Hire an Extern

Complete the online application to become an approved Externship site.

Preview our graduates through CIA externships
All CIA students complete an externship semester, in which they work a full semester in the foodservice and hospitality industry. By becoming an Institute-approved externship site, you can sample what our students can do for you after graduation. This program is also the perfect way to hire quality short-term workers and for students to gain valuable experience during their course of study.

There are three Externship semesters each year:

Fall: Early-September to mid-December

Spring: Early-January to mid-April

Summer: End-April to early-August

Students must complete their weeks/hours during their scheduled semester. Students are not able to extend their experience beyond their semester.

Purpose
To enable CIA students to gain experience and apply skills and knowledge developed during their foundational kitchen laboratory classes.

Structure
The course of Externship is a required experiential learning opportunity. Students are required to complete 14 consecutive weeks or a minimum of 550 hours of work at one location which has been approved by the CIA to host our students. Each student has a predefined term to complete their externship. Students research approved sites by reviewing materials placed on file with the Career Services. The externship site is expected to provide a structured experience for the student with supervision. Students are not placed by the office; they are required to apply and secure their externship position on their own. The Career Services Office staff assists employers and students with the process.

Academic Status
Students maintain their full-time enrollment during their externship term. Students receive academic credit and a letter grade for their performance on externship. The students' grades are derived from a performance evaluation completed by the Externship Supervisor (50%) and an academic assignment which the student completes during their experience, which is graded by CIA Faculty (50%).

Approval Process
All properties seeking to employ externs are reviewed by a committee of CIA Faculty and Administrators. When all of the necessary materials have been submitted (application, chef resume or biographical sketch, menus, and an outline of the extern program), the committee meets to review the application. This is done to ensure compatibility between the goals of the Institute and those of the employer and to prepare a file of materials for review by prospective interns. Since students are expected to work in a full-time, hands-on capacity, the faculty do ask that potential for-profit hosts do compensate at least minimum wage, following the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Becoming an Externship Site

As you begin this application process, we want to ensure you are well prepared by describing the scope of our program, the responsibilities we have as a school and the responsibilities you will have as an approved site for our students.

Our Externship Program is designed to allow our students to select an approved site on our program and conduct their own job search and interview with approved employers. Once a student is hired by one of our “partners in education,” he or she will work full time at that site to develop culinary and leadership skills and be guided and mentored by the supervisor at the site. The ideal position for our externs who prove their ability is to be rotated, similar to a “Roundsman,” throughout your kitchen to practice skill development in many areas.

What does this mean for the student?
Each student is required to complete the semester-long externship between their Freshman and Sophomore year. There will be credits given for completion of the course. Students will be fulfilling work hours as if they are at a full time job while completing an academic project. Our students come back to campus on their scheduled day of return into fourth term with a heightened sense of confidence and the inherent knowledge of real industry experience.

What does this mean for the Externship Site?
Once approved to become an active externship site, whether for culinary or baking and pastry, or both, you will essentially have the responsibility and the reward of assisting in the constructive training and development of our growing industry leaders. These students will come to you highly motivated and eager to become an asset to your team while they are with you. We will entrust you to mentor and guide our students, providing daily feedback and constructive coaching. You will also have the added task of reviewing and signing the student's Mid-Point and Final evaluations. These will count for 50% of the student's grade for the course.  At the end of this 15-week course the students are required to return to campus to complete their degree. We will ask for your commitment to have the students return to school on time.

What does Externship mean for The Culinary Institute of America?
Our Externship program has evolved into an unequivocal turning point for so many of our students, who realize the depth of their potential for leadership and success. Many students will reflect on externship as the point at which they became committed to this profession. Most students not only gain skills, speed and accuracy, but also gain confidence and a sense of who they are and what they want to be. The opportunity for us to observe this reflection and development in each student is invaluable! Our school also takes great pride in maintaining strong relations with all of our employers who are active with this program. Many solid professional relationships develop that we are very appreciative of.

If you would like to apply to become an approved Externship site, please complete the online application here.

Applications to become an approved Externship site are reviewed every three weeks.

Please see our FAQ section for some commonly asked questions about our externship program.

Thank you for your interest. We look forward to working with you.