Ever dreamed of cooking for a family that took you on vacation with them, say, to the Bahamas, for free? Ever wondered if there is a cooking job that doesn't require you to work nights and weekends for the rest of your life?

Becoming a private or personal chef might be your answer. A private chef works with one family full time, often staying on premise to make three meals a day.

A personal chef typically has several different clients that he or she might make one meal a day for. The personal chef may also make a week's worth of prepared meals at one time for the family to enjoy later at their leisure.

Your responsibilities for both include grocery shopping, meal planning, execution and cleaning. You might also be asked to cook for private functions such as cocktail or birthday parties, for which you will need to know how to set tables and serve food according to the theme or ambiance accordingly.

Benefits that go along with becoming a private chef are wide-spread. You can usually pick the times you want to spend prepping the meals, as long as the food is ready in time. You also get paid substantially more than the average restaurant chef, and many times receive health benefits and even a 401K package.

There are downsides to taking this career route—as a private chef, you will most likely be expected to show full dedication to the family, traveling with them wherever they go despite your own schedule. As previously mentioned though, that could be a great thing, as a family will often pay to take their private chef along on vacation.

The most important part of the job is that you are organized, disciplined and can get along with the family. The latter is even more important than the first two, so don't beat yourself up if a job with one family doesn't work out.

For example—I was a personal chef for a vegetarian family of four, preparing weekly dinners for them. Before the job began, we worked out a food and labor cost budget as well as the number of meals required per week and a schedule for delivery.

As time went by, a breakdown in communication began to occur. I asked the family to provide feedback for which dishes they preferred over others. Developing a rotating menu is part of being a chef and a good way to control costs and stay organized. They preferred new and different meal plans every day.

The family also began to feel the meals were too expensive, and tried to renegotiate the contract several times during the time I cooked for them. I did work with them to lower the cost they had initially agreed to, but as a result had to use fewer ingredients.

While they still liked the food, they felt it wasn't as exciting as before—but didn't want to pay more for higher end food. In the end I was stuck each week trying to figure out how to make four dinners for four people on a budget of $100 (they also preferred organic product, which is more expensive).

When the job eventually ended, I was left feeling I had cheated myself for not holding the family to the original contract and respecting myself in that role more.

As a private chef, these are people you're going to be spending a lot of time with and will most likely get to know on a personal basis. It's important to remember to stay professional and that your time, knowledge and energy are worth something no matter how much they might end up becoming your friends.

If the chemistry works between you and the family members, the job can be wonderful, rewarding and you will be well respected among your peers.

If you're interested in learning more about becoming a personal or private chef, one great resource is the American Personal & Private Chef Association. The association offers training and classes, and is also a great networking tool for those in the industry.