Cake shop that is...

I want to know what it's like to work as a base icer or decorator in a shop that produces a good amount of wedding cakes and other cakes each week (at least 5 to 10 a week).

What are the hours that full time employees work? Can you work the same days each week? I've been told you can work Friday nights into the wee hours of Saturday mornings, to finish cakes during wedding season.

Also, if you stay with the same bakery for a long time... say 5 to 10 years or more, and work your way up to decorator, how much money can you eventually make? I'm wondering if you don't ever want the stress of being a business owner, can you make a good career out of just working as a bakery decorator?

Thanks for the information. I have the opportunity to attend school and get an associates degree in baking and pastry for less than $10,000. I'm tempted, as it sounds enjoyable and there is a good amount of cake and pastry decorating. I'm just not sure what my career would be like after school... where I'd eventually end up if I couldn't create a successful cake shop of my own.

Thanks for any thoughts or insight.

Katie

The majority of my pastry career has been in high volume wholesale. The baking company I currently work for does not do wedding cakes, but the last one did. It averaged anywhere from 10-15 wedding cakes per weekend to 25+ at the height of wedding season.
Starting salary for a decorator with experience was $28,000/yr salary. I had some prep people filling, trimming, leveling and crumb coating for about $9 and hour. The head decorator made just under 40K salary.
I guess it depends on the market, but there is money in wholesale, with the bonus is weekday hours. I haven't worked a night or a weekend, with the exception of optional overtime, in about 8 years.This leaves me the flexibility to pursue my own freelance work.