A chef job in Ireland should be assessed by the kitchen responsibilities, service and support on offer, not simply by its title. Explain the work you already perform, check what the new kitchen expects and compare the full package before accepting. This guide is for chefs at all levels with formal vocational training and relevant professional experience who are considering permanent roles in four and five star Irish hotels through Sagesa Hospitality.
Understand the kitchen role and level
Use the following as a discussion guide, not a fixed grading system. A commis role may focus on learning and preparation under supervision; a chef de partie role may involve running a section; a sous chef role may include coordinating service and supporting the head chef. Ask the hotel how its own team divides those responsibilities.
Clarify breakfast, restaurant, banqueting and pastry duties where relevant. Find out who plans production, checks standards and covers absences. A title that sounds like a promotion may still be a poor match if the day-to-day responsibilities are unclear.
Prepare experience and training evidence
Describe service type, section ownership, preparation, ordering or supervision only where you have actually done that work. Explain what happened during a busy service and how you coordinated with colleagues. Use approximate volumes only if you can support them and identify them as estimates.
For unfamiliar qualifications, QQI's recognition guidance can help explain academic level. Keep the original award name and supporting documents.
FSAI states that food handlers need supervision and instruction or training appropriate to their work. Its learning-portal guidance also explains that online resources do not replace a complete workplace programme. Ask how the hotel's induction covers its own food safety procedures; a certificate alone does not tell the employer how you work.
Build the application and clarify any assessment
Start with the application guide, then prepare a chef CV and portfolio. Choose a small set of examples that fit the kitchen. State which elements you prepared and whether a photograph shows an individual or team result.
If an assessment is proposed, ask about tasks, duration, supervision, equipment and payment arrangements before attending. Review the WRC guidance on unpaid work rather than assuming that calling work a trial removes employment obligations. Do not travel for an undefined assessment.
Compare pay, shifts and accommodation
Ask about expected hours, the rota, breaks, split shifts if applicable and the first payday. Confirm whether accommodation is actually available for you and what it costs. Write down the guaranteed pay, payment dates, confirmed housing costs and other expenses you will need to cover before your first payday. The moving guide covers the arrival plan.
Write a comparison for each vacancy using five lines: section and service; expected independence; training and supervision; hours and pay; housing and commute. Record unanswered questions separately from confirmed terms.
Choose a kitchen where you can develop
Ask who will give feedback and what you would need to demonstrate before taking on more responsibility. Discuss exposure to other sections, menu work or leadership if those are your goals. Do not treat a general promise of progression as an agreed promotion.
Before applying, prepare one example of reliable section work, one example of teamwork and one skill you want to develop. Those examples give the recruiter a more useful starting point than choosing the highest title you can find.