How to Land Your First International Chef Job

Working as a chef abroad is one of the fastest ways to level up your craft, your palate and your bank account. But the path from "I want to cook overseas" to actually plating service in another country has a few unglamorous steps in between. This is the guide we wish every chef had before sending their first international application.

1. Decide what kind of "abroad" you actually want

"Working abroad" means very different things depending on where you go. A season at a Maldivian resort is a lifestyle posting — long contracts, free housing, six-day weeks and zero rent. A stage at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris or Copenhagen is a CV-defining grind that often pays little but opens every door afterwards. A summer at an Alaskan wilderness lodge or a Mediterranean superyacht is closer to an expedition than a job.

Before you apply to anything, write down what you want out of the next 12 months: money saved, technique learned, cuisine mastered, or simply a passport full of stamps. Your answer changes which job boards you scroll and which roles you ignore.

2. Build a CV that survives a 20-second scan

International head chefs and HR managers receive hundreds of applications per posting. Yours has to communicate "hireable" in under 20 seconds.

Three rules that consistently work:

• One page, reverse chronological. Two-page CVs get skimmed less, not more.
• Lead each role with covers, brigade size and cuisine — e.g. "Sous Chef, 180 covers, 12-person brigade, modern Mediterranean."
• Quantify outcomes. "Reduced food cost from 34% to 28% in six months" beats "Responsible for food cost."

Add a one-line "Open to" footer: "Open to relocation worldwide — visa-ready, single-status, available from March." Recruiters filter on exactly those words.

3. Pick the right channels — and skip the wrong ones

Generic job boards are a graveyard for chef applications. The roles that pay relocation and visa support live on specialist platforms (like ChefJobs Abroad), in destination-specific Facebook groups, and inside the inboxes of a small number of hospitality recruiters who place internationally. Apply through specialist channels first, generic boards last.

Linked-in is still worth using, but treat it as a research tool: find the executive chef or F&B director at the property you want, then apply through their official careers page mentioning that you've followed their work.

4. Nail the video trial

Almost every serious international role now includes a video interview and, increasingly, a video cook-along. Three things separate offers from rejections:

• Clean uniform, neutral background, daylight. Cook in your own kitchen, not the dorm.
• Talk while you work. Narrate technique, temperatures and reasoning — silent cooking reads as nervous cooking.
• Plate one signature dish, well. One great plate beats three rushed ones.

5. Understand the visa before you sign anything

This is where most chef relocations fall apart. A few non-negotiables before you accept any offer:

• Confirm in writing which visa class the employer is sponsoring (skilled worker, seasonal, intra-company transfer, etc.).
• Ask who pays for the visa application, the flight, and the medical. In serious offers, the employer covers all three.
• Get the contract translated if it isn't in your language. A 30-minute spend on a professional translator has saved chefs from years of trouble.

6. Plan the first 30 days

Most chefs who quit international postings early do so in the first month — not because of the job, but because of the move. Land with a four-week plan: where you'll bank, where you'll buy a SIM, which day off you'll use to register with the local authorities, and which one weekly habit (gym, language class, a phone call home) you'll protect no matter what service throws at you.

7. Treat your first international job as the launchpad, not the destination

The chefs who build the biggest international careers don't optimise for the perfect first posting. They optimise for momentum. A season at a respected property — anywhere — buys you the reference, the technique and the network that unlock the next, better job. Get the first one, do it brilliantly, and the second one comes to you.