Chefs: pay and what the work involves

Occupation 5434 · Skilled trades occupations

Chefs

Chefs plan menus and prepare, or oversee the preparation of food in hotels, restaurants, clubs, private households and other establishments.

How people enter it

There are no formal academic requirements. Training is provided Off and on-the-job. NVQs/ SVQs, BTEC Certificates and Diplomas and foundation degrees are available. Apprenticeships are also available. Courses are also run by private cookery schools.

What the work involves

requisitions or purchases and examines foodstuffs from suppliers to ensure quality
plans menus, prepares, seasons and cooks foodstuffs or oversees their preparation and monitors the quality of finished dishes
supervises, organises and instructs kitchen staff and manages the whole kitchen or an area of the kitchen
ensures relevant hygiene and health and safety standards are maintained within the kitchen
plans and co-ordinates kitchen work such as fetching, clearing and cleaning of equipment and utensils

Also called

Chef · Chef-manager · Food stylist · Head chef · Pastry chef

What it pays

Measure	Hours	Basis	Period	Value	Source
5434 : Chefs	None	None	2026-03	186,500.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
5434 : Chefs	None	None	2026-03	196,200.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
5434 : Chefs	None	None	2026-03	220,700.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
5434 : Chefs	None	None	2026-03	2,000.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
5434 : Chefs	None	None	2026-03	24,500.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
5434 : Chefs	None	None	2026-03	222,700.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
5434 : Chefs	None	None	2026-03	9,700.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)

Every regional figure

ONS does not publish occupational pay below region. Cells the survey could not support are shown as withheld, with its reason — adding a region split to a specific occupation leaves roughly a tenth of cells publishable.

Region	Measure	Hours	Value	Period
East	5434 : Chefs	None	21,900.00	2026-03
East Midlands	5434 : Chefs	None	13,400.00	2026-03
London	5434 : Chefs	None	46,800.00	2026-03
North East	5434 : Chefs	None	7,400.00	2026-03
North West	5434 : Chefs	None	21,000.00	2026-03
Northern Ireland	5434 : Chefs	None	2,000.00	2026-03
Scotland	5434 : Chefs	None	24,500.00	2026-03
South East	5434 : Chefs	None	19,200.00	2026-03
South West	5434 : Chefs	None	21,300.00	2026-03
Wales	5434 : Chefs	None	9,700.00	2026-03
West Midlands	5434 : Chefs	None	21,800.00	2026-03
Yorkshire and The Humber	5434 : Chefs	None	13,900.00	2026-03

Common questions

Does pay for chefs vary by region?

ONS publishes regional pay for this occupation where the survey sample supports it — 12 of 12 cells on this page. The rest are withheld by ONS, and are shown as withheld with the reason, rather than left out.

Where do these pay figures come from?

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, published by the Office for National Statistics. Figures are shown exactly as ONS publishes them — we do not adjust, model or fill them in, and every number on this page carries the series and period it came from.

Classified alongside this

Bakers and flour confectioners · Butchers · Catering and bar managers · Cooks · Fishmongers and poultry dressers