Availability of Head Chefs 8th March 2016
Into the 2nd week in March and I am finding a big split in the head chef recruitment.
Centrally, Glasgow, Perthshire and Stirling there is good availability of chefs.
Also, availability in the Borders and Dumfries and Galloway is decent to good.
Pay decent money and you will get good candidates. Read below for what is good money.
In rural Scotland and particularly for 2AA Rosette country house hotels, we are finding it hard to get relevant candidates. Skye, Shetland islands and rural Argyll, it is proving hard to get relevant candidates despite the payment of good money.
Suggest paying £25,000 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.
Aberdeenshire, Dundee and East coast, there are quite a few Head Chefs registered and the low oil price is having a knock on effect on the availability of chefs as some come back on shore due to cut backs. Albeit, as we speak the price of oil is moving back up to over $40 a barrel up from a year low of $28 a barrel.
Inverness and the highlands of Scotland mainland, pay good money with good accommodation and you will get some decent candidates unless you are 2AARosette or 3AA Rosette in which case it may be a bit tight.
Head Chefs are being put off jobs that offer set wage for 5 or 6 days per week and are preferring 5 day weeks or if six paid by the day. For instance, you can look at £500 to £600 for a five day week and a further £100 to £120 for the sixth day with overtime for five days being paid pro rata at over 45 or 48 hours sanctioned by management.
I advise against offering a set wage for a seasonal job, eg £25,000 for a six month job. I suspect you will get no applicants.
Suggest wage from £25000 upwards will get some candidates, ideally over £28,000 and suggest paying overtime for extra days and for hours worked over 45 / 48 sanctioned by management.
Ideally this will get candidates with verifiable work histories and often well known to Chefs In Scotland. Below quality will be hit or miss.
3AA Rosette head chefs (suggest £35,000 to £45,000) can be scarce, some 2AA (suggest £27,000 to £35,000) and happy to look.
The more central, the more candidates you will expect to get and the more rural, the harder it can get.
We are happy to meet chefs to discuss at our interview room here in Moffat and also hoteliers and restaurateurs.
RSS