Head chef jobs: relief and interim cover
Hold a kitchen through holiday, sickness, or a recruitment gap. Run it to the existing menu and compliance standard, paid monthly through PAYE with weekly wage access.
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 head chefs in 2026 is £20-£30+/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
Head chef cover is interim work, not shift-filling. A kitchen loses its head chef, the replacement search takes weeks, and someone has to keep the operation running to its own standard in the meantime. That someone orders the stock, holds the allergen records, briefs the team, and answers for the food.
The bookings reflect that weight. Holiday cover at a fixed weekly pattern, long-term sickness cover in single-chef care home kitchens, and interim periods at hotels and contract sites mid-recruitment. Some run a fortnight; some run six months. The rate is agreed up front for the whole booking.
If you would rather support a kitchen than run one, sous chef shifts carry less of the operational load. For variety across every grade, see relief chef shifts.
Pay and hours
Typical UK agency pay for head chefs in 2026 sits at £20-£30+/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.
Head chef cover is booked by kitchens that cannot go uncovered: care homes and B&I sites running single-chef operations, hotels mid-recruitment, and restaurants whose head chef is on extended leave.
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 "Head Chef" 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 "Head Chef" in the subject line, or register online. Vetting usually clears within 48 hours.