Skilled Trades
Cooks, Private Household
Prepare meals in private homes. Includes personal chefs.
Median salary (BLS)
$47,940
10th–90th percentile (BLS)
$36k – $91k
Job outlook
+5% (faster than average)
AI exposure
Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $70,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.
Plan a path to Cooks, Private Household
Education
Typical entry: No degree (trade/license)
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Junior Cooks, Private Household
Entry / Junior
$36,090
~2 yrs to advance
Cooks, Private Household
Established
$47,940
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Cooks, Private Household
Senior
$69,535
Key skills
A typical day
- •Peel, wash, trim, and cook vegetables and meats, and bake breads and pastries.
- •Cool, package, label, and freeze foods for later consumption and provide instructions for reheating.
- •Plan menus according to employers' needs and diet restrictions.
- •Shop for or order food and kitchen supplies and equipment.
- •Prepare meals in private homes according to employers' recipes or tastes, handling all meals for the family and possibly for other household staff.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Skilled Trades
Explore all- Purdue University50% admit · $78,000 grad pay
- Ohio State University53% admit · $68,000 grad pay
- Pennsylvania State University55% admit · $70,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.