There are 83 chefs out working which is 3 up on last year. We have 19 jobs confirmed for this week and hopefully there will be a few more confirmed today also.
Geoffrey Mshila who has done lots of relief work for us previously is back with us on his second stint at The Golf View in Nairn. Chris Wright is at Glengarry Castle where he has been asked to stay on until the end of the season. Damian Bolton is working 4 days a week around other commitments at The Inn at Lathones in Fife and is also stay until the end of the season. Gian Devey is at The Killiecrankie hotel and getting on very well. Ally Brown is at Skeabost and has extended his stint while they search for a permanent chef. Chris Robertson is working up in Peterhead at the Waterside hotel not too far from home. Alan Macpherson is at The Priory Hotel in Beauly which is also close to home for him. Lindsay Williams is also close to home at The Old Manor Hotel in Lundin Links where she has been asked to stay on longer. Daniel Haig and Virginijus Tiskus are in Edinburgh helping at La Garrigue while some of their staff is on holiday. Lillian Clarkson who has done lots of relief work for us over the years has just started her stint at The Falls of Dochart Inn.
Thank you to everyone for their hard work over this year and previous years.
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 ok, 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 £16 per hour for a one-man job cooking simple food to £45,000 and upwards.
For a standard hotel job, we would suggest in the region £32,000+ with overtime paid pro rata over 45 to 48 hours as 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 average. 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 few candidates about if paying decent money (i.e. upwards of £28,000 or £13-15 per hour) and offering good working conditions.
In rural Scotland, there can be a need to think outside of the box to retain and attract good sous chef candidates. Its is almost essential that you will need to provide accommodation in rural areas.
Chef de parties
Availability is ok in Glasgow, Edinburgh and the central belt.
In rural Scotland with accommodation there are very few candidates and you may get applicants if wages are decent, suggesting £11 to £13 per hour or a salary of between £23,000 - £25,000. The more money you can pay the better the availability there is.
Commis chefs
There are a few candidates available centrally or further afield if offering accommodation.
Pastry Chefs: this is quite a specialist position and there can be 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, and we can advise daily. The rates of pay are £12.50 to £18.50 per hour according to the position.
We have 20 relief chefs confirmed so far this week and 81 out working in total which is up on last year by 6.
We are still getting lots of permanent jobs registered if you are looking for a change then please email your CV’s, reference details and hygiene certificates to recruitment@chefsinscotland.co.uk
Here are some of the chefs we have out working
Ollie Rankin is at The Bridge Hotel in Buttermere
Andrew Engledow is at Friars Carse Country House Hotel
Patrick Johnstone is at Royal Dornoch Golf Club
Andy Duncan is finishing the season at Eddrachillies Hotel
David Maxwell is at Banff Springs Hotel
Sarah Galloway is at the Links Hotel
Gordon McCormick is at The Cairngorm Hotel
Dale Paton is at Moffat House Hotel
Robert Becsi, Chris Daily and Jason Keenan are at Cally Palace
David Parry is at The Scores Hotel
Matthew Moorhead is at Loch Melfort Hotel
Thanks to ALL of our relief chefs we appreciate your hard work and support 😊
We currently have 89 chefs out working this is up on last year by 17 chefs.
We have 18 chefs out this week, it has been a slight struggle, but this is expected for the time of year.
If you have any availability please get in touch with your dates.
If you are registering please email your CV, references and hygiene certificate to jojo@chefsinscotland.co.uk
Some chefs we have out at the moment
Bobby Ainsworth is at the links hotel along with Sarah Galloway
Lillian Clarkson is at the Collingwood Arms
Taylor Mcfarlane is at Ardvasar Hotel
Chloe Hay is at Mackays Hotel in Wick
James McPherson is at Caroy House in Skye
Viginijus Tiskus is at John Pauls @ Ducks
Marcin Rozwadowski and Shuggie Drysdale are both at Stonefield Castle
Kai Stutzkeitz is at Machrie Hotel on Islay
Jim Miller is back at The Waterfront Restaurant
Stephen Mackenzie and Gordon McCormick are at The Caringorm Hotel
Thanks to all of our relief chefs 😊
It’s hard to believe that I have been with Chefs In Scotland for a year now. It has gone by like a flash. Looking back on my first day in the office I often laugh at how nervous I was because it feels now as if I have always been here. From starting off with doing general references and calling chefs to where I am now is crazy. I found it easy to settle into the office as Johanna and Jessica made me feel very welcome and have supported me daily since then. I continue to have meetings with Michael every so often and it’s good to catch up and talk about how I am doing in the office and to talk of ways in which I can better myself and thrive.
After a full year in the office I feel like I have achieved a lot. The thought of trying to place a chef was very daunting when I first started but now it feels like second nature. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not always as smooth and plain sailing as I sometimes wish it would be but its all part and parcel of the job which is why enjoy it. You never know what you’re going to come in to daily which is why I love it, something new and challenging every day!
Over the last year I have managed to build relationships with many establishments and help when they are in need of a chef. It is such a rewarding feeling when you manage to help an establishment get a chef, it feels like a sense of relief knowing they are all sorted.
It has been a huge change in my life starting at Chefs In Scotland. I started working in a hotel for 5/6 years as a waitress to then working in retail for a year. I felt that after a year in college I had come to a standstill career wise and needed something to change it up a bit. I had spent a full year in college and decided that after qualifying in my course it wasn’t the right career choice for me. I noticed the job opportunity for Chefs In Scotland advertised on Facebook and sent my Cv across straight away. I was then invited for a 3-hour trial one afternoon and was given the task of doing some invoices and references. I must say, a year on and invoices are still my favourite. I then started on the 1st August 2018 after a family weekend spent in Blackpool. During my first week I was eased in and started to send some Cv’s out, but it wasn’t until the 13th September that I managed to successfully place a young chef at a high end hotel situated in the Lake District. It was a great feeling and felt like a huge achievement after only being with the company for just over a month.
Now here I am a year on, and I can happily say that I have finally found the career path in which I wish to continue in. Here’s to the next year…
Jade
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