Job Title: Commis Chef Apprentice- Level 2
Department: Catering – Snape Maltings
Reports to: Executive Chef
We are flexible on a start date up to and including September 2026. If you are currently in Full Time education but would be available after completing your studies, please do get in contact.
About Us: Snape Maltings is a unique cultural and hospitality destination on the Suffolk coast, combining world-class music, stunning landscapes, and a passion for exceptional food. Our catering team delivers fresh, seasonal, and locally sourced dishes across our cafés, bars, restaurants, and events, offering a memorable experience for every guest.
The Role: We are looking for an enthusiastic and committed Commis Chef Apprentice to join our catering team. This is an exciting opportunity to learn the foundations of professional cookery while working in a busy, creative kitchen environment. You’ll be trained and mentored by our experienced chefs, gaining hands-on skills and knowledge to support your journey towards becoming a fully qualified chef.
Apprenticeship summary: You will be supporting the kitchen to provide a refined culinary offer. You prepare, cook, and finish a wide range of food. Day to day, you will interact with a team, sometimes known as a brigade, of chefs, the wider team, including front of house staff, and suppliers and customers. As your training progresses, you will start to be responsible for preparing and cooking food items from fresh and finishing refined dishes by following directions from the team to ensure that dishes are produced to order and time. Eventually, you will be responsible for implementing hygiene, health and safety, and food safety legislation and local procedures, including allergen handling as well as stock control and for maintaining food safety throughout receipt, storage, production, holding, and further storage and reuse of cooked items. You’ll be trained to be responsible for the safe and efficient handling and use of a range of specialist kitchen knives, manual tools and electric equipment.
How the apprenticeship works: You will have both on the job and off the job training throughout your apprenticeship, leading up to an ‘end-point assessment’ (EPA) which assesses you against the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in the Level 2 Chef standard. Your training will cover all these aspects, and the EPA is your opportunity to show an independent assessor how much you have learned. Snape Maltings will choose your training provider to deliver your off-the-job training, and the kitchen team will also support you through your training and how to prepare for your assessments. The length of the training for this apprenticeship is typically 12 months, and the assessment period is typically 3 months. And finally, when you pass the assessment, you will be awarded your apprenticeship certificate.
Assessment methods: There will be practical assessments with questions and a final interview, underpinned by a portfolio of evidence which you will have gathered over your training period. You can find more details here Commis chef / Skills England
What you will be doing day to day:
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Assist in the preparation and cooking of high-quality dishes across different kitchen sections.
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Learn and follow kitchen procedures, including food safety, hygiene, and allergen awareness.
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Support stock control, deliveries, and correct food storage.
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Work alongside senior chefs to develop your skills in knife handling, cooking methods, and presentation.
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Help keep kitchen areas clean, organised, and compliant with health & safety standards.
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Contribute to a positive team atmosphere, supporting colleagues during service.
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Off the job training with your external provider
Training & Development
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You will work towards a recognised Level 2 Commis Chef Apprenticeship qualification.
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Training will be a mix of on-the-job learning and off-site study with a training provider.
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You’ll gain experience in multiple kitchen areas to build a broad skill set.
What we are looking for
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Passion for food and a desire to learn professional cookery skills.
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A team player with a positive attitude and willingness to take direction.
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Good communication skills and a sense of responsibility.
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Ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
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Punctual, reliable, and eager to develop a career in hospitality.
Benefits
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Competitive apprentice salary – you will be starting on an hourly rate of £8.50, rising to £9.50 upon completion of your three-month probationary period. Depending on your performance, we would review your salary during the rest of your apprenticeship.
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Staff discounts across Snape Maltings retail and hospitality outlets.
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Opportunities for progression within the catering team upon completion of the apprenticeship.
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A great team around you who are supportive, providing a creative environment to learn and grow.
Hours & Location
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Full-time role, working varied shifts including weekends and evenings.
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Based at Snape Maltings, Suffolk.
We are an equal opportunities employer and believe that diversity strengthens and enriches us. We positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates of all ages and from all backgrounds, in particular from global majority backgrounds and disabled candidates who are currently under-represented at Britten Pears Arts and Snape Maltings Trading Limited.
Unfortunately, this role does not meet the salary threshold for sponsorship: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/your-job
We are actively recruiting for this role and may close the vacancy early for the right candidate.
