Working in the kitchen of a restaurant or hotel abroad: what is it like, why would you do it, and where is the best place to go?
Working in the kitchen abroad: what, why, and where is the best place to go?
- What is working as a chef abroad like?
- What are reasons for working as a chef abroad?
- What skills and motivation do you need to work as a chef abroad?
- What are the best countries and locations to work as a chef abroad?
- What are the risks of working as a chef abroad, and are you insured against those risks?
What is working as a chef abroad like?
- Whether you are at a beach bar in Bali, a mountain hut in Austria, a cruise ship in the Mediterranean, or a hip fusion restaurant in Seoul, cooking abroad means more than just preparing meals. It is an adventure filled with new flavors, new connections, and new techniques.
- What you do exactly depends on the location:
- As a chef, your work includes creating menus, purchasing, developing recipes, managing teams, and monitoring stress levels (yours and the sous chefs).
- As a sous chef or line cook, you will prepare, chop, bake, and roast, ensuring everything is ready on time without anyone even bothering to cook.
- As a volunteer or intern, you will often help with mise-en-place (MEP), learn to make local dishes, discover new cooking techniques, and occasionally do the dishes, because, well, that's part of the job.
- Working conditions (salary, compensation, and expenses): Salary varies widely. In some countries, you will earn a typical local wage (and plenty of appreciation from hungry guests), while in other places, you will work with room and board and a small expense allowance. Volunteers and interns often receive housing and food in exchange for the help in the kitchen, and sometimes an internship allowance.
- Accommodation can range from shared rooms above the kitchen to charming huts on the beach.
- Working as a chef in another country teaches you not only how others cook, but especially why. You will discover how culture, climate, and tradition find their way onto the plate.
- Moreover, the work is intense, social, and often a bit hilarious. Nothing brings people together faster than a shift where everything goes wrong, but the food is still fantastic.
What are reasons for working as a chef abroad?
- To develop your professionalism: In foreign kitchens, there are different rules, different paces, and hierarchies often apply. You learn to work with strict structures or with total chaos; both are an excellent training ground for discipline, flexibility, and respect for other work cultures.
- To fuel your creativity: You will discover new products, cooking techniques, and flavors you wouldn't encounter anywhere else.
- To grow in collaboration: Kitchens revolve around teamwork. You will learn to handle pressure, language barriers, cultural differences, and strong personalities. You will develop tact, empathy, and humor (the latter often being the key to success).
- To manage stress: During a busy shift, you will train your resilience and learn that mistakes are part of life, as long as the food tastes good.
- To strengthen your communication: You will work with people from all corners of the world and discover that "good food" means something different everywhere. You will learn to listen, explain, discuss, and appreciate what others bring to the table.
What skills and motivation do you need to work as a chef abroad?
- Being professional: You must know what you are doing, take hygiene seriously, and deliver quality under pressure. Because in the kitchen, every mistake is literally visible (and edible).
- Collaboration and teamwork: You are part of a team that relies on each other, from dishwasher to sous chef. Without good communication, more than just food can quickly fly through the air.
- Resilient and calm: During peak times, you learn that panic doesn't help, but planning does.
- Creative and solution-oriented thinking: When an ingredient runs out, or the oven breaks down, you have to improvise.
- Self-Awareness and self-Confidence: You have to be brave enough to stand by your dishes, but also be able to learn from feedback without breaking your ladle.
- Result-oriented and goal-oriented: A service is only successful when every plate leaves the kitchen as intended: beautiful, delicious, hot, and on time.
What are the best countries and locations to work as a chef abroad?
- Culinary countries to learn classic cooking techniques, experience Michelin-starred kitchens, and perfect European dishes: France, Italy, Spain.
- Internships and learning experiences to expand your cooking experience in modern, international kitchens: Australia, Japan, New Zealand.
- Street food, improvisation, and flavor explosions: Thailand, Vietnam, Mexico, Peru.
- Farm-to-table and sustainable projects: Costa Rica, South Africa, Portugal, Bali.
- Resort and hotel kitchens: Maldives, Caribean islands, United Arab Emirates, Mauritius, Greece.
- Volunteer work or community kitchens: Nepal, Ghana, Sri Lanka, Indonesia. You can find community kitchens in every country, probably even near you!
What are the risks of working as a chef abroad, and are you insured against those risks?
- What are the risks of working as a chef or cook?
- It is not uncommon for the working environment to be unsafe: infrastructure, health risks, political instability, social norms.
- It is common for your resistance to be low: long days, heat, and time pressure can lead to burnout-like symptoms. This is especially true in seasonal tourist jobs where the pace is fast.
- It is common for there to be a lot of stress: due to responsibility, cultural and linguistic problems, busy seasons, and not having a valid work permit.
- Physical strain is often high: due to standing, lifting, and walking a lot.
- Accidents often occur: burns, cuts, back problems, joint problems, falls, or accidents involving hot oil, steam, and ovens.
- It is common for someone to contract a contagious or local infection due to food hygiene in tropical conditions, which means you cannot work for a while or even have to be flown home.
- It is common for someone to cause damage to guests: think of spilled grease stains on clothing or physical damage.
- Are you insured while working in in the kitchen of a restaurant or hotel?
- Local employers usually offer no, or limited, supplementary insurance.
- There is a risk of accidents because, for example, you are doing work with which you have little experience.
- During work, an internship, or volunteer work abroad for which you receive compensation or a salary, the coverage of your own health insurance in your home country may lapse.
- There may be several reasons why you need separate insurance when working abroad. Check the pages: insuring international Insurances for working abroad, for internships abroad, for volunteering abroad, or for expats and emigrants.
