hello is there any help for me i am 18 and have the biggest ambition for cooking im not the best cook in the world but i will give anything a go and more often than not it turns out for the best. can anyone help me turn it into a real career? i live in tunbridge wells kent if anyone knows of a course or job vacancy in the area? please help many thanks lloyd

Try West Kent College in Tonbridge - they do a couple of catering courses.

or try getting a job at Thackery's

Hiya LloydS, this is an industry that sorts the men from the boys so to speak and if you are really serious about your ambitions to become a chef then I would say go for it. College courses are a good start but if you approach any local restuarant or eaterier you may get a good response. almost all restaurants that I have been involved with are always looking for staff, at the lower end of the ranking people are more often than not transient, chefs move on constantly looking for bigger or different challenges, the same with commis chefs, pot washers, waiters/esses, bar staff, etc, as most restaurants these days are in very stiff competition and more than 50% close in the first year of trading the staff know that they are probably going to be in post for at most a short term, they learn and move on. New restaurants move in and the staff move into those posts. This is not a profession to be undertaken lightly, you have to realise that the thing is organic and is constantly changing and moving in different directions, no lesson learned or experience gained is wasted, it is all part of the rich patchwork that makes up the industry. If you still want to do it then prove to employers that you have a passion, I am not saying accept peanuts for pay but accept that you are in a learning situation at the moment. Make yourself known to local restauranteurs, if neccessary go to a chain such as Beefeater or Yates's to learn kitchen skills, (not just microwave skills) it may only be the first rung on the ladder but there has to be a first rung. Best of luck in your endeavours. Let us know how you get on. Never look on an experience as negative, just as a learning curve and a lesson in what not to do or what to do in the future.