I am currently working for a cake decorating business.. I was hired to make their cakes and icing. I was also told that they would train me to decorate so that I could become a decorator in this business. Well, four months into it now and I am still just doing the dirty work. I have received no credit for the fruits of my labor. The only that things that I have been taught was how to make a cake, make icing, and how to ice a cake with a viva paper towel. Do you thing that their intentions are true?
The business is extremely busy and I do not think that they have the time to train me. I think that by me making the cakes it has allowed them more time to decorate and therefore, make more money. I am paid, but I am not even sure if I am paid enough?????
I need some advice...
There is so much I want to learn and no one to teach me....
Please help because I am very discouraged at this point....
PLEASE HELP
Thank you for your time on my thread and my problems.
Love
My suggestion.....make a pest out of yourself when they are decorating cakes n stuff. Go over and look over their shoulder and watch what they are doing. Who knows, they will see your interest (hopefully) and get you started on learning the basics. (by the way, basefrosting and baking are the two hardest parts of decorating anyways, so you have the hard part figured out). The rest of decorating after you learn to basefrost n stuff is gravy.
Smells like scorched cake to me, if you know what I mean
I would just flat out ask them about their plan for training you to decorate. You will never know what they are thinking unless you ask. If they say they still want to train you, pin them down to a date/time. That way you know they have a commitment to you. If they brush you off, then maybe what you are thinking is true. They may be too busy to take the time to train. At that point you can make your decision - keep baking for them or not. At least you would have talked to them and not made your decision based on an assumption.
heres another take, they are taking credit for the taste of your cakes and frosting! and passing it off as thier own. have you taken any wilton decorating courses? or maybe try worjkking at a supermarket bakery or regular bakery doing the same thing that way you can see what is going on and learn. also how many a week do you do and what are you paid? i jsut had someone wanting to open a bakery specializing in mini cakes, she wanted me to bake and frost them all so she could put finishing touches on and sell as her own. well my mini cakes start at 8-10 dollars each so what do you think she wanted to pay me? ha! a buck a piece. they are very time consumming and no way io was selling my product to someone to pass off as thier own.
Hi there grunt! LOL, I'm just joking...that's what they call the newbies where my dh works..b/c they have to do all of the dirty work until they get to do the big stuff.
Anyway, I honestly think that you're getting hoo-dooed, as you put it. If it were a bakery not out of a home, that would be different, but it really sounds like they trust your baking & icing abilities. And, that's what they wanted. So, they could take it from there and finish the job.
I would ask them about it & talk to them. If they can't work with you, take some decorating classes & venture out on your own.
Good Luck!
You should talk to them ....it is wedding cake season & I'm sure they are probably very busy. If you don't let them know you are unhappy with the situation then they won't have a chance to fix it.
As far as getting credit for the baking & icing..I guess its all how you feel about it. I make cakes for restaurants wholesale & the put it on their menu as theirs...I have no problem with that. It sounds like you are getting experience at least baking & icing & getting paid for it.
On Sugar Rush, I saw that a very popular and successful cake decorator (her name escapes me at the moment) who got so busy and overwhelmed with orders that she took her cake and icing recipes to a local bakery, who then took over the job of making the cakes and icing, thus saving her a great deal of time and trouble.
Sous chefs do a great deal of the "grunt work" but the head chefs always get the "credit." That's how businesses work. *Shrug*
Hopefully they didn't encourage you to work for them in the capacity of cake/icing maker with an empty promise of training you to decorate. Would you have taken the job without that promise? Like ge said, it is wedding season...maybe when they slow down they'll have time to train you. Do get them to set a timeframe for you, though.
Good luck! 
I agree that maybe they'll train you after wedding season is over. The summer is so busy for professional decorators who do weddings.
Rachel
Thank you, all, for your helpful advice... I guess that I will have to talk to them and go from there. Right now, I am getting paid $4.00 a batter and $2.00 for every 4 lbs. of icing.
They are really busy right now and have no time to train. But, I would love to just sit back and watch them work. I know that it is time consuming training. But, it is just that, the time it took to train me - they have replaced with adding more cakes since they do not have to spend the hours making icing and cakes. But, anyway, I will talk to them and hopefully, one day soon I will be able to learn some more about cake decorating. Because, I want so much to decorate.
I love all you wonderful people on this website.
Are they doing any baking? If not you are definatly being used. If they claim that they are too busy maybe they could pay for you to get some alturnative training or supply you with some written information on how to do some things so you can practice some techniques.
dmaam You said they are paying you per batter and per 2 lb bag of sugar. I hope with all my heart they are bringing you all the supplies. I agree with most you should go talk to the person who hired you and explain that you are ready to step up to the next level (so to speak) Good luck
Okay - if this is the thread that got you fired, I feel very sorry for you. I thought you expressed that you felt they were busy and that's why they could not train you - very understanding, not berating them at all. Also understanding that you might need a little boost from your "friends" here to go and ask them if there would be any time to train you in the future.
You did not sound pushy, nor at any time did I feel your employers were mean or out of line. It was just communication that was needed on your part, and you expressed that you agreed with that and that you would talk to them as suggested. I don't see anything wrong with you wondering if you are being compensated properly. That does not show anything poorly toward your employer IMHO.
I don't see anything here that should have hurt anyone's feelings - plus it was SO LONG AGO! I'm sure since then you have spoken to them and things have changed.
I'm sorry it went this way for you. Nowhere in this post do you mention who your employers are, I don't know how this would be bad publicity in any way for them.
I do understand, just make sure you don't beat yourself up too much over this.
Good luck!
I appreciate the support, but that is not why I am doing this. I want them to understand that I never meant to hurt them at all.
I agree with sweet results.....don't lose sleep over this. You were not bashing them in any way. You were seeking advice -ANONYMOUSLY- as we all do on a daily basis. Just a handful of us have ever met face to face. If they had read your past posts, then they surely will read this as well and know how badly you feel.
ATT: ex-employers.....
PLEASE contact dmaam and tell her it's ok. She is obviously distraught over this and as the good people I am sure you are (you are cake decorators, after all!....and dmaam has mentioned how much she values your relationship) please reach out to her. Maybe the internet wasn't the best place to seek advice....but it was a mistake that she's sorry for.
Thank you in advance!
I want to cosign Adven's plea. I read the other thread too and didn't see at all where you were rude or hurtful. Nobody even knows who they are! Did you just recently get fired? Had things changed after you posted this initial thread? Certainly not worth being fired over. You voiced your concerns respectfully and didn't divulge secrets, names or anything like that.
Good luck to you in the future. It is very big of you to apologize and I hope they will accept it and not make you feel bad for something so old.
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