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Head chef

Head chefs oversee a restaurant's staff, food and budgets.

Annual Salary

£23,000 to £50,000

Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)

Working hours

40 to 48 a week

You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on split shifts

4.8%
Future employment

There will be 4.8% fewer Head chef jobs in 2027.

Day to day tasks

You could:

  • plan menus and create new dishes
  • research and find new ingredients and catering equipment
  • present new ideas to restaurant managers and owners
  • make sure food is of the right quality and price
  • manage stock and order food from suppliers
  • control a budget and keep accurate records
  • manage health and hygiene procedures
  • organise and supervise the team preparing and presenting food
  • recruit, train and develop staff

Working environment

You may need to wear a uniform.

You could work at a restaurant, in an NHS or private hospital or on a cruise ship.

Your working environment may be hot and humid.

You could get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
University

You could take a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in:

  • culinary arts
  • hospitality management
  • professional cookery

A course with industry placements will help you to gain experience and may give you an advantage when looking for work.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
For more information
College

You could do a college course like a Level 3 Diploma In Advanced Professional Cookery or Level 4 Diploma in Professional Culinary Arts.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course
  • 1 or 2 A levels, a level 3 diploma or relevant experience for a level 4 or level 5 course
For more information
Apprenticeship

You could take chef de partie or senior chef advanced apprenticeship.

You could also do a senior culinary chef higher apprenticeship.

These will take between 12 to 24 months to complete.

You may also be able to do this role in the armed forces. You can find more information from:Army; Royal Air Force; Royal Navy

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
For more information
Work

Most head chefs work their way up after starting in a job like a kitchen assistant, before working as a section chef and building up their skills and experience.

You'll also need a qualification in food safety.

Requirements and restrictions

You'll need to:

More information

Further information

You can find out more about careers in catering from the Hospitality Guild and Caterer.com.

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With experience, you could go on to manage larger kitchens and more staff. You may work for a large restaurant chain, managing more than one kitchen. This is a management role, so cooking duties could be limited.

You could also set up your own business, running your own restaurant or franchise. Some head chefs go on to set up their own restaurant brand.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

  • knowledge of food production methods
  • leadership skills
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to monitor your own performance and that of your colleagues
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • the ability to organise your time and workload
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • the ability to work well with others
  • to be flexible and open to change
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
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