Becoming a private chef is a highly varied and rewarding career choice, which can offer good pay & better working conditions than working in a restaurant or hotel environment.
If you're looking for private chef jobs, then this is the post for you. In this post, we'll go over how some of the ways in which you can become a private chef, some of the background & experience you'll need and who to contact.
A restaurant or 5* Hotel background
Most private chefs will have had an extensive career in restaurants & hotels before moving into private chef jobs. A solid training in Michelin star restaurants and a good all round knowledge of all sections of the kitchen will mean you can deal with any requests that you receive competently & calmly.
A superyacht or chalet chef background
Some private chefs come from a superyachting & ski chalet background, where you would have similar experience of small teams or cooking single handedly for smaller size families & parties, which can provide a solid foundation for working as a private chef.
What skills do you need to be a personal chef?
Flexibility is a key skill you will need to become a private chef. Your job is to cook what your client wants or feels like, and being able to quickly respond to requests will make your life both easier and mean they are happier with your work.
Time management is also a fundamental part of being a private chef. Without the safety net of an extensive team behind you, running late will be very clear, so it's fundamental that you are able to manage your time effectively and make sure you are running on schedule.
Communication skills are vital as you will need to be able to communicate menu & dish ideas in different formats, as well as making sure your clients know what to expect when they book you for an event or private dinner.
Marketing & Social Media skills will also be important as you will need to build up a profile in order to take bookings & enquiries from clients. If nobody knows you exist, you won't make much money!
Cooking skills are also fairly fundamental! Obviously, having all of the skills above will be helpful, but if you can't put out a good standard of food, then your clients won't be too happy and might be unlikely to rebook you!
How much does a private chef make?
There can be a huge range of earning potential as a private chef, but it would be possible to earn over £100,000 in 2024 for a chef with a good background working in a UHNW household in London or the surrounding areas.
For freelancing and day rate work, you could expect to earn between £300 & £800 per day, depending on the client, job requirements and the chef's background & experience.
This could easily be higher for a chef working in Abu Dhabi, Dubai etc. or as a travelling chef who would move around with a family.
While starting out or as a freelancer without any permanent contract, this could be significantly lower, although there would be some more freedom with that kind of role that might suit some people better.
A private Chef Agency
Many private chefs work through a specialist recruitment & freelancing agency who can pool contacts & resources to find jobs & client to work for. They can vary in size from a small independent agency with a few close freelancers working together like Yuzu Private Dining, to a larger specialist recruitment agency who only match people with bookings and take a commission.
Booking Platforms
There's been an increase in the number of AirBNB style booking platforms. Some of these allow you to pick your own menu & prices, although they often charge a high commission, between 18 - 20% of your total revenue, before deducting any costs.
They have a good amount of web traffic so might be able to bring in a regular source of income, however you'll need to make sure you price in their commission & don't get undercut by other local chefs.
Some examples are Take a Chef & Yhangry.
Private Chef Job Groups
Facebook is becoming an increasingly popular way for private chefs to find jobs, including freelancers & private chefs.
There's a huge number of groups out there, so monitoring all of them can become difficult to make sure you don't miss the best opportunities out there.
They might be themed based on location, so you might find a private chef London group or a freelance job group based in Edinburgh.
Conclusion
If you're interested in joining our network of freelance private chefs, pop your details into the contact from on our contact page & we'll contact you to discuss and register your details on our website.