Cooking professionally is a genuine trade — long days, real skill, and a qualification that travels. Kitchens across Australia are chronically short of qualified cooks and chefs, from pubs and clubs to restaurants, cafes, hotels, mining camps and aged care. If you can handle pressure, work clean and stay organised when it gets busy, it is a career with options almost everywhere. Here is the plain-English version of how you become a qualified chef.
Short version: Do a commercial cookery apprenticeship, earn while you learn, finish your nationally recognised Certificate III, and you are a qualified cook. There is no personal chef’s licence in Australia — the qualification is the ticket. You do not need a White Card, because this is not construction work.
What the job actually involves
Commercial cookery is far more than following recipes. A typical shift might involve:
- Prep — breaking down meat and fish, cutting vegetables, making stocks and sauces before service
- Running a section during service, plating to a consistent standard under time pressure
- Following food safety rules on temperature, storage, allergens and cross-contamination
- Stock rotation, ordering, and keeping waste under control
- Cleaning down — a big part of the job, every single shift
The hours are the thing to be honest about. Kitchens run when other people are eating, which means nights, weekends and public holidays. Split shifts are common. It is hot, physical work with a lot of standing. In exchange you get a trade that is portable across the country and overseas, and a clear path from apprentice to chef de partie, sous chef and head chef.
The apprenticeship pathway
The standard route is an Australian Apprenticeship in commercial cookery, leading to SIT30821 Certificate III in Commercial Cookery. You are employed and paid from day one, working in a kitchen while completing training with a registered training organisation — usually TAFE or a private RTO, either day release or block release.
The qualification is made up of 25 units of competency — 20 core and 5 electives — covering everything from knife skills and stocks to kitchen operations and food safety. Most apprenticeships run around 3 to 4 years, though the qualification itself can be delivered over 12 to 36 months depending on the provider and your progress.
There are no formal entry requirements. You generally need to be 16 or over, and providers usually expect language, literacy and numeracy at about a Year 10 level. You do not need to have finished Year 12.
How to get started
- Find an employer willing to take you on. This is the real hurdle — the apprenticeship follows the job, not the other way round. Approach kitchens directly, and be prepared to start with a trial shift.
- Contact an Apprentice Connect Australia Provider. They are funded to help match apprentices with employers and handle the paperwork.
- Sign a training contract with your employer and get registered with your state training authority.
- Enrol with an RTO and start your off-the-job training.
A lot of chefs start as a kitchen hand first. It is a legitimate way in — you learn the rhythm of a kitchen, prove you turn up, and employers are far more willing to sponsor an apprenticeship for someone they already know.
Licensing and registration — the honest answer
There is no chef’s licence in Australia. No state requires you to hold a personal licence to cook for a living, and the Certificate III itself carries no licensing or regulatory requirement.
What does exist is the Food Safety Supervisor requirement. In most states and territories, food businesses must nominate a certified Food Safety Supervisor — that is an obligation on the business, not on every cook in the kitchen. The rules and the certifying bodies differ by state, so if you are asked to be the nominated supervisor, check what your state authority requires. Your Certificate III includes food safety units, but that does not automatically make you a certified FSS everywhere.
You do not need a White Card unless you are working on a construction site, which does not apply to normal kitchen work.
Pay and the money side
Which award covers you depends on where you work. Hotels, pubs and clubs generally fall under the Hospitality Industry (General) Award (MA000009), while restaurants and cafes generally fall under the Restaurant Industry Award (MA000119). Both set legal minimum rates for apprentices.
Apprentice pay is a percentage of the qualified rate, stepping up each year until you finish. Apprentices who have completed Year 12 often attract a higher percentage, and adult apprentices — generally 21 and over at the start — are entitled to a higher minimum than a school leaver. Penalty rates for nights, weekends and public holidays matter a lot in this trade, because you will work plenty of them.
Do not rely on a mate’s guess or a figure from a blog, including this one. Use the Fair Work Ombudsman Pay Calculator with your award, year and age to get the current legal minimum. For the full breakdown, see our guide to chef and cook apprentice wages.
Where to confirm everything
- training.gov.au — SIT30821 Certificate III in Commercial Cookery
- Australian Apprenticeships — support, incentives and Apprentice Connect providers
- Fair Work Ombudsman — Hospitality Industry (General) Award summary
- Fair Work Ombudsman — Restaurant Industry Award summary
- Fair Work Ombudsman Pay Calculator
FAQ
Do I need a licence to be a chef in Australia?
No. There is no personal chef’s licence. The Certificate III in Commercial Cookery is the recognised qualification, and it carries no licensing requirement of its own.
What is the difference between a cook and a chef?
Legally, nothing — neither title is protected. In practice, “cook” usually describes someone working to a set menu, while “chef” implies trade qualification plus responsibility for menu, costing and running a section or a kitchen. The Certificate III is the trade qualification behind both.
Do chefs need a White Card?
No. A White Card is for construction work. It is not required for kitchen work.
How long does a commercial cookery apprenticeship take?
Usually 3 to 4 years, leading to SIT30821 Certificate III in Commercial Cookery.
Can I become a chef as an adult career changer?
Yes. There is no age limit, and adult apprentices usually attract higher minimum rates. Existing kitchen experience may count towards your qualification through Recognition of Prior Learning.
General information only — not career, legal or safety advice. Check the official source and your state authority before acting.
Related guides
- How to Find an Apprenticeship
- Apprentice Payments and Support Schemes (2026)
- How to Write a Resume for an Apprenticeship
- Apprentice Wages Explained
- RPL for a Trade Qualification Explained
Frequently asked questions
How long does a chef apprenticeship take?
Most commercial cookery apprenticeships take around 3 to 4 years and lead to a Certificate III in Commercial Cookery.
What hours do chef apprentices usually work?
Kitchens run when other people are eating, so nights, weekends and public holidays are normal, and split shifts are common. Penalty rates apply to a lot of those hours.
Do you need Year 12 to start a cookery apprenticeship?
No. There are no formal entry requirements beyond being 16 or over, though providers usually expect literacy and numeracy at about a Year 10 level. Finishing Year 12 can lift your apprentice pay rate.
How much do chef apprentices get paid?
Apprentice rates are a percentage of the qualified rate under either the Hospitality Industry (General) Award or the Restaurant Industry Award, rising each year. Check the Fair Work Pay Calculator for your exact minimum.
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