[Blagueur]

I am enrolled to start culinary studies in Sydney ,Australia in July.

This sounds like the mid year intake for the Sydney campus of Le Cordon Bleu Australia. Would this be right?

I am from Los Angeles and I have heard of students having problems with teachers and culinary schools in regards to being tattoo'd. I have full sleeved arm tattoos and some on my hands.

Two things here. One, is that what you've heard is, well, hearsay. Have you inquired as to what you've heard is true? It may well be it's the students that are having problems with getting used to professional standards.

Two, you are about to hit a culture that is vastly different from your own. Be prepared to be taken out of your comfort zone and encounter things that will be totally alien to you. What is accepted where you are won't be accepted here and vice versa.

What is the deal with teachers and schools having such a problem with this?

What you may have heard is the response elicited by some students with regards to on site presentation. A lot of people are averse to rules. After all, our 'MTV, sex, burger and fries' society teaches us that no rules equals personal freedom. As such, people feel certain rules encroach on their personal rights but fail to pinpoint the fact that with anything in life, there is a modicum of responsibility required too. Others have already mentioned what these are in relation to professional cooking so I won't revisit them.

As so many chefs have multiple tattoos.

If that's the way it is in your backyard then that's cool. But you take a walk around Sydney and you'll be hard pressed to find any chef in a half decent restaurant with tattoos that you can see.

You would think they would just be happy with the high tuition they just got.

The reality in Australia is that things are done very differently here with regards to training. It's not the done thing to skip off to culinary school and expect a career. Bottom line is, mate, people won't give a toss how much you paid for your classes. Domestic students as well as their international counterparts spend just as much as you do going through the apprenticeship system which is very competitive and standards are world class. Culinary school is very much considered the second option. If you don't think you'll be able to hack this then it might be worth considering staying where you are But if you want a challenge and a very good education then grasp this amazing opportunity, hook in, abide by the rules and you're in for a bloody good time.