Chef
Prepare, cook and present food in restaurants, hotels, hospitals and schools, from commis chef at the start to running your own kitchen.
- Salary£22,000 – £40,000
- Hours40 to 45 hours a week, including evenings, weekends and bank holidays on shifts
- Working for yourselfSelf-employment is possible
What the job is like
If you love cooking for other people and enjoy the buzz of a busy room, a professional kitchen could suit you. Chefs turn raw ingredients into dishes that look good, taste good and reach the pass on time, service after service.
Most chefs start at the bottom of the kitchen ladder and learn by doing, often through an apprenticeship. It is hot, fast and physical work with evening and weekend shifts, but the skills travel with you: restaurants, hospitals, schools, cruise ships and your own business one day.
What you'll do
- Prepare ingredients: chopping, portioning, making stocks and sauces
- Cook and plate dishes to the standard and timing the kitchen expects
- Help plan menus and try out new recipes and dishes
- Check deliveries, rotate stock and keep track of what needs ordering
- Follow food safety, hygiene and allergen rules every shift
- Keep your section and equipment clean and organised
- As you progress, supervise and train other kitchen staff
Where you'll work
- Indoors
- In a team
Skills and hobbies that help
Weighted by how much they matter in this job, from the official job profile's skills and tasks. Tap one to see other careers that use it.
Key skills
Used a lot
Handy to have
Hobbies that give you a head start
How to become a chef
Apprenticeship
Commis Chef Level 2 or Production Chef Level 2 apprenticeship (typically about 12 months), then Chef de Partie Level 3 or Pastry Chef Level 3, and Senior Culinary Chef Level 4 later on
Catering and Hospitality Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship, open to 16 to 21 year olds (and some 22 to 24 year olds), according to the National Careers Service
College
Courses in professional cookery, culinary skills or hospitality and catering; entry requirements vary by course
University
Foundation degree, HND or degree in culinary arts, professional cookery, bakery and patisserie technology, or food and nutrition
Direct application
Start as a kitchen assistant or trainee commis chef and learn on the job
Other ways in
The Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy all train chefs through apprenticeships
Qualifications, licences and cards
- A food safety (food hygiene) certificate; the National Careers Service says courses take 1 to 2 days through councils, colleges and private providers
Where it can lead
- Commis chef to chef de partie, then sous chef running the kitchen when the head chef is away
- Head chef, then restaurant or hospitality management, or overseeing several sites for a chain
- Setting up a catering business or opening your own restaurant
Good to know
- Kitchens can be hot, humid and physically demanding, and you will usually wear a uniform
- You can work in restaurants, hotels, NHS or private hospitals, schools, colleges or on cruise ships
- Pastry and patisserie is a specialist path with its own Level 3 apprenticeship
Courses and training
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Apprenticeship search
Find an apprenticeship – GOV.UK
The official GOV.UK service for searching and applying for apprenticeship vacancies in England.
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Course search
Find a course – National Careers Service
The National Careers Service search for college and training provider courses in England, including Skills Bootcamps.
Official information
Sources
We checked these pages in September 2026. Rules, pay and courses change, so always confirm with the official source.
- National Careers Service: Chef nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/chef
- Skills England apprenticeship: Commis chef (Level 2) skillsengland.education.gov.uk/apprenticeships/st0228-v1-4
- Skills England apprenticeship: Production chef (Level 2) skillsengland.education.gov.uk/apprenticeships/st0589-v1-2
- Skills England apprenticeship: Chef de partie (Level 3) skillsengland.education.gov.uk/apprenticeships/st0227-v1-2
- Skills England apprenticeship: Pastry chef (Level 3) skillsengland.education.gov.uk/apprenticeships/st0929-v1-0
- Skills England apprenticeship: Senior culinary chef (Level 4) skillsengland.education.gov.uk/apprenticeships/st0864-v1-0