Level 5 Diploma in Culinary and Hospitality Management

Tante Marie Culinary Academy and the Confederation of Tourism and Hospitality have once again teamed up to create the brand new Level 5 Diploma in Culinary and Hospitality Management. The opportunity to pursue this unique training programme will be offered to graduates of our Cordon Bleu Diploma who reach an acceptable standard and wish to continue with their training by gaining paid employment in The Restaurant at Tante Marie.

Having completed the internationally acclaimed Tante Marie Cordon Bleu Diploma, students will be able to put their skills and knowledge into practice in a working restaurant kitchen and front of house environment. During this period of paid employment (students will be offered an apprenticeship contract), we train our students in every aspect of running a hospitality business.

What level will I be when I graduate?

A level 5 qualification is the equivalent of a foundation degree, or a Higher National Diploma – that’s the technical bit… the important bit is that by the time you complete this course, you will be ready to set up and run your own successful hospitality business. You will understand the legal obligations of a company director, the accounting procedures, how to put in place a Health and Safety plan in a hospitality business (including Food Safety), and how a ‘service kitchen’ works.

You will be trained in etiquette – how to welcome guests and ensure they have a fabulous experience. You will be responsible for ensuring they receive great hospitality and when our guests leave a tip, you will get it!

What will I learn?

The Level 5 Diploma in Culinary and Hospitality Management includes 5 compulsory units:

1. Customer relationships and marketing in hospitality management
2. Business principles and governance in hospitality
3. Human resource management  in hospitality
4. Procurement and management of kitchen resources
5. Professional kitchen management

The award winning Restaurant at Tante Marie is open to the public serving delicious lunches and dinners seven days a week and a relaxed brunch at weekends. Unlike many 'training restaurants' where the students are learning to cook whilst also working in the restaurant, the staff in our restaurant have already completed their training as chefs. The food we serve in The Restaurant at Tante Marie represents everything Tante Marie stands for, demonstrating classical skill, modern approaches and excellence. With lunchtime menu, pre-theatre menu, a more formal evening 'A la Carte' menu and an 'Al fresco' menu for the sun drenched external seating area, everyone will be able to enjoy the very best of what Tante Marie has to offer.

Apprentices will be involved in every aspect of The Restaurant at Tante Marie, from serving the customers and cooking the food to cleaning the windows and producing the final year-end accounts! They will run the bar, create health and safety plans to ensure the restaurant passes its inspections from the Environmental Health Officer... they will be incentivised to provide great hospitality by earning tips and they will, ultimately, leave with all the skills and knowledge required to set up and run their own successful hospitality businesses.

How long is the course?

The Level 5 Diploma is actually an Apprenticeship. You will be offered an Apprenticeship Agreement (a type of training contract) which is required, by law, to be a minimum of 12 months in duration. Some apprentices take longer to complete the training – it depends on the individual but as a general rule, 12 months is long enough.

How much do you pay the Apprentices and how much does the course cost?

There are a number of costs associated with the course – these include CTH membership and assessment fees, but we absorb all of these into the training we give you and they are covered by the revenue the restaurant generates. In short, we actually cover all the fees ourselves.

We pay the Apprentices a basic salary of £5,000 per annum and you also get to keep all tips received in the restaurant – these are divided out evenly between all the Apprentices – nothing goes to Tante Marie or the management staff. You work for it, you get to keep it! On average, most of the Apprentices find they are taking away something in the region of £10,000 in pay during their training, whilst also earning a foundation degree level qualification.

How many hours will I work?

The training restaurant employs its Apprentices on a shift pattern to ensure that it is sufficiently staffed, but we also have to allow you time for some theory classes and also time to work on your assessment/coursework. To allow for this, The Restaurant at Tante Marie actually employs more staff than most normal restaurants – during a normal week, you may work 40 hours in the restaurant and then have a further 10 hours of independent study time and lectures. Some weeks this may be more although this will almost certainly change from one week to the next – ultimately the more time you spend working in the restaurant, the more hands on experience you will gain!

What is the assessment/coursework?

In order for us to determine that you have met the requirements for certification, we have to examine you and what we really want to know is, can you plan, establish and execute a great business plan for a hospitality business? So that’s what we ask you to do! Along the way, we give you all the guidance you need… and the people who give you feedback on how well you do? Our customers!

Are there any entry requirements?

In order to be eligible to take up a paid Apprenticeship in The Restaurant at Tante Marie, we need to know that you have the cookery skills and knowledge to meet the high standards our customers expect. We will only offer an Apprenticeship to students achieving a minimum of Credit in both Practical and Theory on the Tante Marie Cordon Bleu Diploma.

The reason for this is simple – on the Level 5 Diploma, we do not teach cookery – we already expect you to know how to cook – instead, we are teaching you how to apply your skills to set up and run a hospitality business.

I don’t want to run a restaurant in the future. Is that a problem?

No. The Level 5 Diploma is a culinary and hospitality management qualification, not a restaurant management one. The fact that we deliver the training in a restaurant environment is just how we choose to do it – the skills and knowledge you will learn can be applied in any hospitality business.