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Career

Cooks, Private Household

Typical education: Certificate or apprenticeshipLower pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Prepare meals in private homes. Includes personal chefs.

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Artistic: Creating, designing and expressing ideas through art, writing, music or performance.
  • Social: Helping, teaching, caring for and supporting other people.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $47,940 Median per year · $23.05/hr Most earn $36,090–$91,130

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Plan and prepare food for parties, holiday meals, luncheons, special functions, and other social events.
  • Create and explore new cuisines.
  • Plan menus according to employers' needs and diet restrictions.
  • Serve meals and snacks to employing families and their guests.
  • Stock, organize, and clean kitchens and cooking utensils.
  • Travel with employers to vacation homes to provide meal preparation at those locations.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
5% more jobs by 2035, faster than average · about 5,000 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Self-employed (their own business)79.7%
  • Private households6.7%
  • Crop production5.5%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Certificate or apprenticeshipExperience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Private household cooks, including personal chefs, usually aren't hired straight out of school. Most people first gain about 1 to 2 years of cooking experience, often in restaurants, and add a culinary certificate or apprenticeship along the way.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Take cooking, food science, or family and consumer science classes and learn basic kitchen safety. This builds the foundation for culinary training and entry-level kitchen jobs.

  2. Cooks, Restaurant

    1-2 years

    Work on a restaurant line or in a prep kitchen to build speed, knife skills, and cooking under pressure. Many people also complete a culinary certificate or apprenticeship during this time, which employers often value.

  3. Cooks, Private Household

    Ongoing

    Plan menus, shop for ingredients, and cook meals for a family or client in their home, or work as a personal chef for several clients. Strong trust, communication, and menu-planning skills matter as much as cooking skill.

Where it can lead

  1. Executive Chef

    1-2 years as a private household cook or restaurant cook of experience first

    Lead a full kitchen, manage staff and budgets, and design menus for a restaurant, hotel, or catering business. This usually requires proven cooking skill and experience running a kitchen.

  2. Food Service Manager

    3-5 years of kitchen or food service experience of experience first

    Oversee food service operations, staffing, purchasing, and food safety rules for a business. This shifts your focus from cooking to running the business side of food service.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take cooking or foods classesHands-on food courses teach knife skills, recipes, and kitchen safety, which are the basics every cook needs.
  • Get a part-time job in a restaurant or grocery store deliEven dishwashing or prep work shows you how a kitchen runs and builds a work history for later jobs.
  • Join a Future Business Leaders of America or FCCLA chapter if your school has oneStudent clubs build planning, teamwork, and public speaking skills that help when you work directly with clients.
  • Cook for family and friends regularlyPlanning menus and cooking for groups for a few hours at a time gives you real practice with timing and portions.
  • Ask a local chef or caterer if you can shadow themWatching a working cook for a day shows you what the job involves and helps you decide if it's right for you.

In college

  • Enroll in a culinary arts or hospitality programA certificate or associate program teaches cooking techniques, food safety, and menu planning, which this career requires.
  • Work in a restaurant or catering kitchenPaid kitchen experience counts toward the 1 to 2 years of prior work this career usually expects.
  • Take nutrition and food safety coursesKnowing dietary needs and safe food handling helps you cook for clients with allergies or special diets.
  • Pursue a food handler or food safety certificationA short certification shows employers you understand kitchen safety, and many private employers ask for it.
  • Build a client-ready portfolio and seek a summer or part-time catering jobDocumented menus and reviews from real events help you show future clients what you can do.

Tips for getting started

  • Keep a simple portfolio of meals you've cooked, including photos and menus, to show future clients or employers.
  • Get a food handler card or food safety certification early. Many private and restaurant jobs ask for it.
  • Look for part-time or weekend kitchen work, such as prep cook or catering helper, to build experience while you're still in school.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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