If you haven’t checked the details yet, you may be in for a case of sticker shock when you see how much it will cost to attend culinary school. The cost can be almost as much as that of a private college, and in many cases more than a state college or university. There are a couple of basics one should know before signing the acceptance papers and especially any student loan agreements.

You need to know that student loans have gotten a lot of people into serious financial trouble, and they could do the same to you. So if student loans will be part of your plan for paying for culinary school, you need to follow a couple of important rules of thumb. The first is to not borrow more than one year of your expected starting salary. And you need to be realistic about what that starting salary is likely to be and err on the low end if you are making an educated guess. In other words it is not advisable to borrow $50,000 to finance culinary school if you will probably only start earning $20,000 when you graduate. Another rule of thumb is to have your monthly payments for student loans be less than 10% of your take home pay. If your student loan payments are more than that then you will likely be overextended financially.

You also need to understand that there are two major categories of student loans: federal and private student loans. Federal student loans are much better than private student loans. Be aware that it is advisable to stay away from private student loans completely. Federally backed student loans provide many more rights and protections for borrowers. So try to find a culinary school that is accredited for federal student loans. Do not listen to anyone who tells you that private student loans are nothing to worry about.

Paying for culinary school is not a simple proposition, but be very careful not to borrow too much in student loans such that you will end up with a mountain of debt that ends up taking 30 years to pay off. Of course one way to get professional culinary training if not a degree is to take online classes. The best source is Rouxbe Online Cooking School.