How to become a professional chocolate taster

Think eating chocolate for money sounds too good to be true? Think again. With these tips, you could land yourself a role as a chocolate taster! Best. Job. Ever.

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Like chocolate? And earning money? You're in for a treat.

If you're on the search for the perfect graduate job, look no further. You could find yourself living the dream and getting paid to eat chocolate.

Read on to find out how to become a professional chocolate taster.

How to make money eating chocolate

The level of experience and qualifications you'll need to get a job as a chocolate taster varies massively depending on the responsibilities and seniority of the role.

Here, we'll go through different types of chocolate testing roles, from temporary part-time roles to (amazing) full-time careers. We'll also explain what experience you're likely to need.

Junior chocolate taster jobs

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If you have no experience working in the chocolate industry, you could still be in with a chance of living the dream as a part-time chocolate taster at uni.

Every so often, big chocolate brands announce opportunities where you can get paid to test chocolate in your spare time.

For example, in July 2019, Mars was on the lookout for eight new chocolate tasters. The best bit? Applicants didn't need any prior experience.

Ultimately, to become a chocolate taster, you just needed a good taste in chocolate and these qualities:

• General good health (healthy teeth/gums and no allergies or intolerances)
• Detail-orientated – you should be perceptive and descriptive
• Interest in product evaluation – experience in product testing would likely help
• Prepared to try new tastes and ingredients
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Open to receiving feedback and training, in a positive and professional manner
• Computer literate
• Good at timekeeping.

Wondering how much money you can make eating chocolate? Earning any amount of money to be a chocolate taster would obviously be the dream, but this part-time job actually offered £9.76 – £10.25 per hour.

These kinds of opportunities pop up now and then, so keep an eye out.

Master chocolate taster jobs

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If you're a bit of a connoisseur and you'd like to pursue chocolate tasting as a career, it's worth considering relevant qualifications and training at culinary schools. You can also find ways to gain relevant experience on top of your current degree.

As a master chocolate taster, your job would be about much more than simply tasting finished products. You'd also be involved in the production and development stages of chocolate making in food labs.

It can help to have studied chemistry, engineering or food-based subjects, depending on which area of chocolate tasting you're particularly keen to go into.

There isn't one set route to becoming a professional chocolate taster.

If you're more interested in perfecting the technical aspects of chocolate production, you'll likely need a scientific background.

But, if you'd prefer to focus on the taste combinations of chocolate, it'll help to have professional culinary training.

As well as knowing how to expertly make chocolate, you'll need to have a very sensitive palate and a willingness to try new tastes and textures. Chocolate tasters are required to be creative, precise and patient. If that sounds like you, this is a great start.

How to prepare for a chocolate tasting career at university

We'd recommend gaining work experience in product development. And, it's even better if you can get a part-time role or voluntary position in a chocolate company while at university. You can get in touch with local chocolatiers to express your interest and see if they have any opportunities for you.

Above all, you'll need to be genuinely passionate about chocolate.

You can show your love for the melt-in-your-mouth treats in a huge range of ways, like reviewing different bars on your own blog, selling homemade chocs or setting up a chocolate society at uni.

Fun jobs to do as a uni student

Working as a chocolate taster is up there as one of the best jobs, but we know of more ways to make money at university which are amazing but... surprising, to say the least.

For example, you could make money from walking or as a Pokémon taxi driver.

Or, if those jobs don't appeal, you could always run an alpaca farm and spend your days surrounded by adorable animals. Now that's our kind of job.

Chocolate tasting is just one of these unusual job ideas.