25 October 2026 · Head Chef
The commis chef is the junior chef in the brigade and the job almost every head chef started in. What it involves, what it pays and how to get hired with no experience.
A commis chef is a junior chef: the entry-level cooking role in a professional kitchen brigade. "Commis" is French for an assistant or clerk, and it is pronounced "kom-ee", with a silent s. A commis works under a chef de partie, learning one section at a time, and it is the job almost every head chef in the country started in.
It is a real cooking job, not a dishwashing one. Commis chefs prep and cook from day one. The difference from a chef de partie is that someone more senior is responsible for the section and checks the work.
Bottom of the chef ladder, above the kitchen porter. The usual UK order runs kitchen porter, commis chef, demi chef de partie, chef de partie, sous chef, head chef. Larger kitchens grade commis roles too: a first commis or senior commis is close to running a simple section, while a second or third commis is newer. Adverts for an "apprentice chef", "trainee chef" or "junior chef" usually describe the same job.
Most of a commis chef's day is prep: peeling, chopping, portioning, making stocks, picking herbs and setting up the section so the CDP can go into service. Speed and tidiness here are what get you noticed.
On a quieter section, or alongside the chef de partie on a busy one. Garnishes, sides, starters, breakfast service in hotels. As trust builds, the commis gets whole dishes.
Good kitchens move commis chefs through the sections (larder, veg, sauce, pastry) every few months. If a kitchen leaves you on the same prep for a year, that tells you something about the kitchen.
Labelling and dating, fridge temperatures, rotating deliveries and breaking down the section at the end of the night. This is where food safety habits are built.
From the Only Chefs commis chef salary guide, built from UK job adverts:
Tips and tronc add to this in restaurants. Live-in commis roles in country hotels and pubs often pay a little less in cash but include a room and meals, which for an 18-year-old leaving home can be the better deal.
Usually 40 to 45 hours a week across five days, including evenings and weekends, with early starts if you are on breakfast in a hotel. Contract catering and school kitchens offer daytime, Monday-to-Friday commis jobs that suit anyone who cannot work nights.
No. Plenty of commis chefs are hired with no experience at all, especially by kitchens that train. What helps:
One to three years is typical. In a busy kitchen that rotates its commis chefs, 18 months is realistic. The step up usually comes when the CDP is happy to leave you running their section on their day off and nothing goes wrong. Our guide to moving from commis to chef de partie explains how to make that happen, and our chef de partie guide describes the job you are aiming for.
A kitchen porter cleans, washes up and may do basic prep. A commis chef cooks. Many people do the KP job first and move across; see what a kitchen porter does.
Nearly. An apprentice chef is a commis chef who is also completing a formal apprenticeship qualification. The day-to-day work is the same.
Chef whites, an apron, non-slip safety shoes and usually a hat or skull cap. Most employers provide the whites and expect you to bring the shoes.
If you want to cook for a living, it is the way in. The pay at the start is modest and the hours are long, but progression is faster than in almost any other trade. A head chef at 28 is not unusual.
Most commis applicants have never read a job advert for a kitchen before. Keep it plain, say that no experience is needed if that is true, and be clear about the hours. A template to adapt:
Commis Chef, [venue name], [town]. If it is an apprenticeship, say so in the title; "apprentice chef" is searched for as often as "commis chef".
Two or three sentences on the venue, the style of food and how you train junior chefs: section rotation, who mentors them, what the last commis went on to do.
Give the hourly rate or salary and say whether it is above the National Living Wage. State the hours, the shift pattern, meals on duty, tronc, holiday and any training you fund, including an apprenticeship if you offer one. Finish with how to apply and how quickly you will respond.
Our commis chef interview questions are written for candidates with little experience, and you can post a commis chef job free on Only Chefs.
Browse commis chef jobs across the UK or commis chef jobs in London. Starting from scratch? How to get hired as a commis chef covers the CV and the trial shift.