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Remember learning a new sport or playing a new instrument and how strange everything felt? Then a coach or teacher offered some tips and guidance, and things started to make sense and feel more natural. You probably gained some confidence that you could do this thing.
It’s the same with culinary school. No matter your background, your school, or life experience, this journey can seem a little intimidating at first. Or you might be humming along until something throws you off balance. Fortunately, the Escoffier Success Coach team is here to help online students navigate school and most of the difficulties they might encounter.
Although the online programs at Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts are designed for maximum flexibility, it’s not enough to just enroll students and hope for the best. Students often need some guidance and support as they work their way through their program, and a Success Coach can provide a friendly, professional hand. Find out more about Escoffier’s Success Coaches—who they are and how they can help you.
What is a Culinary School Success Coach?
The primary goal of a Success Coach is to provide support and resources to help a student through their program. Coaches listen and empathize with the struggles that students are facing — and help them to put it in perspective.
Escoffier’s online programs are designed to be accessible to culinarians worldwide and from all walks of life. Often, students have part-time or full-time jobs, families, and other obligations. They may be former or active duty military, or they may be just out of high school. They could be starting a second or even third career.
“The (success) coaches are here to support students on their journey in culinary school,” said Success Coach Tammie Leonard. “We have students that come from different backgrounds. Whether this is their first time in school, students transitioning from a different career, or what have you, the Success Coach is here to guide them along that path.”
Success coaches also try to connect students to their own community resources, so they can find the tools they need to figure out a solution. For example, if you can’t get a consistent internet connection in your home, maybe your Success Coach can help you brainstorm where else you could get a secure connection to upload assignment photos and watch your Chef Instructor’s video feedback.
Students on Escoffier’s Austin or Boulder residential campuses can get similar assistance from Student Success Managers.
Who Can Benefit from a Success Coach?
Most students can likely benefit from the services of a Success Coach at some point during their time in culinary school. Success Coaches can offer support to students who:
- Face obstacles during their online culinary school program, whether technical, personal, health, or family
- Might need an extra nudge to attend class or do their homework
- Need some help staying organized
- Want to bounce ideas off of someone
- Need extra help communicating with their Chef Instructors or understanding feedback
- Need help navigating or finding additional support services like tutoring or help with day-to-day challenges
This dedicated support team can help students stay on track and keep these issues from derailing their education.
“We like to call it concierge service,” Leonard said. “We know students signed up for various reasons, either to start a new career or just something that they want to do, they have this opportunity in life to do something different. So we want to be there to help them through that situation.”
Leonard understands what it’s like to attend school while tending to other commitments. She earned her master’s degree while working full-time and raising a family.
“At one point in time, I was an adult student. And I know the support I needed, having a family to take care of, having a full-time job,” she said. “And my advisors, my family, my co-workers, and my colleagues were there to support me. And so I thought this was a great opportunity to give back. Because I know what it takes. So I wanted to give some of that back and support students through this process.”
Having a Success Coach at your disposal gives you someone to reach out to for help.
What may begin as a minor problem can snowball into a much bigger issue. One low-income student in a rural area lost access to her primary mode of transportation—which meant she couldn’t get to work or buy her ingredients for school.
Instead of letting the student get overwhelmed, her Success Coach helped her to break down the issue into steps. First on the agenda: figuring out how the student could get to work and keep earning an income.
Access to a Success Coach can put someone in your corner who works with you to keep you focused on your goals.
How Do Culinary Students Connect with their Success Coach?
Students are assigned a Success Coach with whom they can build a personal yet professional relationship. Success Coaches send students appointment links to use at their discretion. The standard arrangement provides the student with a weekly opportunity to check in with their Success Coach; the check-in can be a video chat, phone call, email, or text.
A coach might reach out to ask whether everything’s ok and whether the student needs something, they might send a reminder about an upcoming assignment, or they might brainstorm how to solve a challenge. The student lets their coach know their preferences.
Chef Instructors might also contact a student’s Success Coach when a student is showing a low grade or low participation. This lets the Coach start the conversation and remind the student that they’re there to help.
Success Coaches Can Facilitate Access to Other Supports
If a student has an emergency, their Success Coach may help them find the resources they need. For example, inclement weather may cause a challenge with internet access, or an unexpected life situation may require specialized attention. The Escoffier Success Coach can provide students with support or direct them to the Student Resource Program for guidance.
If a student requests a leave of absence, their Success Coach can help them evaluate whether that’s the best course of action and, if so, help them navigate the necessary paperwork.
Success Coaches can also help students find tutoring and help them find other student support services that are appropriate to their situation. They might steer them toward housing or food resources. If appropriate, they might help students better understand feedback from Chef Instructors. And from the get-go, they’ll make sure students understand the GPA requirements to graduate.
“Basically, it’s our job to listen to their situation, and provide a resource or help them through that situation,” Leonard said. “Some will just even ask our advice, of ‘What do you think I should do?’ And we say, ‘Here are your options. Let’s talk about it.’”
Accessibility and Support
Escoffier strives to bring a culinary education to students all over the world at any point in their lives. The culinary community benefits from diverse experiences and styles, and our Success Coaches are here to help students along the way.
If you’re considering culinary school on a ground campus, you can count on help there, too. The Boulder and Austin campuses both have Student Success Managers that can provide similar support to students.
And during and after you’ve completed your online or on-campus program, you can look forward to continued support with Career Services assistance.
To get started with your online culinary education, contact the Admissions Department with questions.
TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT NAVIGATING CULINARY SCHOOL, CHECK OUT THESE ARTICLES:
- Yes, Online Culinary School Works. Here’s How.
- Should You Go to Culinary School? A Guide for Deciding
- How Full-Time, Working Adults Can Succeed in Online Culinary School
*Information may not reflect every student’s experience. Results and outcomes may be based on several factors, such as geographical region or previous experience.
**This article was originally published on Sept. 30, 2020 and has since been updated.
