Chef de Partie jobs: section cover on agency shifts
Run a section in hotel, contract catering, and event kitchens. Set menus, short handovers, PAYE with weekly wage access. You choose which shifts to take.
Before you apply: this is shift-based agency work, not a permanent vacancy. There are no guaranteed hours. You choose shifts through the Ubeya app and can decline any of them. Typical UK agency pay for chefs de partie in 2026 is £15-£20/hr, assignment-dependent, and your rate is confirmed before you accept each shift. Paid monthly through PAYE with weekly Earned Wage Access, holiday pay accrued.
What the work looks like
Section cover is the cleanest agency booking there is. The head chef knows exactly which station is short, the spec sheets exist, and you are there to cook them properly through one service or a run of shifts. No politics, no probation period, just the section.
The mix varies by city. Hotel kitchens book CDPs for banqueting weekends and sickness cover; contract caterers book lunch services Monday to Friday; event kitchens book plating lines that need trained hands rather than casual staff. A typical week might pair two hotel dinner services with a Friday B&I lunch.
Want broader variety across grades and venues? Look at relief chef shifts. Ready to step up? The sous chef page shows what senior cover pays.
Pay and hours
Typical UK agency pay for chefs de partie in 2026 sits at £15-£20/hr. That band is an industry figure drawn from published 2026 rate guides, not a Chefs Bay rate card. The exact rate for every assignment is confirmed in the app before you accept the shift, so the number on payday is the number you agreed to.
Pay runs through PAYE, monthly into your bank account, with weekly Earned Wage Access so you can draw the wages you have already earned before payday. Holiday pay accrues on top. We handle tax and National Insurance. No umbrella companies.
Hours are not guaranteed. Some people on our books work 5-6 days a week across several venues; others take the odd weekend shift. Demand moves with the season, so treat agency shifts as flexible income rather than a fixed wage.
Where the shifts are
Shifts are at client venues across Merseyside, Greater Manchester, the East Midlands, and London, coordinated from our Wallasey, Manchester, Leicester, and London offices.
CDP shifts cluster where brigades run sections: hotel kitchens covering sauce, larder, or pastry; B&I canteens that need a second pair of trained hands at lunch; and event kitchens plating at volume.
The wider picture of working with us, including the app, online timesheets, and Academy training, is on our Find Work page.
What you need
How to apply
Email your CV to workwithus@chefsbay.co.uk with "Chef de Partie" in the subject line. The button below opens a pre-filled email in your mail app: fill in the gaps, attach your CV, and send.
No mail app on this device? Email us at workwithus@chefsbay.co.uk — include the role name and attach your CV.
No CV ready? The registration form takes about 10 minutes and covers the same ground. Either way, we verify right to work and references before your first shift; most people are approved within 48 hours.
Common questions
Ready to apply?
Send your CV with "Chef de Partie" in the subject line, or register online. Vetting usually clears within 48 hours.