How Much Does An Agency Chef Get Paid In The UK?
Fed up of permanent chef jobs and curious to explore the flexible temp chef lifestyle? Your first question may well be how much you'll get paid. The short answer? A temp chef's salary depends on various factors, like experience, demand, and location.
At Chefs Jobs UK, we're a temp chef recruitment agency placing our brigade of professional relief chefs into kitchens in hotels, pubs, and restaurants across the United Kingdom.
Read on to get a clearer idea of what kind of wage you can expect to bring home per hour as an agency chef.
What salary can I expect per hour?
We specialise in placing chefs de partie, sous chefs and head chefs.
How much you get paid per hour will differ depending on your skillset and experience, but here are some average salary expectations for the three roles, to give you an idea of potential earnings.
As we write this in 2024, our average hourly pay rates are as follows:
Chef de partie - £15 - £17 per hour
Sous chef - £17 - £19 per hour
Head chef - £20+ per hour.
However, at different times of year this can vary massively - we've had chefs out working for £35 an hour during peak summer periods when demand for chefs is sky-high.
It can also vary depending on the type of placement, i.e. whether it's an urgent short-term contract, or a long-term job that could keep you employed for several months.
How do I get paid as an agency chef in the United Kingdom?
Working for a chef agency like CJUK, you can either be paid:
On our weekly payroll via PAYE - this is our most popular option, as you get holiday pay, national insurance and tax deducations, and you can even opt into our pension scheme.
Or, the hospitality employer you're working for can pay you directly.
In both instances, you will be paid weekly at an hourly rate after submitting a timesheet for all the hours you’ve worked.
As an agency chef, you get paid for every hour you work
Unlike with a permanent salaried job, you can ensure you're paid for every hour you work as an agency chef.
This can mean your earnings increase and you have less of that resentment for working above and beyond your set hours.
We offer a minimum of 40 hours per week to our chefs, but this can increase to 70+ hours a week during peak times, like the summer.
Of course, any overtime you do is up to you - but as many of our chefs work away from home and live on-site in accommodation, they are happy to work extra hours.
You could also earn extra money from tips
It's not a given, but many of our relief chefs are given a share of the tips in their temporary workplace, which can boost your earnings even further and work out as a decent chunk of money in your pocket by the end of the week.
Travel costs are often covered
As we work with sites nationwide, we often send chefs up and down the country for their next placement.
From a chef’s perspective, this allows you to see more of the country and have the cost of travelling to and from each placement covered.
Complimentary accommodation may be provided
Another financial consideration is your accommodation.
As we work with sites nationwide and always endeavour to match the right chef to the right job, we will often offer you placements away from home.
The sites we work with are used to this - many are in remote locations with limited transport links, so they will often provide complimentary accommodation for you on-site.
This mean you're not only making good money, but you're also saving on travel and digs.
Plus, many of our venues will even offer complimentary or discounted meals, both on and off-shift, to keep even more money in your pocket.
Living on-site also makes it easier to manage different shift patterns. For example, you don't have to travel on and off site in between a split shift, and you can head back to your room to rest rather than killing time and spending money elsewhere.
Save money to do the things you love
Most of our chefs don’t see this as an interim solution, they choose the relief chef lifestyle as it gives them the flexibility and freedom to set their own schedule.
They tend to work longer hours for short periods then take an extended break in between assignments, enjoying the earnings they've built up as well as the holiday pay they've saved up with us over the year.
For you, this could mean travelling the world, disappearing up a mountain, or spending quality time with loved ones to make up for that time you missed out on in your previous jobs.
Interested in working with an agency to find your next temp chef job?
Agency chef work is a refreshing change if you're ready to earn a great living while achieving a much better work-life balance.
Chefs Jobs UK is an experienced relief chef recruitment agency working with talented chefs and great kitchens across the UK.
View our latest vacancies or contact us to find out more.