News

6 weeks in 15 Well Street

So as of last week, we will have had the Chefs In Scotland office in Well Street for 6 weeks and in our opinion the move has been very successful. There were a few teething issues in the beginning with BT with the internet which were resolved quickly, and the business is extremely busy. This month we are on target to smash some goals with regards to permanent placements made, adverts on our website and relief jobs out. Tom has been very busy getting lots of junior chefs placed and getting ready to go to the brewery in a few weeks’ time which he will update you all on very shortly. Johanna is back in full swing getting lots of relief chefs placed, meeting chefs and getting new chefs out working. The feedback for most of our new relief chefs has been very good. I have been working on getting senior chefs placed and the head and sous chef list is ever growing so if you are looking for something new just get in touch.

Being in the centre of town is beneficial for us as we are not far should we need supplies or just to get some fresh air for lunch while being in front of the computer all day. Michael has taken a step back now and we meet once a week to discuss the goings on in the office and any ongoing projects.

Alannah who has had a beautiful baby girl in February and is away on maternity leave but will be returning for a few days to cover mine and Johanna’s days off, so you will all be hearing a familiar voice over the phone during this time which we are looking forward to.

All in all, we are working extremely hard to get as many chefs out working all over Scotland. Yes, there is a shortage of chefs however if you are willing to put a good package in place for chefs you will get candidates although the quality is mixed at this time of year. We do our utmost to chase references and give you as much information about the chefs as we can however they are not all as well known to us at this time of year unfortunately.

We are in the middle of the season now and expect to get busier and our aim is to continue to provide establishments and chefs a prompt and fair service.

Thank you for all your support.

Jessica

Out and about 15th June 2018

With over 80 chefs out working I am getting closer to my 100 chefs out working at once 😊

We have been busy again in the office this week with 20 + adverts being placed 20 + relief chefs out and 5 permanent chefs placed.

We are meeting chefs again we are available Tuesday AM or PM Wednesday AM or Thursday AM or PM. Feel free to get in touch if you are looking to have a chat regarding relief work or senior permanent positions.

Here are a few chefs we have placed at the end of May…………………….

Taylor McFarlane at Fife Arms Turriff

Ally Brown at Balmacara Hotel

James McInally at Old Mill Inn Pitlochry

Karl Becker Glenmoriston Arms

John Tyson at Oban Bay Hotel

Adam Glover at The Granary Restaurant

Michael Njororge at Tormaukin Hotel

Leon Sinclair at Inn at Ardgour

Ally Elder at Dalhousie Castle

Jim Miller at Pentland View Care Home

Chris Wright at Letterfinlay Lodge

Stuart Agnew at Scripture Union at Lendrickmuir

Dmitrij Cvilij at Saucy Mary’s in Skye

Mick Kitson at Buccleuch and Queensberry Hotel

Richard Clark at Moorings Hotel Fort William

Zander Yule at Old Manor Hotel

Yousef Shengheer at La Piazza and Victoria’s Restaurant

Sebastian Held at Deeside Inn

Mark Shaw at Lomond Hills Hotel

Sarah Pozzi at Carfraemill Hotel

Most chefs are known to us and some are not – we have been getting some excellent feedback from establishments – keep up the good work 😊

Relief work pros and cons

This week and last has been hugely busy on relief specifically. We are right in the middle of the season now and there are lots of chefs out working through us. We do very often get establishments phone up and say they are looking for a relief chef who can start as relief and the possibly take on the permanent role. Although this does occasionally happen we usually advise that the relief chefs just like to do relief work.

What isn’t to like? Good hourly rates of pay, accommodation at no charge, paid for every hour that you work, travel at 30 pence a mile. But what most new relief chefs don’t realise that there are some down sides. If relief chefs are happy to keep their head down and work away, we can almost guarantee work until the end of October time. However, the relief work available over the winter time is very limited and this can result in a very long winter season. The places that the relief chefs go in to are usually in desperate need of a chef and they need a chef to go in and get the job done. The staff accommodation can be sometimes a little less than desired however we ask that is clean and single so not sharing a room with anyone else.

When I first started out as a chef the idea of being a relief chef never really appealed to me as it doesn’t now. I think this is due to the inconsistency and the changeability on what you do on a day-to-day basis. But I know that for some of our relief chefs doing relief work on a regular basis is the best way to ensure they can set their own work schedule and get that elusive life -work balance that we talk about.

What is the one thing you love about being a relief chef?

Availability of Chefs 7th June 2018

Head chefs

If paying good money and in a central location such as Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling, Dundee, Aberdeen and Perth the availability of head chefs is good, basically, the more central and the larger local population the better availability.

What is good money for a head chef? This can vary from a small pub to a large five star or 3AA Rosette Hotel and can be anything from £14 per hour for a one-man job cooking simple food to £45,000 and upwards.

For a standard hotel job in we would suggest £28,000 to £35,000 with overtime paid pro rata over 45 to 48 hours sanctioned by management.

Bonus schemes always help and can be based on getting a gross profit margin of over say 65 to 70% and it is always advisable stressing in advance how often the bonus is paid and what the exact criteria are. Other bonuses may be based on increase in sales. Keeping wages ratio down and helping to achieve certain net profits subject to maintaining quality of food, kitchen cleanliness and staff retention.

In more rural Scotland it is harder to get and retain chefs and often accommodation should be offered to attract suitable candidates.

Sous chefs

The availability of sous chefs in rural Scotland is getting poorer as we move into the middle of the season. Sometimes, a mature former head chef will be happy to take a step back to work alongside head chef.

In more central Scotland, there are quite a few candidates about and if paying decent money and offering good working conditions there is no reason why you cannot land and keep a good sous chef with a stable track record.

In rural Scotland, there can be a need to think outside of the box to retain and attract good sous chef candidates and many establishments find it easier to take on relief chefs for the season.

Chef de parties

Availability is ok in Glasgow, Edinburgh and the central belt.

In rural Scotland with accommodation there are fewer candidates, but you will get applicants if wages are decent, suggesting £10 to £12 per hour. The more money you can pay the better the availability of chefs is.

For chef de partie jobs it is a chef market.

Commis chefs

There are usually a few candidates available centrally or further afield if offering accommodation.

Pastry Chefs: this is quite a specialist position and there are often a couple of specialised pastry chefs looking, not always though.

Enclosed link to minimum wages.

www.minimum-wage.co.uk/

Availability of Relief Chefs changes daily and we can advise daily, it is currently quite tight as you would expect for the time of year. The rates of pay are the same as last year which is £13 to £17 per hour according to the position.

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