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Chef

Chefs are responsible for the whole range of Navy's catering requirements from meals for a hungry ship's company to seven course silver service formal banquets for VIPs and dignitaries - and everything in between. You could be preparing a cocktail party to be held by the Commanding Officer while in a foreign country or preparing a dietary meal for a patient at the Navy Hospital.You will prepare meals at sea and ashore and may even cook 'in the field' on peacekeeping operations overseas.

Your career will start with initial and specialist training before posting to a shore based galley to practice your new skills. Further postings will see you serving at sea and ashore with further training and courses available to help with your career development and progression. Those that make the grade are able to sit for written examinations for the City and Guilds of London Institute.

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Pre-joining Requirements
Training
Qualifications
Your Lifestyle
Career Progression
Career Progression Chart
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Pre-joining Requirements

Be a minimum of 17 years of age
Have completed at least three years of secondary education
Be a NZ citizen or have permanent residency and have lived in NZ for five years
Be medically fit for service
Be of good character – assessed by study of testimonials and a police record check
Be free of any criminal convictions for the previous two years

Download the Entry Requirements Guide to see what school subjects and credits are required.

Training
You will start your Naval Training at the Devonport Naval Base with basic and specialist training. Your specialist chef training will be undertaken at the Navy’s Catering School where you will learn and develop skills in modern and relevant catering skills. Following this initial training phase, you will complete on job training (OJT) and consolidate in one of the galleys in Devonport Naval Base. As you gain more experience, you will post to sea for up to 18 months to become part of a small team onboard a ship that providing catering support to the Ship’s Company.

As your career progresses, you will undertake further training to develop your generic leadership skills and specialist skills. The ability to manage people effectively and efficient is a key part of your development. This training will provide you with additional skills and expertise to assist with your career progression

Qualifications Earned
Chefs receive comprehensive Navy training throughout their careers at a basic, supervisory and managerial level and receive qualifications in the following areas:

Food preparation
Food cookery
Food presentation
Food serving
Personal hygiene
Food hygiene
Kitchen safety
Customer Service
Causes of food poisoning

Your basic chef training is validated by the award of City and Guilds of London Institute 7065/11 (Certificate in Food Preparation and Cooking) and Safe Food NZQA 167, 168 and 20666. Your advanced training, usually completed within 3 – 4 years of joining, is validated by the award of City and Guilds of London Institute 7065/12 (Certificate in Advanced Food Preparation and Cooking).

Chefs also receive additional leadership training to assist with their career progression in both a specialist and general role.

Your Lifestyle
You will work in galleys (kitchens) at sea and in shore establishments. You will work alongside fellow chefs who will be at various stages of their career. Your duties will include the preparation and cooking of regular meals for as few as 10 people to as many as 200. This means that your working day could start as early as 0500 and finish as late as 2200.

In addition, whilst serving on ship, you will take part in various functions as part of the ship’s communal effort. This can be as varied as carrying out damage control activities, being part of a boarding team, general seamanship activities, domestic cleanliness duties, storing, and ammunition handling – just to name a few.

Career Progression
Your hard work, experience, and training accomplishments as a Chef are rewarded by promotions in rank and salary. Following your initial training and consolidation, you can reasonably be expected to have attained a basic level of competence within 18 months of joining. This will be supplemented by a sea posting and then further training to prepare you for promotion to a supervisory role.

Advanced training will involve both generic leadership skills and development as a chef. Successful completion of these will qualify you for a promotion to Leading Hand whereby you will be responsible for supervising a team of chefs, either at sea or ashore.

Career Progression Chart