Covers

Chef jobs

Head chef, sous chef, chef de partie and commis roles, posted by the kitchen doing the hiring. Every one states the pay, the shifts and what happens to the tips.

No chef jobs open today.

Covers is new, and every job here is posted by the venue itself, so listings arrive a few at a time. Set an alert and we will email you the day one is posted. Below: what the work involves, what it has to pay, and what to check before you apply.

How a kitchen is organised

Most restaurant kitchens still run on the brigade: a head chef in charge, a sous chef as second, chefs de partie each running a section, and commis chefs learning under them. Smaller kitchens compress it, and a sous chef in a 40-cover restaurant may cook every section on a quiet night.

  1. 1Commis chef — the first rung. Prep, a section under supervision, and learning the menu.
  2. 2Chef de partie — runs one section through service: grill, sauce, larder, pastry.
  3. 3Sous chef — runs the pass when the head chef is off, and usually the ordering and the rota.
  4. 4Head chef — the menu, the costs, the team and the hygiene record.
  5. 5Executive chef — more than one kitchen, or a large one with a head chef under them.

What to check in the advert

  • Hours a week, and whether that figure includes the unpaid break.
  • Straight shifts or splits. A split can add hours of unpaid dead time to your day.
  • How many covers, and how many chefs on a busy night.
  • Whether the trial shift is paid. If you are cooking for customers, it should be.
  • What the tronc is worth, if there is one.

Most kitchens ask for a Level 2 food hygiene certificate. The law requires food handlers to be trained or supervised in hygiene appropriate to the work; the certificate is how employers show it, and it takes an afternoon online.

What it must pay

From 1 April 2026 the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over is £12.71 an hour. It is £10.85 for 18 to 20 year olds, and £8.00 for 16 and 17 year olds and for apprentices. That is the floor for every hour you work, including any trial shift that is really work.

The rates, on gov.uk National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates

Every job on Covers states its pay, because the database will not publish one that does not. Once there are four live listings for a role, its pay page shows the median of what venues are actually offering.

Hours

You cannot be made to work more than 48 hours a week on average, normally over 17 weeks, unless you have chosen to sign an opt-out. Many kitchens ask for one. You can cancel it with notice, and nobody can be sacked for refusing to sign.

The working time limits, on gov.uk Maximum weekly working hours

Read before you apply

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