News · 23 October 2026
Chef jobs require experience: graduate with 18 months of it
Employers want cooks who've already worked a real service, and the chef's title takes years in a kitchen. Here's why that's no reason to wait, and how our students leave school with three employer evaluations already on their CV.
Chef jobs require experience, and a lot of it: the US Bureau of Labor Statistics lists five years or more of related work experience as typical for chefs and head cooks.[1] At the Swiss Culinary Academy by BHMS you start collecting it in your first year, because every year of the culinary bachelor ends with a six-month paid internship.[5]
So you'll need experience either way. The real question is who gives you your first real shift, and when.
How much experience do chef jobs require?
More than most careers ask for. The typical entry-level education for chefs and head cooks is only a high-school diploma, but the experience line reads five years or more.[1] Many people start as line cooks and spend years in kitchens before anyone promotes them to chef or head cook.[1]
That's the catch every culinary student runs into. Kitchens that are hiring want someone who has already worked a service, and nobody gets that without being hired first.
Do employers care about internships?
Yes, and more than about grades. In the National Association of Colleges and Employers' Job Outlook 2026 survey, employers named an internship with their own organization, or in their industry, as the two most influential factors when choosing between two otherwise equal candidates.[2] Those were the only two attributes rated as having "very much influence." A GPA of 3.0 or higher came in below general work experience, leadership and extracurricular activities.[2]
The survey isn't about restaurants in particular. Still, the message for a cook is the same: experience in the industry is what tips the decision.
How do our students get work experience before graduating?
You don't have to go looking for it. It's built into the program: each academic semester is followed by a six-month internship placement, and the bachelor includes three of them.[4] That's 18 months of professional work over three years.
| Year | Award | Internship | Who assesses you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | Diploma in Culinary Arts | Semester 2, six months | The employer, against agreed developmental criteria[3] |
| Year 2 | Higher Diploma in Culinary Arts | Semester 4, six months | The employer, against agreed developmental criteria[3] |
| Year 3 | Bachelor of Arts in Culinary Arts | Semester 6, six months | The employer, against an extensive set of employee appraisal criteria[3] |
After each placement you write a reflection on how you've grown. In the last one you also finish a career development plan.[3]
The internships are paid. In Switzerland the rate from January 2027 is CHF 2,404 gross a month, before deductions for board, lodging and social insurance.[5] That's about $2,920 at the European Central Bank's reference rates of October 23, 2026 (1 franc = $1.2131).[6]
Do you have to find the internship yourself?
No. The placement service is part of the fee.[5] Every new student takes a CV and interview skills workshop, then meets the placement officer one on one, and the team introduces your CV to employers.[4] You still interview, and you still have to earn the place. You just don't do it alone.
What this means for you
Picture the first job ad you answer after graduating. It asks for experience, and this time you have it. Your CV lists three placements, three employer evaluations and a career development plan you wrote yourself.[3] That's exactly what the hiring side says tips a close decision.[2]
It changes the interview too. You won't be guessing what a working day in the industry feels like. You can talk about what you did, what was hard and what you'd do differently, because you've already had to put it in writing after every placement.
It won't make you a head chef on day one. The years in the kitchen still count, and nobody skips them. But you'll start them 18 months ahead of someone with no work history, with three placements behind you to find out which kind of work suits you best.
And you don't have to commit to all three years up front. Year 1 ends with its own Diploma and one internship, Year 2 with the Higher Diploma and a second.[3] You need to be at least 17 with a high-school diploma or equivalent, and you study in English in programs accredited by ACFEFAC, the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation Accrediting Commission.[3][5]
What's the next step?
The next start dates are November 16, 2026, February 22, 2027 and August 16, 2027.[5] If you graduate high school in spring 2027, August is the first one after graduation. See how placements work on our internships page, or look at the first year in detail on the Diploma in Culinary Arts page.