💡 Why it matters: People always need to eat, and hotels, restaurants, caterers and events all rely on skilled chefs who can cook safely, fast and with real flavour.
🌍 Around the world
- Nigeria: Hotels, restaurants, caterers and events in Nigeria all rely on skilled chefs.
- United States: Jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦1.2M – ₦3M
- Mid-career
- ₦3M – ₦7M
- Senior
- ₦7M – ₦18M
≈ ₦250k – ₦583k a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇺🇸 United States
Median pay; low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Hourly wage low/median/high x 2,080 hours. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Plan menus and cook dishes in a busy kitchen
- Order ingredients and keep costs under control
- Keep the kitchen clean and food safe to eat
- Train and lead junior cooks
- Create new recipes and tasting dishes
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Cooking technique
- Creativity
- Working under pressure
- Teamwork
- Time management
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Culinary school diploma, then work in a hotel kitchen
- Apprenticeship under an experienced chef or caterer
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Start as a kitchen assistant or commis chef
- Work up through the kitchen stations to sous chef and head chef
🇺🇸 United States
- Start as a line cook and work up
- ACF or employer apprenticeship (varies by state)
🇨🇦 Canada
- Cook apprenticeship leading to the Red Seal
- Start as a kitchen helper and train on the job
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Study Food and Nutrition and practise cooking at home
- 2Take a culinary course or a hospitality diploma
- 3Start as a kitchen assistant or commis (junior) chef
- 4Work up through the stations to sous chef
- 5Become head chef or open your own food business
⏰ A day in the life
You arrive before lunch service to check ingredients and prep sauces. Orders then fly in and you cook, taste and plate dishes with your team. After service you clean down, plan tomorrow's specials and train a new cook.