Chef Jobs for Backpackers

Chef Jobs in Australia

Australia is one of the culinary capitals of the world, with cities such as Sydney, Melbourne and Perth playing host to some of the planet's top-rated eateries. However, every village, town and city in Australia will have a restaurant somewhere and, no matter how highly-vaunted it is by food critics, many will often be in need of a chef or two, particularly during seasonal months. Increasing globalisation, and the fact that people now want to try different cuisines from around the world, means that chefs with cooking styles from all four corners of Earth are needed.

There are around 75,000 chefs currently employed across the country and you could add your name to the list once you've touched down here.

Can you stand the heat of the kitchen?

Here's why a chef job may be perfect for you during your working holiday to Australia.

Those wanting to pursue this line of work while in Australia will need to have had some form of experience working in a kitchen before – restaurant work is notorious for its unforgiving hours and fast-paced nature and it can be easy for a newbie to fold under the pressure.

If you're comfortable working long hours in a highly pressurised environment, you could learn to thrive in the kitchen and, once you've learned the basics, you'll be well on your way to starting a career in the food industry. Unlike other working holiday jobs in Australia, such as farmwork, you can apply the skills you've learned as a chef wherever life takes you.

Hospitality jobs in Australia tend to pay a good base wage, with hourly rates ranging from $15 to $20 an hour. Although you can expect to earn over $40,000 if you're on a salary, it may be a better option for you to work at an hourly rate – that way, if the restaurant requires you to work any overtime, you can earn more money.

Due to the introduction of the 457 visa and the fact that not enough Australians are wanting to become chefs, more visas are now being granted to food workers than any other profession – around 3,500 every year. So, if you're wanting to extend your working holiday and live in Australia for a long period of time, working as a chef may be your best option!