Editor’s note: Chef Jobs in Australia was originally published in June 2017 and most recently updated in May 2022.
Australia is a nation that enjoys discovering different cuisine and has a vibrant food scene. Built on the influence of migrant populations, it offers a diverse dining landscape that makes a sizeable contribution to the country’s economy. This makes Australia an exciting place for chefs to work.
Right now, the country is a land of opportunity for skilled chefs. Qualified chefs from Europe (in particular the UK) are currently in high demand. British chefs especially have an higher chance of finding an employer happy to sponsor their visa at this time. Could it be worth you taking a look at chef jobs in Australia?
Highest minimum wage in the world
For sure, you’ll need to accept that long hours and hard work are still the norm when working as a chef Down Under. But as a trained chef there’s real opportunity to make a good living at the same time as progressing the career plan. After all, Australia enjoys the highest minimum wage in the world.
Looking more closely at salaries across Australia at the start of this year (2022), the average chef salary in Australia is $61,907 per year or $31.75 per hour.
Entry-level positions start at $56,000 per year, while more experienced mid career chefs make up to $82,528 per year* *Based on 1540 salaries polled.
Chef jobs in Australia – visas for qualified chefs
Ever thought about working as a chef in Australia, but felt the process of finding a job and getting a visa was too complicated?
Presently the occupation of chef is on Australia’s Immigration and Border Protection Medium to Long Term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL).
Qualified and experienced chefs from overseas are in high demand which increases the chances of finding an employer wishing to sponsor a work visa. Currently more Australian work visas are being granted to chefs than any other profession.
Many food outlets around Australia employ foreigners in chef roles. These chefs can be on all sorts of visas from student visas, working holiday visas, employer sponsored visas and general skilled migration visas (permanent work visas).
Read: Chef Working Overseas – Ten Tips
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