Chef pay in Leeds March 2026

Chefs have the job of preparing, cooking and plating up food for customers.

Chefs work in kitchens that can be found in:

• Restaurants
• Pubs
• Bars
• Hotels
• Hospitals
• Schools/ colleges
• Ships
• The military
• Private catering events

There are a few types of chef jobs. These are:

• Apprentice/ trainee chef. This can also be called a commis chef.
• Section chef. This can also be called a chef de partie.
• Sous chef. This is the second-in-command chef.
• Head chef. This can also be called an executive chef or a chef du cuisine.

Each of these types of chef jobs have different tasks. You can read up on what different chef jobs are here.

In general, a chef job may involve:

• Planning menus
• Ordering and quality controlling ingredients and kitchen equipment
• Managing budgets
• Prepping meat and fish for cooking
• Cleaning and prepping other ingredients for cooking
• Cooking food under time pressure
• Plating up and presenting food
• Maintaining hygiene, health and safety and licensing laws
• Working as part of a kitchen team

Chef work is physical. You may spend a lot of time on your feet.

You may have to work early mornings, late nights, weekends and bank holidays.

If you want to apply for a chef job, you might need the following:

• Kitchen experience and training
• The right to work in the UK

Qualifications aren’t essential, but can help. These can include a degree, a college diploma or an apprenticeship.

You can be promoted to a junior chef job from a kitchen assistant job.