What is a restaurant “Stage” and how can I do one?
“Staging” explained:
A restaurant “stage” (pronounced s-t-a-r-g-e) is where a chef, or sometimes front-of-house staff, go to work in a restaurant for free to gain experience. Stages are a great way of learning new techniques and broadening your culinary knowledge, plus they look great on a CV!
Where should I go for a restaurant stage?
Typically, for a stage, you would choose a restaurant which offers something different than where you currently work, whether to go and experience a Michelin environment or just a different style of cuisine. Choose somewhere:
That is going to offer a different aspect to your CV
Which is higher quality and perhaps more technically challenging than your current job
That you will be able to get a lot of knowledge out of - perhaps specifically from a chef you admire
For example, say you work in a high-quality gastro pub, you might choose to stage in a Michelin-star restaurant. Or perhaps you work in a French-focused establishment like the Ritz, you might want to change it up and get experience somewhere like Ikoyi or Opheem. The options are boundless, helping you to diversify and improve your skillset.
How to apply for a restaurant stage
First, choose a restaurant. Now I’m sure like any chef, you probably have a list of about a hundred places you have wanted to go and eat in. However, you need to choose wisely as to which restaurant is going to add the most value to your CV and your current ability as a chef.
If you are nervous about applying yourself, a good idea is to go to your head chef or chef patron. They are likely to know someone in the industry personally who can help you out. For my first stage I didn’t even apply, I simply went to my Chef Patron and told him I was looking for a stage. Luckily he had helped set up a two Michelin star kitchen a few years ago which had just won the best restaurant in the country. After a simple message to his best mate who happened to still be Chef Patron there, I was going on my first stage in two weeks’ time. Most employers will encourage you to go on a stage, they are a fantastic way of boosting staff training without having to pay for it themselves.
For my second stage, I decided to simply apply for a stage myself. I figured, you are literally offering to work for someone for free, and in the chef industry where staff are so in demand, how likely is it that you will be turned down? Of course at first I wasn’t really sure who to contact. I wanted to go to a prestigious French restaurant which has been around for 40 years, so there were many contact options.
A good place to start is often the careers department, if they have a careers email, start with that as they will be used to reading application letters/CV’s. If the restaurant is a smaller establishment, they might only have an ‘info’ email to contact.
How long should a restaurant stage be?
Stages can range from 1 day to 1 year. There are a few things to consider when deciding how long to take:
Does the restaurant have a minimum amount of time? Some will say a minimum of one or two weeks. (Some, Like Noma and Mugaritz request a minimum of 6 months!)
How long can you afford accommodation for the stage?
How long do you want to take out of your holiday?
How long do you think you will need to get the most out of the stage?
Some places will offer free accommodation. For my first stage, I got lucky and this was the case, however, I spent over £500 on accommodation for my second stage. A good time to go on a stage can be if you are in between jobs. This allows you to avoid taking a holiday to go and work at another restaurant for free.
I would recommend a two-week stage. This should hit the sweet-spot between exceeding most minimum terms, not spending too much on accommodation/wasting precious holiday and enabling you to spend enough time at the restaurant to gain the knowledge you are there for.
