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(Junior Chef, Kitchen Assistant Chef, Apprentice Chef, Trainee Chef)
Hospitality & Tourism
Salary
€26,000 - €34,000/yr
Level
Operational
Outlook
Growing
Sector
Hospitality & Tourism
As a Commis Chef you work at the first rung of a professional kitchen hierarchy, carrying out essential preparation and cooking tasks under the guidance of more senior chefs. Your day-to-day duties include peeling, chopping and portioning ingredients, preparing sauces and stocks, plating dishes to the head chef's specifications, and keeping your section clean and organised. You work closely with chef de partie colleagues, sous-chefs, kitchen porters and front-of-house staff to ensure meals leave the kitchen on time and to the required standard. Whether in a hotel, restaurant, café or catering operation, you are expected to follow food safety and hygiene regulations strictly at all times.
Listen: a day as a Commis Chef
Your alarm goes off at 6:45 a.m. You are on the breakfast and lunch split shift at a busy four-star hotel in Galway city. You cycle in and clock on at 7:30 a.m., changing into your whites and checking the prep list the sous-chef left on the pass the night before. By 7:45 a.m. you are at the vegetable section, peeling and dicing a large batch of carrots, onions and celery for the morning's stocks. The head chef walks the kitchen, checks temperatures in the cold room and signs off the HACCP log — that is the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points record that every professional kitchen in Ireland must keep to comply with food safety law. You have your own temperature checks to complete before service begins.
No specific Leaving Certificate subjects are required to enter as a Commis Chef, though Home Economics, Science and Business are useful. Many entrants complete a QQI Level 5 Certificate in Culinary Arts at a College of Further Education or ETB-run PLC course, which provides a recognised foundation in professional cookery. A popular route is the Commis Chef SOLAS apprenticeship (NFQ Level 6), an earn-and-learn programme combining on-the-job training in a host kitchen with off-the-job training at a designated education provider, typically lasting two years. Higher Education options include a Level 7 or Level 8 degree in Culinary Arts or Hospitality Management at institutions such as TU Dublin, MTU or ATU, which can open doors to faster progression. No statutory registration body governs this role, but HACCP food-safety certification is expected by most employers from day one.
Most Commis Chefs begin in entry-level roles in restaurants, hotels or contract catering before progressing to Chef de Partie, where they take responsibility for a specific kitchen section. With experience and further training, progression to Sous-Chef and eventually Head Chef or Executive Chef becomes achievable, often supported by additional qualifications. Many Irish chefs also move into teaching, food production management, catering operations or starting their own food businesses. The SOLAS apprenticeship route is increasingly valued by employers as a structured pathway that combines practical skill with formal accreditation.
AI is beginning to influence kitchen management through inventory optimisation software, automated ordering systems and recipe-costing tools that reduce administrative work for senior chefs. At the Commis Chef level, hands-on physical skills such as knife work, plating and cooking remain beyond the reach of current automation, keeping human labour central to kitchen operations. Smart kitchen equipment with built-in sensors and connectivity can assist with temperature control and cooking consistency, but these tools support rather than replace the chef. Staying digitally literate and open to new kitchen technologies will be an advantage as the sector continues to modernise.
→ Commis Chef (Current role)
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Organisations in Ireland that employ people in this occupation.
Dublin 2
Prep and cook in a landmark five-star hotel kitchen brigade.
Nationwide
Supports apprentice and commis chef placements across Irish hospitality.
Dublin and Nationwide
Prepare and cook meals across contract catering sites nationwide.
Dublin and Nationwide
Assist senior chefs in large-scale contract catering kitchens.
Galway City
Carry out prep and cooking in a large hotel kitchen team.
Dublin 8
Work within state catering kitchens serving official functions.
Dublin 1
Learn fine-dining prep and plating in a Michelin-starred kitchen.
Dublin and Nationwide
Assist in preparing high-volume meals for corporate and public clients.
Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co. Clare
Support five-star castle kitchen in daily prep and service.
Dublin and Killiney, Co. Dublin
Undertake foundational cooking tasks within an Irish hotel group kitchen.
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