We have 74 relief chefs out working, this is up by 14 on last year.
Relief has been very busy as you would expect for the time of year.
We are keen for all relief chefs out working to update us with finish dates and any availability you may have.
We are also still happy to meet chefs at our office in Moffat and we are available most days either at 11am or 2pm just get in touch to check our availability.
Plenty adverts coming in if you are interested in any of the positions on our website please either apply direct to the establishment or email recruitment with the job reference number. You can also register for CIS for chefs please follow the link http://www.chefsinscotland.co.uk/content/account/
We can also help with updating / writing CV’s.
Out and about
Stuart Palmer finished his 9th week at SU Scotland near Kinross.
Daniel Haig is currently over in Mull at the Western Isles Hotel.
Lillian Clarkson is at Laroch Restaurant in Ballachulish.
Sara-Jayne Moffat is coming to the end of her 4 week stint at The Pier House in Port Appin.
David Ironside is at the Links Hotel.
Paul Sellers is at Moffat House.
Don Craig is at Tigh an Eilean Hotel in Shieldaig.
Kai Stutzkeitz and Lauren McConnell are both at Caladh Inn in Stornoway.
Ally Elder has just completed Onich Hotel.
Fraser Dingwall is at The Lerwick Hotel.
Sean Abernethy is at The Links Hotel.
Alan Kaye is at Glensander over by Oban.
Gareth Connelly is at Craigmonie Hotel.
Marthius Mwina is staying for the season at Glen Nevis Restaurant.
This is just to name a few.
Thanks for everyone’s continued support and hardwork.
We have 76 relief chefs out working mostly in Scotland and with a few in the north of England.
Head chefs
There are head chef candidates in central Scotland if paying good money in excess of £28,000 and upwards for head chef jobs.
In rural Scotland including Inverness and all the highlands and islands, there are a few head chefs and we advise offering accommodation with permanent head chef jobs to attract candidates. Otherwise you may have to wait some time until a relevant local candidate becomes available.
In rural Scotland and particular 2AA Rosette country house hotels relevant candidates are scarce. Skye, Shetland Islands and rural Argyll there are candidates if paying good money (about £35,000 for 2AA Rosette head chef)
Suggest paying £28,000 upwards to £40,000 according to requirements and demands of the job. Ideally we advise for a five day week and over-time paid on a pro rata basis for extra days worked and for hours in excess of 48 on a pro rata basis.
Northumberland, Borders, Cumbria, Aberdeenshire, Dundee and East coast, and Perthshire there are quite a few Head Chefs registered.
The more central, the more candidates you will expect to get and the more rural, the harder it can get.
With all the social media currently available, many chefs are becoming very savvy about where they wish to work and establishments with records of poor chef retention may find it harder to attract good quality permanent candidates. Scotland is quite a small country.
For seasonal head chefs advise paying an hourly rate of pay of £14-£16 per hour with accommodation provided depending on location. This will attract candidates which may be of mixed quality.
Sous chefs
If it is a live in position for 4 star hotel suggest paying £25,000 to £30,000.
In central areas such as Glasgow, Edinburgh, Perth and Stirling can try live-out and there are a few relevant chefs. In rural Scotland, it can be harder to get candidates and there are very few candidates available depending on the package in place.
2AA Rosettes there are very few available. Suggest wages of £25,000 - £28,000 upwards to £30,000 for 3AA Rosette sous chef.
A good way to attract candidates is to pay hourly rates for every hour worked by chefs. For sous chefs suggest £12 to £14 per hour this will help to attract and retain good candidates. If paying salaried, we suggest five day week with overtime pro rata over 48 hours.
Chef de parties
Availability is ok in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Perthshire and central belt. Quality can be mixed. In rural Scotland with accommodation there are a few candidates if wages are decent, suggesting £9 to £10 per hour.
The availability of chefs who are looking for more rural jobs such as Fort William, Invernesshire and West Coast is poor although there may be some chefs looking for live in accommodation that may be happy to relocate.
If paying by salary £19,000 for a 45 hour week works out £8.11 an hour which is on the low side. Suggest paying up to £22,000 or hourly rate £9.00 - £11 per hour with live in accommodation at a small charge. We would hope you will get decent candidates with this.
Commis chefs
Very few bodies available. Enclosed link to minimum wages.
Availability of Relief Chefs changes daily and we can advise.
Since 2001 there have been 5 general elections in the UK including the one last week.
The results have been as follows.
2001 Labour 40.7%, conservative 31.7% Lib Dem 18.3% - Tony Blair
2005 Labour 35.2%, conservative 32.4% Lib Dem 22% - Tony Blair and Gordon Brown
2010 Labour 29%, conservative 36.1% Lib Dem 23% - David Cameron
2015 Labour 30.4%, conservative 36.9% Lib Dem 7.9% - David Cameron then Theresa May in 2016
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