How long does it take to become a Sous Chef?

It takes 4 years of professional experience to become a sous chef. That is the time it takes to learn specific sous chef skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education. If you include the normal education requirements to complete a college degree, then it takes 7 to 9 years years to become a sous chef.

What is a sous chef and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Stacey Schwartz

A sous chef assists the head chef in managing the kitchen and preparing dishes. They supervise the kitchen staff, plan menus, and ensure food quality and safety. Sous chefs also manage inventory, order supplies, and maintain equipment. They participate in food preparation, cooking, and plating. Sous chefs need culinary skills, knowledge of food safety regulations, and strong leadership abilities. They work long hours in a fast-paced environment, often under pressure to meet customer demands.

What general advice would you give to a Sous Chef?

Stacey Schwartz

Chef Instructor, Edmonds Community College

I tell graduates that when you begin your career you should decide where you want to be working or what you want to be doing in five years from then and work backward. How will you get there? If you want to be a fine-dining chef, you should start by interning at a fine dining restaurant and try to get hired. Aim high!

ScoreSous ChefUS Average

Salary

3.8

Avg. Salary $48,716

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.2

Growth Rate 15%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.72%

Asian 11.31%

Black or African American 10.23%

Hispanic or Latino 17.76%

Unknown 5.29%

White 54.69%

Gender

female 17.87%

male 82.13%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress Level

9.2

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.4

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

0.2

Work Life balance is

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Sous Chef?

Pros

Competitive salary and benefits
Ability to showcase creativity and flair in culinary creations
Exposure to diverse culinary cultures and techniques
Access to state-of-the-art kitchen equipment and tools
Ability to work with fresh, high-quality ingredients

Cons

Long hours, often including evenings, weekends, and holidays
Intense physical demands, including standing for extended periods of time and lifting heavy objects
Limited time for personal life and hobbies due to demanding schedule
Limited flexibility in terms of menu planning and ingredient selection
Difficulty maintaining work-life balance due to demanding workload.

Key steps to become a sous chef

Explore sous chef education requirements

Most common sous chef degrees

Associate

51.2 %

Bachelor's

24.1 %

High School Diploma

13.5 %

Start to develop specific sous chef skills

Skills	Percentages
Culinary	14.58%
Food Handling	8.42%
Food Preparation	7.23%
Customer Service	5.34%
Fine Dining	4.82%

Complete relevant sous chef training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New sous chefs learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a sous chef based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real sous chef resumes.

Gain additional sous chef certifications

Sous chef certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific sous chef certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for sous chefs include Certified Culinary Administrator (CCA) and Certified Food Manager (CFM).

More About Certifications

Research sous chef duties and responsibilities

Manage FOH duties, along with customer relations.
Train, mentore, manage and discipline lead chefs, associate chefs, prep cooks, pastry assistants and dishwashers.
Manage a staff of 45 union personnel in preparation of meals for hospital patients and cafeteria patrons for three meals daily.
Control food and payroll costs to achieve maximum profitability.

Prepare your sous chef resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your sous chef resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a sous chef resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Sous Chef Resume templates

Build a professional Sous Chef resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Sous Chef resume.

Apply for sous chef jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a sous chef job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do sous chefs rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Sous Chef reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020

Pros

Design & creating food making customer happy cooking every area as line, prep, steam, broil, grill, creating comfort food desserts and catering. Ordering and managing a kitchen

Cons

Nothing to complain about love being a chef

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2019