What Cooks and Chefs Earn in Europe - and What Employers Really Ask For

Cooks and chefs looking at roles across Europe often want two things: a sense of what the job pays, and a sense of what employers are actually asking for in postings. Here is what NewLuxJob's own job board data shows for Cook Chef roles in France, Germany, Czechia, Poland, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands.

How much do cooks and chefs earn in France, Germany and Czechia

Based on NewLuxJob's own job board data, the median salary for a Cook Chef role in France is 24,000 EUR, with the middle half of postings ranging from 21,260 to 27,600 EUR. This figure is drawn from 2,004 job postings.

In Germany, the median is higher, at 31,080 EUR, with the middle half of postings falling between 27,579 and 37,007 EUR. This is based on 88 job postings.

In Czechia, the median is 12,598 EUR, with the middle half of postings ranging from 11,123 to 15,145 EUR, based on 2,716 job postings.

Kitchen and hygiene skills appear most often

Across the countries where NewLuxJob has skills data for Cook Chef roles, "Kitchen" and "Hygiene" are consistently the most mentioned terms in job postings.

In France, from 1,118 postings, "Kitchen" appears in 90% of listings and "Hygiene" in 75%. In Germany, from 674 postings, "Kitchen" appears in 67% and "Hygiene" in 60%. In Poland, from 710 postings, "Kitchen" appears in 87%, while "Hygiene" appears in 35%. In Ireland, from 217 postings, "Kitchen" appears in 87% and "Hygiene" in 64%. In Belgium, from 203 postings, "Kitchen" appears in 67% and "Hygiene" in 17%. In the Netherlands, from 93 postings, "Kitchen" appears in 43% and "Hygiene" in 16%.

HACCP shows up everywhere, at different rates

HACCP, the food safety standard, is mentioned in Cook Chef postings in every one of these six countries, though the share varies by market. It appears in 42% of French postings, 35% of German postings, 24% of Polish postings, 43% of Irish postings, 44% of Belgian postings, and 52% of Dutch postings, the highest share among the six.

Specific cooking skills employers mention less often

Beyond kitchen basics and hygiene standards, employers list more specific skills at lower rates. In France, "Mise en Place" appears in 30% of postings, "Pastry" in 6%, and "Grill" in 2%. In Germany, "À la Carte" appears in 7%, "Mise en Place" in 6%, and "Food Preparation" in 5%. In Poland, "Grill" appears in 5%, "À la Carte" in 3%, and "Mise en Place" in 2%. In Belgium, "Mise en Place" appears in 13%, "Grill" in 4%, and "À la Carte" in 3%. In the Netherlands, "Mise en Place" appears in 27%, "Banquet" in 20%, and "À la Carte" in 11%. In Ireland, "Food Preparation" appears in 24%, "Menu Planning" in 8%, and "Grill" in 6%.

What this means for job seekers

For cooks and chefs weighing roles in France, Germany or Czechia, these figures give a sense of the pay ranges employers are posting for in each country, drawn directly from NewLuxJob's own listings. On the skills side, kitchen fundamentals, hygiene and HACCP are the most consistently requested across all six countries covered here, while more specific skills such as pastry, grill work, banquet service or menu planning appear far less often and may be worth highlighting on a CV for roles that call for them.