The 5 most important questions to ask before accepting a job offer

This week we asked on the net what are the 5 most important questions to ask before accepting a job in a pizzeria.

We should probably make a distinction between local jobs that you can travel to easily or where doing a couples of trial days doesn't involve getting on a plane and jobs where you will have to relocate. In general the more details are discussed in advance the better as you will have to spend a lot of time with your new family and you must be satisfied that at least you agree on the most important points of your employment. 

These are the points that most pizzaioli suggested are important:

 - SALARY: although money isn't everything, if you are not happy with the salary and either there is no room for negotiation or your expectation is so far from the offer that there is no point in even discussing it, you must simply skip the job offer and move on. You must consider what your objectives are. Sometimes it's worth earning a little less in exchange for better working conditions, work/life balance, opportunity to learn new skill or maybe a new language. Different people prioritise different things.

- WORK LOAD: how many pizzas you'll make on average during the week and at the weekend. Will you have help to prepare your mise-en-place. Will you have help at the weekend? How many staff work with you (both in the kitchen and in the front of house)

- AUTONOMY: This is maybe for the more seasoned pizza chefs. Will you have the freedom to use your own dough recipe? Can you manage the pizzeria (kitchen side) however you like or you need to follow guidelines?

- PRODUCE: If you are pizza chef that prides himself in serving high quality pizza, good raw materials and good quality produce are a must. Nowadays we can find great mozzarella, flours and Italian produce in general, all over the world. But if food cost is not one of your concerns, it sure will be for your employer!

- CONTRACT: you must make sure you get a copy of your contract before starting. We talked already about Salary, but you must keep an eye on benefits (bonuses, free accommodation), holiday package (how many days, does it include national holidays/bank holidays) and pension (will the employer enrol you into a pension scheme and contribute towards it?)

Let us know if you have any comments or you think there are other important points that we should mention.