How to Attract Top Hospitality Talent in the Post-Festive Job Surge

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Head Chef: Job Description, Duties and Salary

If you fancy yourself as the next celebrity chef in the making, you’ll first need to climb the ladder in a professional kitchen. Formal qualifications aren’t necessary, but you’ll need plenty of drive, determination and passion to become King or Queen of the kitchen.

But what exactly is it the head chef does? Or more importantly, how much can you expect to earn if you become a head chef?

Job Description

The head chef is the highest-ranked ‘boss’ of the kitchen, answering only to the executive head chef. Inspiring individuals who take charge of large and small brigades, ensuring nothing substandard makes it to the dining room.

Barking orders is easy – leading by example is something else entirely. To succeed as a head chef, you need to become a role model for every cook, porter and pot-washer you oversee.

The role of the head chef isn’t typically as ‘hands-on’ as that of a sous chef or line cook. A head chef may take responsibility for plating and presentation at the pass, but will also oversee the most important administrative aspects of the business.

Examples of everyday responsibilities of the head chef include:

• Menu planning
• Determining the price of menu items
• Vetting and selecting suppliers
• Quality control of dishes and ingredients
• Cost-control and budgeting
• Dealing with escalated customer complaints
• Overseeing health and hygiene standards
• Staff scheduling and deployment
• Recruitment and training
• Addressing employee grievances and performance issues

The head chef also enjoys limitless freedom to express their creativity. Not to mention, experiment with weird and wonderful dishes that may or may not make it on to the menu. If food is your thing, a head chef position could be your dream job.

Lifestyle

Leading culinary figures often say that you can be a successful chef or enjoy a rich personal life. You’ll be expected to work shifts, which may include evenings, weekends, bank holidays and early mornings. Hospitality businesses in general tend to attract the majority of their guests outside office hours.

In addition, a hot and stuffy kitchen environment isn’t for anyone. Things get noisy, crowded and congested surprisingly quickly. Then there’s the constant pressure of being expected to deliver consistently flawless results, even when things go terribly wrong.

But hey, no one ever said it was going to be easy!

As for benefits, flexible working hours can also be a godsend. For some, the traditional 9-to-5 grind is the epitome of an uninspiring existence. In addition, a professional kitchen can also be one of the most enjoyable and energising working environments.

Not to mention, the perks and privileges that come with working at the top-level for a prestigious hospitality business.

Salary

By climbing the ladder to a head chef position, you’ll open the door to incredible career prospects worldwide. Salaries vary wildly from one establishment and location to the next, but are typically at the top end of the hospitality-earnings spectrum.

Starting out as a new head chef in a modest establishment, you’ll be looking at around £30,000 or so plus benefits. With more experience and in a more prestigious setting, you could easily take home £50,000 or more. It won’t be an easy journey, but the rewards make every step more than worthwhile!

Check out our exclusive catering and hospitality listings for the latest vacancies in your area!

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Pathways to Explore for Becoming a Chef

Britain is bursting at the seams with high-quality hospitality jobs. The UK hospitality industry contributes an incredible 1% of the nation’s entire annual economic turnover. Nevertheless, this is also one of the most competitive sectors and recruiters are becoming more selective all the time.

Which begs the question – what chance do you have of becoming a successful chef?

Surprisingly, you probably have more of a chance than you’d think. It’s simply a case of accepting that you may have to start right at the bottom of the ladder.

Understanding a Chef’s Role

Before pursuing a position as a chef, you need to think carefully about what it is the professional chef does on a daily basis. Duties vary significantly from one setting to the next, though typically involve the following:

• Preparation of appropriate menus
• Cooking and serving of menu items and accompaniments
• Supervision and replenishment of stock items
• Preparation of fruits, vegetables and proteins
• Contributing to workplace health and safety standards
• Collecting customer feedback
• Kitchen paperwork and general admin

The higher you climb, the less hands-on the chef’s responsibilities become. At an entry-level position, you can expect to spend your days and nights getting your hands dirty across the entire kitchen.

How to Become a Chef

The good news is that there are no specific qualifications required to pursue a career as a professional chef. Traditional educational accolades are always welcome, but by no means compulsory.

By contrast, you’ll need plenty of experience to climb the career ladder in a professional kitchen. Potential pathways to explore for gaining practical experience include:

• Apprenticeships with hospitality companies
• On-the-job training in an entry level role
• Providing voluntary services for a charitable cause
• Taking a formal hospitality course
• Attending a catering school or cooking classes

Any one or more of the above could enhance your appeal in the eyes of employers. Not to mention, accelerate your progression up the career ladder. The earlier you get started, the sooner you’ll be on your way.

Entry-Level Kitchen Positions

Unless you bring invaluable experience and expertise to the table, you’ll need to consider an entry-level position. Even if you have relevant experience, it may still be necessary to demonstrate your capabilities at the bottom of the ladder.

However rudimentary the position, you’ll have secured that all-important ‘foot in the door’. After which, it’s simply a case of building the knowledge, skills and confidence to take your career to the next level.

Some of the most successful and famous chefs worldwide have started their careers in the following roles:

Dishwasher

As the name suggests, the dishwasher is responsible for washing and sanitising crockery, cutlery and cookware. No experience or training is usually required.

Kitchen Porter

The kitchen porter is more of a general assistant, doing whatever needs to be done to enable the chefs to do their job. Typical duties may include basic food preparation, workstation preparation and end-of-shift shutdowns.

Line Chef

Often the first formal position in the career of a successful chef, the line chef covers the vast majority of basic cooking duties across the kitchen. You’ll typically need a decent level of experience and expertise to secure a job as a line chef.

For the latest catering vacancies in your area, check out our complete listings online!

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Which Skills Do Hospitality Hirers Value Most

Successfully securing the job of your dreams means looking beyond your own goals and objectives. It’s a case of viewing the whole thing from the perspective of the employer.

The British hospitality sector is one of the largest and most accessible for enthusiastic candidates. Nevertheless, prime positions are also becoming increasingly competitive. Hence, you need to think carefully about if, how and to what extent you can ensure you stand out from the crowd.

So to help with your next hospitality job application and interview, we’ve listed the skills, qualities and character traits employers value most:

Customer Service Skills

Ultimately, every hospitality role is a customer service role. If the end customer isn’t delighted, the rest is inconsequential. Hence, to get ahead in a hospitality setting, you need to demonstrate your complete commitment to customer service. If you bring genuine customer service skills and acumen to the table, you’re already halfway there.

Commitment to Quality

Likewise, quality standards must be maintained at all levels within a hospitality business. There’s no room for second best and you must not present yourself as a candidate who’s willing to compromise.

Capacity to Multitask

Hospitality workers across the board are expected to balance multiple interconnected duties at all times of day and night. Handling multiple orders in a restaurant, cooking a variety of dishes at the same time, handling a handful of customer queries all at once – the capacity to multitask is a prerequisite for a successful hospitality career.

Loyalty and Commitment

The hospitality industry is notorious for its high employee turnover. Hence, employers don’t like to think they’re making an investment in a candidate who’s likely to jump ship a few months down the line. Even if it’s not entirely the case, you need to give the impression you’re loyal to them and only to them.

Flexibility and Adaptability

A typical hospitality environment has the capacity to be one of the most unpredictable and chaotic imaginable. It’s difficult to plan so much as 30 minutes ahead, let alone days and weeks in advance. Come what may, you need to be ready, willing and able to adapt and perform accordingly. You’ll also need to accept the regular or occasional requirement to work evenings, weekends, bank holidays and so on.

Communication Skills

Solid communication skills will serve you well in any professional environment. Due to the organised chaos that is the everyday norm, they’re particularly valuable in hospitality. You’ll need to be confident and competent when communicating with colleagues, customers and superiors at all levels.

Problem Solving

Things going wrong is part and parcel of the experience in almost every hospitality setting. The candidates who thrive are natural problem-solvers, unafraid of a challenge. An innovative and proactive attitude holds the key to success in a hospitality environment.

Teamwork

Irrespective of how high you climb the career ladder, you’ll always need to work as part of a cohesive team. The ability to work independently is also important, but not nearly on the same level as teamwork. Along with being able to work as part of a team, you’ll need to communicate and demonstrate your passion for doing so.

Check out our exclusive catering and hospitality listings for the latest vacancies in your area!