Overview
You can now be recognised for your culinary skills and experience with a New Zealand Certificate in Cookery Level 4 qualification using our RPL (recognition of prior learning) assessment.
This assessment is for Culinary Industry Professionals with a minimum of 2 year’s industry experience. Previous education, experience and qualifications are assessed by one of our highly-qualified Chef Assessors who will gather evidence and assess you in the following:
- Culinary theory
- Practical knowledge, skills & experience
- Culinary standards
- Work place appraisals
- Training records
- Demonstrated abilities
- Detailed documented evidence of skills, training and work experience
The RPL process is designed for those keen to gain a certificate to recognise their practical experience and translate that into a qualification to advance their career options. You may apply for this assessment if you are living in New Zealand. Please note that as this qualification will be earned through RPL rather than through study in New Zealand, it is best to speak with immigration if you are wishing to present this qualification in support of an immigration application as the points awarded may vary.
What our students say about this process
I would recommend International Culinary Studio and the RPL process for the New Zealand Certificate in Cookery. The process itself is simple and it is a great refresher on background knowledge and skills building. My chef instructor was very approachable and helpful with my exam prep. and no question was too silly. Having already had 25 years industry and hospitality experience this has just helped cement my skills and it is fantastic to have the ‘piece of paper’!
Liz Maynard
New Zealand Certificate in Cookery Level 4
Flexibility:
Apply for your recognition of prior learning whilst you are working
Affordable:
Gain your qualification through work experience and save on course fee
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
Students will be required to prepare a portfolio of evidence clearly demonstrating competence on the level required to meet learning outcomes. Decisions are made on an individual basis based on the evidence provided. A final theory and practical exam will be required.
- Must be 18 years or older
- Must have a minimum of 2 years’ experience, working at the level of a Commis Chef, in an Industrial / Commercial Kitchen
- Be living in New Zealand
- Be currently working in a commercial kitchen
- Be able to read and communicate in English – all communication, reading material and final exams will be in English
- Be computer literate with the ability to upload and download documents and take photographs / video clips as the application process is completed in our Learning Management System (LMS). The LMS can be accessed via multiple devices : desktop, tablet & mobile.
- Have access to the internet, e-mail (with a valid e-mail address), a scanner, a printer, Word, Adobe reader, and a digital photographic device, please refer to our list of Technical Requirements
- Have access to a reasonably well-equipped kitchen, please see equipment list
- Be able to travel to the Christchurch examination centre to sit your final exam/s which will be two multiple choice theory exams and one three-course Practical exam. You will be expected to provide your own knives and a laptop computer for your exams.
- The evidence required can be completed in a time frame that suits you within a maximum timeframe of 6 months
- Our highly-experienced Chef Instructors will be on hand
- On acceptance of your Enrolment Application and your full payment, you will receive email confirmation from our Academic Manager.
- You will be given access to the Learning Management System, and your allocated Assessor (a qualified chef), will schedule an online induction, where they will explain the application evidence requirements.
- You will have 3 weeks to complete Stage One of your application, and a total of 3 months to complete your full application and to sit a theory and practical exam.
- Stage one requires you to submit basic documentation such as your CV, references, certificates, menus, and other documentary evidence.
- Stage two requires you to submit video and photographic evidence to support your application. An RPL checklist is provided to you prior to making your application so that you can be sure that you are able to meet all the necessary evidence requirements, to support your application.
- Upon completion of your application, the Assessor will assess your evidence against the New Zealand Certificate in Cookery Level 4 outcomes and provide you with feedback on your application, within 10 working days.
- If you are unsuccessful, you will have 20 days to re-submit outstanding information/evidence required by the Assessor to add to your application, at no additional cost.
- Exams are scheduled and held in the South Island (you will be required to pay any travel costs to get to your exam and accommodation costs if you require accommodation). If you are looking to sit your exam outside of scheduled exam dates, these will be set specifically for you. This may involve additional costs for example, for ingredients etc.
- International Culinary Studio will only conduct re-assessments after the RPL applicant has been declared “not yet competent” and at the applicants request to be re-assessed again.
- Applicants will only have one opportunity to re-sit the Food Safety and/ Principles of Culinary Arts end point assessment/examination and NO opportunity to re-sit the end point practical assessment/examination. Please refer to the “fees” page for theory exam re-sit costs.
- To be successful, the outcome must be a ‘Meets’ all Requirements.
The RPL Application requires the candidate to meet all outcomes of the New Zealand Certificate in Cookery Level 4.
Applicants will be required to sit a final exam which will cover the following modules, and a final practical exam that covers the practical cookery modules.
- Food Safety in Catering
- Introduction to the Hospitality & Catering Industry
- Safety at Work
- Introduction to Basic Kitchen Procedures
- Prepare Food for Cold Presentation
- Introduction to Nutrition
- Prepare, Cook and Finish Stocks, Soups & Sauces
- Prepare, Cook and Finish Vegetables, Fruits & Pulses
- Healthy Foods & Special Diets
- Prepare, Cook and Finish Rice, Grain, Farinaceous Products & Egg Dishes
- Prepare, Cook and Finish Hot and Cold Desserts & Puddings
- Prepare, Cook and Finish Fish & Shellfish
- Catering Operations, Costs and Menu Planning
- Prepare, Cook and Finish Bakery Products
- Prepare, Cook and Finish Meat, Poultry and Offal
A non refundable administration fee of $499 applies to all International Culinary Studio RPL applications and is paid at the time of application. The RPL Process cost is $4500. The total RPL Process cost is $4999. You will receive an invoice for this once we have assessed the application to determine if you would be a good applicant. The RPL process will begin once either the invoice is paid in full or a Final Payment of $4 500. Paid over 6 months at $ 750 per month or an immediate cash payment of $4 000 saving you $500. (The final payment needs to be paid before the exam).
| Payment Options |
| Administration Fee |
| NZ$499 Once Off |
| Full Payment |
| NZ$4500 Once Off |
| Monthly Payments |
| 6 payments of $750 |
| Digital Badge (Optional) |
| US $284 Global Certification Digital Badge |
You need to prepare for the following additional costs:
- Ingredients used for practicing all recipes at home or at the workplace (ingredients for exam are included in RPL fee)
- Chef uniform and safety shoes for exam
- Costs to purchase any technology and/or kitchen equipment that you may not have, but need to use in the programme (See included lists of requirements), you will require a laptop for your theory exam
- Cost of your internet access
- Any printing you choose to do from the study guides
- Cost of flights / accommodation to attend exams. These are held in Christchurch. Flights can range from $80 – $600 depending on location, accommodation allow between $50- $400
The Application fee of $499 covers the following:
- Time the assessor spends making sure that all of the documents required are provided and asking for further evidence where required – Stage 1.
- Access to portal with Food Safety Micro Credential
- Access to study preparation materials.
The RPL process fee of $4500 covers the time the chef assessor spends checking evidence authenticity, matching evidence to the NZQA course outcomes (Stage 2) and associated exam costs.
Should you not meet the 50% pass mark on the Theory exam and require a re-sit for your exam, as an RPL applicant you are entitled to re-sit your theory exam once only. The cost for resit is NZ$300.
- Must be 18 years or older
- Must have a minimum of 5 years experience in an Industrial / Commercial Kitchen
- Be a living in New Zealand
- Be currently working in a commercial kitchen at a Chef de Partie or above
- Be able to read and communicate in English – all communication, reading material and final exams will be in English
- Have access to the internet, e-mail (with a valid e-mail address), a scanner, a printer and a digital photographic device
- Have access to a reasonably well equipped kitchen
- Be computer literate with the ability to upload and download documents and photographs / video clips
- Be able to travel to your closest examination centre to write your final exam/s
- The evidence required can be completed in a time frame that suits you
- Support material is supplied online via our Learner Management System, Canvas
- Our Learner Management System can be accessed via multiple devices : desktop, tablet & mobile
- Our highly-experienced Chef Instructors will be on hand
- Technical Requirements
- You will be expected to provide your own knives and a laptop computer for your exams
On receipt of all evidence our Chef Assessors will do a “quick look” to determine if you are a good candidate for the RPL process (this generally only takes a few days if ALL evidence has been supplied). Once deemed a good candidate you will be invoiced for the RPL process.
Once payment or a deposit of this has been made the RPL process will begin. The Chef Assessor will get back to you within 30 days to let you know if you have supplied sufficient evidence to RPL.
If you are unsuccessful you will have 20 days to re-submit outstanding information required from our assessors to add to your application at no additional cost.
When all documents are supplied in full they will then match your evidence supplied with the New Zealand Certificate in Cookery Level 4 outcomes, this process can take 10 days. To be successful the outcome must be a 100% RPL.
If successful you will have 3 months to complete the course checkpoints (this is also a handy revision) and sit a theory and practical exam.
We have scheduled exams held in both the North and South Island ( you will be required to pay any travel or accommodation costs to get to your exam). If you are looking to sit your exam outside of our scheduled exams, these will be set just for you and there will be additional costs involved including assessor costs, venue hire etc.
International Culinary Studio will only conduct re-assessments after the RPL applicant has been declared “not yet competent” and at the applicants request to be re-assessed again.
The applicant will have a total of one opportunity to re-sit the Food Safety and/ Principles of Culinary Arts end point assessment/examination and NO opportunity to re-sit the end point practical assessment/examination. Please refer to the “fees” page for theory exam re-sit costs.
- Food Safety in Catering
- Introduction to the Hospitality & Catering Industry
- Safety at Work
- Introduction to Basic Kitchen Procedures
- Prepare Food for Cold Presentation
- Introduction to Nutrition
- Prepare, Cook and Finish Stocks, Soups & Sauces
- Prepare, Cook and Finish Vegetables, Fruits & Pulses
- Healthy Foods & Special Diets
- Prepare, Cook and Finish Rice, Grain, Farinaceous Products & Egg Dishes
- Prepare, Cook and Finish Hot and Cold Desserts & Puddings
- Prepare, Cook and Finish Fish & Shellfish
- Catering Operations, Costs and Menu Planning
- Prepare, Cook and Finish Bakery Products
- Prepare, Cook and Finish Meat, Poultry and Offal
When studying The New Zealand Certificate in Cookery Level 4 it is a full-time programme of study of 34-weeks duration, plus a 2-week holiday. It is a 120 NZQF credit programme. When applying for RPL no study is involved. The programme includes 15 modules. Students who successfully complete this programme will then have the option to continue onto the NZ Diploma in Cookery Level 5 If you feel that you have gained sufficient experience through time worked in the industry or have a relevant prior qualification, you might be eligible for Credit Recognition and Transfer (CRT) or an Assessment of Prior Learning (RPL). Talk to us about applying for an assessment.
A non refundable administration fee of $198 applies to all International Culinary Studio RPL applications and is paid at the time of application. The RPL Process cost is $3300. The total RPL Process cost is $3498. You will receive an invoice for this once we have had a “quick look” to determine if you would be a good applicant. The RPL process will begin once either the invoice is paid in full or an initial payment of $600 is paid. The RPL Process fee can be paid over 20 weeks at $165 per week. (The final payment needs to be paid before the exam).
| Payment Options |
| Administration Fee |
| NZ$198 One Off |
| Full Payment |
| NZ$3300 One Off |
| Monthly Payment |
| 20 payments of $165 |
| Digital Badge (Optional) |
| US $284 Global Certification Digital Badge |
You need to prepare for the following additional costs, depending on your programme:
- Ingredients used for practicing all recipes at home or at the workplace ( ingredients for exam are included in RPL fee)
- Chef uniform and safety shoes for exam
- Costs to purchase any technology and/or kitchen equipment that you may not have, but need to use in the programme (See included lists of requirements), you will require a laptop for your theory exam.
- Cost of your internet access
- Any printing you choose to do from the study guides
- Cost of flights / accommodation to attend exams. These are held in either Auckland or Christchurch. Flights can range from $60 – $1000 depending on location, accommodation allow between $30- $400
- Unscheduled exam costs – If we are setting a special exam just for you it will be held in Levin and there will be an additional cost of $1600
Please note: The Administration fee of $198 covers the time the assessor spends making sure that all of the documents required are provided and asking for further evidence where required. The RPL process fee of $3300 covers the time the chef assessor spends checking evidence authenticity, matching evidence to the NZQA course outcomes and associated exam costs.
Should you be deemed “not yet competent” and require a re-sit for your exam, as an RPL applicant you are entitled to re-sit your theory exam once. There are two theory exams and the cost for each is $150.
Frequently Asked Questions
Minimum Enrolment Requirements:
- Must be 18 years or older
- Must have a minimum of 2 years’ experience, working at the level of a Commis Chef, in an Industrial / Commercial Kitchen