bowels of hell.
 

prplchknz

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
34,397
MBTI Type
yupp
I think I'll try it. but now I want to work for a non-profit trying to get fairer food laws both to make healthy food more widely available and to get rid of factory farming. why do i change my mind every 2 minutes about the future? also I'm 24 but look 17 people in the hospital kept telling me to quit lying about my age. Really, if I was going to lie I'd say 21, the workers even doubled checked my chart to make sure I was in the right place, looking young has both its advantages and disadvantages.
 

entropie

Permabanned
Joined
Apr 24, 2008
Messages
16,767
MBTI Type
entp
Enneagram
783
I would finish the BA first. My girlfriend started the education to become a nurse. She hated it after half a year. The thing lasted 3 years and she had to do 4 because she was ill so often one year that she got one extra. She's proud of herself that she went thru with it, tho she otherwise never wents thru with thinmgs and throws em away halfway.

I'ld finish the BA and then go to culinary school.
 

skylights

i love
Joined
Jul 6, 2010
Messages
7,756
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
6w7
Instinctual Variant
so/sx
START YOUR OWN THREAD

don't you know? ENFPs offer their thread-derailing services for $20 baseline cost + $5/post.

alas, i am not being paid to type this one, so to the OP, i would say i suspect there are better ways of going about getting into the field than dishwashing - though that's a fine min wage job, if that's what you need right now.

I'ld finish the BA and then go to culinary school.

:yes: and just avoid your mom as much as possible.
 

CurlyJoe

New member
Joined
Sep 22, 2009
Messages
16
MBTI Type
ISTP
Enneagram
9w1
I worked as a dishwasher at a hotel during college and my advice is to be sure to ask whether the position includes prep work, if that really interests you. At this hotel, dishwashers reported to the Chief Steward and never did anything but wash dishes. Pot washers, however, reported to the Chef and would help with prep work whenever there were no pots to wash. They also worked more closely with the cooks and pastry chefs and could better observe operation of the kitchen. This is how it worked at a large kitchen that served many restaurants.
 
Top