Thursday 27 October 2016

USA Internship Program by Vira International

“I’m already starting to gain great insights as to how the Hospitality industry works”

“Fantastic opportunities, lots of encouragement & superb guidance”



An internship helps tremendously in fast tracking your career growth. It has a great deal to offer and reaping its benefits will bring you substantially closer to perfecting your social and work related skills. In a nutshell, this is what our J1 USA internship program offers aspiring hoteliers.

Experiencing a cross-border work ethic and environment is truly a unique experience. It is not only about being in another country or meeting new people but primarily focuses on what you learn, how you adapt to new cultures and assimilate knowledge, new cuisines, new social customs, new languages and last but not least, enhances your creativity. The USA internship program is a once in a lifetime opportunity for talented students and graduates to experience the best that the world of hospitality has to offer!

Focusing on these advantages, we encourage and support Hospitality institutions in India, the UK & EU to participate in our J1 USA internship program.

Simple Steps to participate in our J1 USA program:

Valid for all hospitality institutions and participants in India, the UK & the EU.

The concerned institution or candidate requires to provide us with the following participant documents:

  • A comprehensive resume accompanied by a recent photograph of the candidate (in word format only)
  • Cover letter
  • Reference letters from previous employers (at least 2)
  • Degree or diploma certificates
  • Mark sheets
  • Passport pages (first and last)
  • Certificate of proficiency in the English language (IELTS, TOEFL, SLEP, TOEIC etc.) In the event a candidate does not have this certification, s/he will be required to take a free English assessment test accessible on www.testpodium.com and thereafter forward the results to Vira International.

Once we have received all the applications, an internal candidate evaluation is conducted. Thereafter, details of suitable candidates are forward to our partner hotels in the USA. After the short listing process is completed we will notify the colleges and participants in order to coordinate telephone or Skype interviews. Upon selection, we will share the offer letter, formal job description and details of your remuneration package as well as benefits information received from the future employer.  

This entire process may take between 4-12 weeks, depending upon the job requirements and candidates profile.

For all information and queries, please reach out to us via e-mail at lorraine@virainternational.com

You may also email your referral names with contact details or send your CV to: anjum@vira.co.uk or lorraine@virainternational.com

For additional information please visit our website: www.vira.co.uk

Thursday 13 October 2016

BECOMING A CHEF? FINDING THE RIGHT CHEF JOBS IN THE UK

The usual notion of a Chef is a cook with white hat and apron mainly found inside a restaurant or in the hotel’s kitchen. It’s actually right, but this person is a highly trained culinary professional when it comes to menu planning, cooking, food preparation and presentation as well as being in charge of the complete kitchen. These are just a few of the basic responsibilities of being a chef. In reality, it is a broad career path because in the long run once can shift from being a head chef to a restaurant owner, a culinary administrator or educator and the lists goes on and on.



Skills and Qualities to become a Chef

Being a chef is not that easy. One must have the passion for cooking and a love for food. Basically these are the dynamic duo in an individual’s drive to becoming a successful chef. Aside from these traits, an individual must also possess the following:

  1. Excellent leadership and communication skills
  2. Team Player
  3. Multitasking capability
  4. Creative and Imaginative
  5. Superior standards when it comes to hygiene and cleanliness
  6. Great organizational skills

Steps to becoming a Chef

Having an educational degree is not always a prerequisite to becoming a chef. Many a good chef  have excelled by ‘learning by doing’. Simply possessing a good standard education such as a good command of the English language and basic Math skills are great building blocks in pursuing a culinary career path. The following steps will guide you accordingly:

  • Acquiring a kitchen job in the hotel or restaurant

Having the basic know-how on how the kitchen in a restaurant or hotel works or operates is really important to become a chef.  In the beginning, this may involve washing dishes, throwing garbage and basically doing the ‘dirty’ kitchen chores. However, what’s important is getting ample experience by interacting with professional chefs in the kitchen, because you will be able to learn new cooking methods and tricks of the trade. Because the world of cuisine is continuously evolving and being up to date is essential.

  • Obtaining a High School Diploma

Before enrolling in a culinary school or even an apprenticeship, it is an essential for you to have high school diploma. A fair comprehension of the English language and basic Math will help you go along the way.

  • Getting a Formal Education at a Culinary School

There are different program offers for one to achieve their dream or of being a chef de cuisine. The course duration is between one and four years. The certification can be an associate or bachelor’s degree or a diploma. Though it’s not a necessity, it will definitely give you the edge in your field especially if your aiming for a senior culinary position with great responsibilities.

  • Gaining Valuable Experience

After studying or completing a formal education at a culinary school, it is necessary to put theory into practice. Training and working under a qualified professional chef will surely hone your skills and knowledge. This opportunity will also widen your professional network.

  • Certification

Obtaining certification or proof of specialization isn’t really required, although it’s always an advantage and provides fillip to career advancement and better remuneration.


Different Culinary Chef Titles

  1. Sous Chef is the head chef’s assistant in the kitchen
  2. Chef de Partie is the chef who supervises a specific area of production
  3. Executive Chef/Head Chef/Chef de Cuisine is the individual who manages all the kitchen activities related to the kitchen such as menu planning, food quality, cost, presentation, kitchen inventory and managing culinary staff.
  4. Commis chef is also known as chef in training or basically a trainee in the kitchen. The Commis works under the supervision of a Chef de Partie, to learn each production area in the kitchen.

All kitchens have a traditional Brigade system. The Brigade also consists of Chef’s who specialize in a certain production process or cuisine. A few titles are, Chef de Patisserie, Chef de Garde Manger, Saucier, Chef de Poisson etc.

Work Opportunities

In our ever changing, hectic world there is an increasing tendency towards formal eating out as well as enjoying a relaxed meal at a Café or Bistro. Recent studies have revealed that there is a huge lack of skilled chefs in the UK.  Once you are a qualified chef you can enjoy working across a broad spectrum of hospitality establishments like hotels, restaurants, cafés, wine bars as well as in education.

Remember if you love food and have the passion for cooking, pursue your dream of becoming a Chef!

For more information on Internship, job recruitment and advice feel free to visit our website at www.vira.co.uk