How To Become a Food Service Manager: Career Guide, Courses, After 12th, Jobs, Scope, Salary

Steps to Follow to Become a Food Service Manager

• Step 1 – Resoluteness: Prioritize your career choices and ensure you don't make the wrong decision. You must research the skills and traits required by the job role to make certain you don't end up taking the wrong subjects.
• Step 2 –  Subject Choice: The hospitality industry provides aspirants with the freedom to choose subjects of their choice. As professionals courses in catering can be pursued by students belonging to every stream.
• Step 3 – Entrance Exam: Generally no entrance exams are required to take up catering courses. But few courses such as the Bachelor of Hotel Management and Catering Technology or BHMCT make it necessary for the students to appear for the entrance exam. Some popular entrance exams for catering courses are NCHMCT JEE, IPU CET, BVP CET, BHU UET, MAH BHMCT CET.
• Step 4 – Selecting The Finest Colleges: Now you've decided to pursue Food Service Manager courses, the next step is to discover a worthy college. This can be done with the help of resources available online on the college’s website and review sites. The search for a good college must be influenced by factors such as education quality, faculty, courses offered, scholarships, fees, etc.
• Step 5 – After Qualifying Exam: If you are planning to enroll for BHMCT then you will have to appear for the entrance exam. Your performance in the exam is directly responsible for the college you get admission to. A low score will fail to fetch you a good college.
• Step 6 – Admission: Once you qualify the entrance exam (if applicable), or after you have applied for the course in different colleges you will be called for counseling and admission. 
• Step 7 – Follow the Official Website- You are required to follow the official websites of the colleges, important dates and other relevant information are communicated through the official websites.

How to Become a Food Service Manager in India?

Preparation must start from the school level. As an aspirant, you should make a list of skills and personality traits that are required or demanded. A few examples of such skills are; communication, creativity, leadership skills. Apart from developing these skills, part-time work experience would help you stand out from the crowd.

School Level Preparation

• Start your preparation by gathering enough knowledge about the field. School-level preparation must only include performing well academically. 
• The admission for most of the courses is merit-based. 
• Your percentile in 10+2 would help you greatly to reach the merit lists of college. 
• The higher you score, the better your chances for selection. 
• It is important to understand the academic requirement of the course right from school to prepare the students for the upcoming career-related challenges. 
• Some schools offer preparatory classes for different subjects, you must attend these classes as they would not only improve your academic performance but would also make you college-ready. 
• Before you make it to college you must learn to manage time efficiently, self discipline and develop reading habits.

How to Become a Food Service Manager after 12th?

Below we have mentioned detailed information of how to become a Food Service Manager After 12th at UG as well as PG level in India.

UG Preparation

• For merit-based admission you only need to score high in 10+2 but for the colleges that conduct entrance exams, you need to prepare for it separately. 
• Preparation for the entrance examination is the only way to get admission to a UG course for catering. 
• Popular entrance exams for catering courses are NCHMCT JEE, IPU CET, BVP CET, BHU UET, MAH BHMCT CET, etc. 
• Your performance in these exams will help you get admission to your desired college.
• UG level preparation should also follow a similar strategy to school-level preparation consisting of a realistic study plan, managing time, revising daily etc. 
• Exam strategy must be planned uniquely after understanding the basic requirements for the course and entrance exam.

PG Preparation

• PG courses in catering do not require any entrance exam. 
• The admission is given based on the scores of bachelors and the performance of the candidates during internships. 
• Candidates who have work experience are given more preference. 
• In this stage the admission may not be based on entrance examination but the marks scored in the intermediate level and UG would highly impact the chances of pursuing a postgraduate degree. 
• Apart from the academic performance students need to clear the personal interview round. 
• This round usually screens students based on their general knowledge, current affairs. 
• Half of the questions asked are from GK and current affairs, and the rest are field-related.
• Sound knowledge of the field and surrounding would help students crack the interview.

Courses to Become a Food Service Manager

Below we have mentioned a few courses to become a Food Service Manager along with the admission process, eligibility and entrance exams.

Bachelor of Hotel Management and Catering Technology

Bachelor of Hotel Management and Catering Technology (BHMCT) is an undergraduate-level course with a time span of 4 years (8 semesters). The course encompasses in-depth knowledge of the hospitality industry. Candidates are provided training in food services and production, handling food and beverage, housekeeping, food safety, etc.

Admission Process

• Candidates who successfully clear the entrance exam are called by the colleges to complete the admission formalities. 
• Apart from entrance-based exams some colleges also accept students based on the marks they scored at the intermediate level.

Eligibility Criteria

• Students from any stream who have completed 10+2 with an aggregate of 50% and English as a compulsory subject are eligible to apply for this course.
• Scorecard of the entrance exam. 

Bachelor of Catering Technology and Culinary Arts

BHM in Culinary Arts is one of the most popular and sought-after undergraduate-level courses in the hospitality sector. The course duration is of 3 years; throughout the course the candidates are given proper training and knowledge about cooking and preparing food, serving and table manners, presenting food beautifully, etc.

Admission Process

• Admission for this course is given based on merit. 
• The final merit list is prepared influenced by the performance of aspirants in the intermediate level. 
• Such colleges usually set a cut-off score for intermediate level; eligible candidates who applied for the course are then called to complete the admission process.

Eligibility Criteria

• Students from any stream who have completed 10+2 with an aggregate of 50% and English as a compulsory subject are eligible to apply for this course.

How to Become a Food Service Manager Abroad?

Before you apply for catering courses abroad you must make certain that a few factors are effectively meeting your expectations. These factors could be fees and related costs, loan facilities, scholarships, hostels, the quality of education, and recent student trends.

• Eligibility for admission in catering courses remains similar to that of Indian universities. 
• Students from any stream who have completed 10+2 with an aggregate of 50% and English as a compulsory subject are eligible to apply in the foreign universities of the UK, UD, Canada, and Australia for catering courses. 
• It is compulsory to have a valid English Proficiency Test such as TOEFL, or PTE, or IELTS scorecard to be completely eligible. 
• Letters of recommendation vary with universities, some colleges only require two but a few require 3 letters of academic recommendations. 
• A genuine student visa along with a citizenship certificate is also called for. 
• Countries like Canada and Australia prefer students with prior work experience; make certain that you fulfill all the requirements before applying.

How to Become a Food Service Manager in the UK?

• The UK has more than 50+ colleges that offer courses in the catering or hospitality industry.
• The number of students choosing the UK to pursue a career as a Food Service Manager has increased by 12.5%.
• Courses available- BA Hons in Hospitality Management, B.Sc Hons in International Tourism Management, B.Sc in Tourism Management, B.Sc Hospitality Management, etc.
• The average salary of a Food Service Manager is INR 22,66,910 to INR 46,36,863 per annum.

Top Food Service Manager Colleges in the UK

How to Become a Food Service Manager in the USA?

• The US is the home of 250+ intuitions offering courses related to the catering and hospitality industry.
• Approximately 1,10,000 foreign students enrolled for catering courses in the US every year.
• Courses available- B.Sc in Hotel and Tourism Management, B.Sc in Hospitality Administration, Associate of Arts in Hospitality Management, B.Sc in Hotel Administration, etc.
• The national average salary for Food Service Managers in the US is INR 49,84,575 per annum.

Top Food Service Manager Colleges in the USA

How to Become a Food Service Manager in Canada?

• 60+ institutions in Canada offer hospitality management courses.
• Canada was the first choice of the 5,30,540 foreign students who enrolled in different courses.
• Courses available- Bachelor of Tourism Management, BA in International Hotel Management, Bachelor of Tourism and Hospitality Management Degree, etc.
• The national average salary for Food Service Managers in Canada is INR 35,19,212 per annum.

Top Food Service Manager Colleges in Canada

How to Become a Food Service Manager in Australia?

• Australia has more than 630+ institutions offering courses in hospitality and tourism management.
• Nearly 7,38,107 foreign students selected Australia for pursuing higher studies.
• Courses available- BA in Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management, Bachelor of Tourism and Events, BCom in Hospitality Management, Bachelor of Hospitality Management, etc.
• The average annual salary of a Food Service Manager in Australia is INR 38,22,837 per annum.

Top Food Service Manager Colleges in Australia

Benefits of Career as A Food Service Manager

• Food Service Managers are offered lucrative salary packages. Professionals at entry-level around 4,95,000 to INR 7,01,000 per annum for basic job roles. 
• The salary of a Food Service Manager is most lucrative and commonly higher than other entry-level jobs in the hospitality industry, with relevant experience and knowledge the salary of an experienced Food Service Manager can hike up to INR 15,50,000 per annum.
• Food Service Managers are hired by a wide scope of industries, including the hospitality industry, food, catering, and restaurant management services, and the food research and development industry. 
• The adaptability of the profession unfolds from the fact that Food Service Managers focus on enhancing service quality, making their job role extremely valuable and important. Hence the job duty itself yields job security.
• Career as a Food Service Manager not only provides a lucrative salary package but also determines and influences the overall development of the personality of a professional. 
• Food Service Managers continuously work towards learning and enhancing the required skills as the field calls for efficiency and creativity.
• As the nature of the job is highly effortful and challenging it provides employees with job satisfaction and a unique experience.

Skills Required for Becoming A Food Service Manager

Salary of A Food Service Manager in India

The salary of a Food Service Manager is determined by several factors such as work experience, skills, and field-specific knowledge. 

• The average starting salary of a Food Service Manager ranges between INR 4,95,000 to INR 7,01,000 per annum; this amount can hike up to INR 15,50,000 per annum for senior-level candidates. 
• The tables provided below contain a comparative range between the salaries of Food Service Managers in India.

Average Annual Salary

Experience Wise Salary