So you want to advance a little in your culinary arts career. Or you are going to a Culinary school that wants you to do an internship midway or at the end of the degree program. The whole concept of doing an internship is an admirable one. You get to set your feet into a different kitchen, with different recipes, and maybe even learn a new language from your foreign dishwashers/cooks.

In all actuallity this is a really cool opportunity for you which, after all said and done, you will be happy that you did it. However, there are some trials and tribulations that come along with holding the dreaded title of “intern”. Let us go over them.

• Your first week, you will only be known as “The Intern”, do not correct people and tell them your real name, they do not care.
• You will get paid nothing, so if you want to have a couple drinks after work, hit on the bartenderress. Tell her you think that her mole protruding from her forehead is a wonderfully unique beauty mark.
• If you plan to get any respect in the kitchen, respect the dishwashers and learn their language, keep your knives very sharp, know how to flip something in a saute pan, learn to slice an onion while maintaining eye contact with someone else, and throw out a crazy story from the night before once in a while.
• If you put bread in an oven to bake, set a timer, do not have a big head.
• Your second week at work, people will know your name, your third week, you will have a nick name and everyone will have forgotten your real name.
• If your chef finds out that you screwed something up, do NOT do it again. Your knife tends to chip and get dull when thrown across a kitchen and becoming lodged into the stainless steel walk-in cooler door after a couple times.

Heed this advice, and you should sail smoothly through your internship.