A Lack of Training

When I went to the first day of my externship, I didn't know what to expect. I never staged there and I had barely spoken to the executive chef. I walked in wearing my full uniform, neckerchief and all. Thank God, I was told that it was t-shirt attire the moment I walked in (and no toques either). I was shown my station which was to be garde manger. I thankfully brought a pen and notebook because he zoomed through explaining everything. He hurriedly walked me around for the "grand tour" of which I barely grasped where anything was. I understood that I had to learn fast, so I tried to keep up.

He showed me how to do some of the prep-work and then shuffled back to his office. At that time, I realized he never introduced me to any of my coworkers and I felt awkward, to say the least. I tried to be nice, but they seemed busy and uninterested in talking to me. Chef only came back once to check on me, and I just felt lost.

Over the next few weeks, I felt that I asked so many questions and my head was going to explode. I could tell that everyone was annoyed of me. I kept asking "where do we keep this" and "how do we make that". I felt like I was a bother to everyone and I knew it was because I wasn't trained properly or given enough attention. I was expected to know everything on the first day (as most cooks are expected to do), but it doesn't make sense. Everyone learns differently, and I felt that I kept being told things that weren't being stored in my head. I am a visual and touch learner. I think that I could of performed at my best if someone had just shown me how to do something instead of telling me. Plus, I felt awkward to ask anyone to help me because everyone seemed annoyed of the "new girl" (as they referred to me). This is a definite case of improper training, and I believe it can be prevented with enough audacity and empathy.