Living frugally with Junior Chef Jobs in New York

The ever changing occupation of a Chef is one of the most exciting career paths in the world. At the start of your career in New York, the base pay is usually low and you may be required to put long hours into Chef Jobs to impress the management. Paying Your Bills in New York City is not easy, irrespective of what Classification of Taxpayer you belong to.

It can be particularly depressing when you get a low weekly wage after having worked in ungodly hours day in and day out. Nevertheless, more and more folks in New York, especially the ones who are afraid of office cubicles, are seeing Chef Jobs as a viable career option. As junior chef jobs mostly offer low pay, people are wary about seeing entry level wages as a reliable source of income. The median annual wage for entry-level chefs in New York City is around $23,000 and experienced chefs earn up to $60,000. Salaries aren’t really standardized in the city’s restaurant business. Even junior chefs can earn from $30,000 to $35,000 in the top restaurants in NY. Yet, there are hardly any worker benefits, like medical and retirement plans. So, making a living with Junior Chef Jobs in USA can be quite tough, especially in well-to-do spots like New York. But it’s still feasible.

Give priority to On-the-job training

Many do the mistake of splurging their dad’s hard-earned money on pointless Culinary Degrees. And all they end up earning as a beginner in the industry is meagre hourly wages. Most employers in the food industry prefer people with real world experience as chefs to the ones who just have a Culinary Degree. Each kitchen has its own peculiarities and unique requirements. So you will be required to do a whole lot of learning on the fly. This would be seen by employers as much more valuable than your ability to recount theory from culinary textbooks.

Spend less on accommodation, grocery and travel

It's no secret that NY rents are expensive. Not being wise on your rental spending will burn a hole in your pocket. Typically, the way out is to share rooms in the suburbs with coworkers or friends. Avoid spending too much on rentals – you are going to be in your restaurant most of the time anyway. All you need is some place to sleep - nothing wrong in getting it cheap. If your restaurant allows it, you can take leftovers home and save some bucks on grocery as well. Avoid expensive means of transportation. Check if your restaurant offers any conveyance benefits for employers.

Check out other restaurants

After a hectic week of work, there would be hardly any time for visiting other restaurants and perhaps try out their cuisine. Most folks would rather spend the time on entertainment, cleaning the room, dating, etc. In any case, make sure you visit other restaurants during your free time. This will help you to learn what works and what doesn’t in these eateries. This way you will get to know more about your industry and also network with chefs and employees of other restaurants. And who knows, you may end up meeting your date!

Ask your restaurant for a pay raise

If you have put a good number of years in the same kitchen, it could be your time to ask for a raise. Schedule an appraisal meeting with your employer and ask if your pay could be increased for taking up additional responsibilities. You can also consider moving to a new restaurant if you feel you have spent enough years in a specific kitchen. This will help you to gather experience in a new environment and eventually improve your paycheck.