How To Carve A Lifelong Career As A Butcher

There are professions that will always be in demand and butchery is one of them. I accept that, at some point in the future, we might all become vegetarian, but that is unlikely to happen in our lifetime.

Steve Johnson

Maybe the thought of working with razor-sharp knives appeals to you, or you wish to learn a trade at which you can one day become self-employed. Whatever the reason, you are about to enter a traditional and respected field that will give you much job satisfaction over the coming decades. There is more to the job than you might at first think. You will butcher many animals, and you must learn about their anatomy and how to remove the various cuts of meat.

Here is how to carve (excuse the pun!) a lifelong career as a butcher.

Formal Qualifications

You must undergo formal training to gain the appropriate qualifications in your country. In the UK, for example, you will need a certificate in food safety for retail. It will show that you have the knowledge to work safely, prevent the spread of diseases through the products, and not cause harm to the public.

Apprenticeship

The best way to learn and gain experience is through an apprenticeship with an established business. Supermarkets employ many butchers to prepare and display the meat at its best, and they have in-house apprenticeships that are some of the best in the world. You will work under supervision for the length of the training, and they will give you a job at the end of it.

Here are some things you will learn:

• Product display. If two cuts of meat are identical, the one with the best display technique will sell first. It is one of the laws of retail.
• Safety. As mentioned earlier, you will learn to handle meat in a safe and responsible manner.
• Identification. Labels are vital, and you will become an expert in weights and measures, use by dates, etc.
• Cutting. You will discover how to produce the best cuts of meat from a carcass without wastage.
• Customer service. Customers are fickle, and you will become an expert on giving them what they want. You can never perfect this skill; it will evolve forever.
• Stock. You will learn how to organise the cool rooms for meat storage and rotate the products.

Become Self-Employed

One day you might own a shop if you persevere and work hard. It will help if you understand tax matters and business strategy. The difference between the butchers and other establishments is that they do not hold onto stock for long, so you must control sales and deliveries with accuracy.

I have left the subject of banter until last because you can be a butcher without it. The masters of the craft have excellent skills in banter and the customers look forward to it when they shop there. It is a tradition that dates back for as long as anyone can remember. The characters in the local butchers shop over the years still live in the memories of many.

Do you think you have what it takes? As I said earlier, it is a secure profession that will always be in demand. You need a steady hand though, let’s not forget that small matter! I wish you well in your chosen career whatever it may be.