The butchery trade is broader than many think. Behind the common basic training hide several directions, and where you end up depends on what you're passionate about: the close customer meeting, the efficient production or the finer processing.
§Retail butcher
As a retail butcher you are close to the customer often in a shop or supermarket. You butcher, display advise on preparation and maybe make your own specialities. It requires both craft and the ability to sell and serve.
§Industrial slaughterer
On the larger production facilities, the industrial butcher works at a fast pace with large quantities. Here the focus is on efficiency, uniformity, and meeting the strict requirements for hygiene and traceability. You become part of a team where each individual function counts.
§Delicatessen and processing
Some specialize in sausage making, smoking, cold cuts and other processed products. Here the craft meets creativity and there is room to develop your own recipes and specialties.
- 01Retail butcher: customer contact cutting and advice in store.
- 02Industrial slaughterer: production on a large scale with high efficiency.
- 03Delicatessen/sausage maker: processing, smoking and specialities.
- 04Further paths: master, vocational teacher or self-employed.
§The way forward
With experience you can become a foreman open your own business or further educate yourself for example as a vocational teacher. The trade lacks skilled people so there are good opportunities for those who want to learn and take responsibility.