How to find a bakery or pastry internship (stage)

Want to work at a bakery but don’t have the experience? Or maybe you want to improve your pastry skills, but don’t have the time or funds to go to the pastry school. A stage, or internship, is a great way to become a better baker and gain experience.

If you’re interested in applying to pastry school, you can learn about my experience here.

My bakery internship experience

After going to pastry school, I have done 2 bakery internships.

One was on the pastry team at a Michelin star restaurant and 5 star hotel. While it was very prestigious, it was a terrible experience because I did not fit the team culture. I was unhappy, but I did learn both pastry skills and life lessons from the experience.

My most recent internship was at Paloma Bakery in New York City, which specializes in creative viennoiserie. This was a great experience. I had a lot of fun, learned a ton, and came out of it with tangible improvements to my croissants.

Why I did a bakery internship after pastry school

Pastry school is great for teaching you skills, techniques, and basic kitchen habits. However, it does not give you a good idea of what it’s like to work in a commercial production environment. Making hundreds of croissants that will be sold to customers looks very different from making a dozen croissants in a controlled learning environment.

Here’s what I wanted to gain from an internship:

• Build skills and improve consistency – baking improves so much just through repetition. I strongly believe that the only way to get better at making croissants is to make a lot of croissants, full stop.
• Learn how to work with a team – at school, you make a cake from start to finish. In a commercial bakery, different people are in charge of different components and steps. How do you work with others to bring it all together?
• Draw inspiration – everyone has their own unique perspective and baking and pastry. You will always learn from other bakers and chefs
• Be more efficient – Baking in large quantities and under time pressure forces you to work smarter and more efficiently
• Understand production flows and organization – how does the chef organize the schedule to hit production targets?

How I got my bakery internships

My first internship was through Ferrandi, the pastry school I attended in France. I had to submit a resume, then go through an interview process with the Chef. I was only allowed to apply because of my connection through the school.

For my second internship at Paloma, the process was much more casual and less structured. I had a pain au chocolat from there that I loved, and I knew I would have a lot to learn from working there. So, I walked in and asked if they were looking for interns. I got connected to the head chef, and did a trial morning at the bakery. We felt it was a mutual fit, so I started coming in 2 days a week.

My tips for getting a bakery internship

Here’s a step by step process on how I would approach getting a bakery internship.

1. Make a list of potential bakeries and pastry shops in your area. I start by eating pastries at places in my neighborhood, as I’m a firm believer of loving the food at the place that you work. If I liked the pastries that I tried, I would add the place to my list.
2. Put together a resume or portfolio. It doesn’t need to be fancy, but having a resume or portfolio on hand helped boost my confidence and was an easy way to display my experience. For my second internship at Paloma, I didn’t even show them my resume. However, they did see my baking Instagram, which helped convey my skill level.
3. Reach out to bakeries. In my experience, the most effective way is to walk into the bakery and ask if they’re looking for interns. Another way is to DM them on social media. It may feel nervewracking to put yourself out there, but go for it! Bakery culture is not as formal as corporate culture, and I think it’s normal for internships to happen without any sort of formal job listing.
4. Assess the culture of the team. I can’t stress enough how important a culture fit is. An internship should be an environment where you are comfortable learning. I recommend doing a one day trial where you help out, chat with the team, and ask the chef their philosophy on teaching and mentorship in the kitchen. These were questions that I asked myself to find a good culture fit. Your questions will look different depending on your personality, and what you’re looking for.
   1. Is the kitchen clean and organized?
   2. Does the team seem happy?
   3. Is the chef committed to you learning in their kitchen?
   4. What happens if you make a mistake? This is something I directly asked the chef at Paloma.
   5. When you ask a question, are people patient, or do they snap at you?
   6. Is there yelling? (this is a personal big red flag)
5. Don’t stress too much about how much experience you have. In the kitchen, a good attitude goes far. Show up with humility, curiosity, and a willingness to do anything and everything. Keep your work area clean and organized, and be respectful of other people’s space. The team knows you’re coming in as an intern, and every kitchen does things a little differently anyways.

Don’t let your lack of baking experience hold you back from gaining that experience. We all start from zero, and the first step is putting yourself out there.