Travel the world as a royal navy chef - age 18-24 need a job?

Exhibiting at the Restaurant Show in Earls Court is a stand for Royal navy chefs. If you know anybody age 16-18 great opportunity, even with no qualifications. The UK this year has passed a law making everybody to stay in education until the age of 18. But a fifteen year old at the age of 15 years 9 months can apply. From the age of 16 the aspiring chef can go to start training. Day one you learn to boil an egg. One of the Royal Navy chefs told me by day three he was making choux pastry. You start with bread and cakes. Yes, people are eating what you cook.

On a small ship you learn to cook for four and multiply up the numbers. On a giant frigate you could be cooking for huge numbers. Some apprentice chefs are studying for the chef qualifications in the daytime and catching up on doing their GCSE in English or maths in the evening - or simply watching Skye or phoning home or talking to their new friends.

It's ideal for those who like working with their hands and want to get out to work. I expect other countries such as America and Canada have similar schemes for those who want to see the world but are more interested in cooking and eating than fighting. Though I'm sure they do train you to defend yourself - but there's one supervisor to eight new chefs so nobody should find fault with your delicious new cooking. And won't your own family, or a new family, if you start a family, be impressed with your skills. Who knows, one day you could be running a restaurant at home or in another country.


Girls can do it too. Wish I'd known when I was a youngster.

More details from royalnavy.mod.uk/careers

Angela Lansbury is an author, travel writer and speaker. See lulu.com for books. Also YouTube, FaceBook, LinkedIn.