- The pay is too low.
This unfortunately is nothing new. Whether you’re a chef, a line cook or a lunch lady, there’s a good chance that you feel underpaid for the work that you do. The amount you receive will always be a disappointment because you know in your heart you deserve more than what is put into your bank account.
We know this by the simple irony that most of us can’t afford to eat in the places we work. The average salary for a chef in the UK according to Indeed in 2023 was £12.20 an hour with the minimum wage being £10.42/hour, and just so we’re clear that’s professional chefs! Not cooks but the people who have been educated and trained specifically in this field to earn less than 20% more than minimum wage.
You try finding the motivation to do your 5th 12-hour shift of the week without the ability to buy lunch on the way in
2. The hours are too long.
Which brings us to our next point. The hours are not only long but awkward.
We work 10 to 12-hour shifts. We can’t get a night off unless we’re in a hospital, prison or morgue. We can never organise a night out with other friends because while others play we work.
For us, a night out will be with the team on a Sunday or Monday night when there…
