A baker in the U.K. is a craftsman who produces and sells a range of baked goods and confectionery items. These items can include baguettes, rolls, cakes, cupcakes, biscuits and pastries. As a baker, you could be employed in a small independent bakery, a large plant or a catering operation. If you work in a plant, you work on a mass production scale using heavy machinery. In smaller markets and shops, the batches are smaller and more customized.
Instructions
1. Apply to a culinary school to get a degree in baking. This is the most traditional way to secure a position as a baker. This may be very expensive for you, so if you are not sure about a full-time baking career, take a short course to see if this is really the career for you.
2. Apply as a trainee in a bakery without any training. You may do a lot of manual work when you start, like washing dishes and cleaning the shop, but you can work your way up with hard work.
3. Apply for an apprenticeship if school and being an assistant do not interest you. As an apprentice you will start baking right away but under the tutelage of a master baker. Research the range of apprenticeships available in your local town by visiting the Apprenticeships Organization. See Resources below for contact information.
4. Receive on-the-job training while you are working as a baker. You can work toward NVQ levels 1, 2 or 3 in Bakery. These levels include bakery and retail service, dough production, flour confectionery production and design and development of specialist individual bakery products.
5. Join the Federation of Bakers, or contact them to learn about the baking profession (see Resources below). They will have more information about employers, training and information relevant to the baking industry. They can be reached at 6 Catherine Street, London, WC2B 5JW.
6. Expect a beginning salary for an entry-level baking position to be between £11,500 and £13,550 a year. With more experience, you can make between £15,500 and £20,000. As a master or senior baker, your salary could be up to £30,000.
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