Sous chef jobs: senior relief and agency shifts
Run the pass, hold the standard, cover the senior gap. Shift work at hotels, contract caterers, and event kitchens, 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 sous chefs in 2026 is £17-£24/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
Sous cover is where agency work gets interesting. Venues do not book a senior chef for routine days; they book one because the head chef is on leave, the brigade is short, or a big service needs someone trusted on the pass. You arrive into kitchens under pressure, which is exactly why the band is higher.
The booking shapes vary. A hotel might want two weekends of banqueting cover. A contract caterer might need four weeks of senior presence while they recruit. Event operations book sous chefs to run plating lines at scale, briefing casual staff and signing off the food that leaves the kitchen.
If you have run kitchens outright, head chef cover pays a higher band. If you would rather mix grades and venues week to week, relief chef shifts cast the widest net.
Pay and hours
Typical UK agency pay for sous chefs in 2026 sits at £17-£24/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.
Sous chef bookings come from kitchens missing their senior cover: hotels where the head chef is on leave, contract sites between appointments, and event operations that need someone to run a plating line and brief casual staff.
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 "Sous 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 "Sous Chef" in the subject line, or register online. Vetting usually clears within 48 hours.