Career profile · Hospitality & Tourism
Chef
Career summary
A chef plans, prepares and cooks food for other people. In South Africa, chefs work in restaurants, hotels, game lodges, catering companies, office canteens and hospital kitchens. Some cook on cruise ships or start their own food business. Every kitchen runs on teamwork, careful hygiene and good timing, so that each plate leaves the kitchen looking and tasting right.
Many chefs start near the bottom of the kitchen ladder. You might begin as a kitchen hand or commis chef, doing basic prep and cleaning while you learn. With training and experience you can run a section as a chef de partie, then help lead the kitchen as a sous chef. Head and executive chefs plan menus, order stock and manage costs.
This job is hard on the body. You stand for long shifts, work near hot stoves and ovens, and usually work evenings, weekends and public holidays. The pressure during service can be intense. But many South African chefs say the team feels like family, and seeing guests enjoy your food makes the long days worth it.
A Day in the Life
A restaurant or hotel chef's day splits into two parts: prep and service. Long, hot shifts end with a big clean-up.
Deliveries and stock check — Check the deliveries, put stock away and see what you need for today's menu.
Prep (mise en place) — Chop, portion, make sauces and set up your station. Running out of prep during service is a chef's worst nightmare, so you prepare more than enough.
Staff meal — The team eats quickly, often standing up, before the guests arrive.
Service — Orders fly in and you cook, plate and send dishes out fast. The pressure is high, and so is the buzz when the whole team gets it right.
Admin in a quiet moment — Write tomorrow's prep list and help place orders with suppliers.
Deep clean — Scrub your station and the kitchen before you go home. It is the last thing anyone wants to do after a long day, but hygiene rules make it non-negotiable.
Choose this career if…
- You stay calm when things go wrong
- You are fine on your feet all day
- You are fine working nights, weekends and public holidays
- You are physically tough
- You are careful with detail
- You are easy to work alongside
- You are comfortable with numbers
Qualification
Occupational Certificate: Chef
The main chef qualification. It mixes classroom learning, practical skills and 270 credits of kitchen work experience. Entry: NQF Level 2 with Mathematical Literacy. Last day to enrol: 30 December 2026.
SAQA ID 101697 · NQF 5 · 558 credits
Occupational Certificate: Chef through Artisan Recognition of Prior Learning (ARPL)
For experienced chefs with no formal chef qualification. The Department of Tourism's 2026 Western Cape call asked for at least three years in a brigade kitchen and offered successful applicants full tuition and learning materials.
SAQA ID 101697 · NQF 5 · 558 credits
Occupational Certificate: Cook
A shorter cooking qualification and a step towards the Chef certificate. SAQA says it is not a trade qualification. Entry: an NQF Level 1 qualification with Mathematics.
SAQA ID 102296 · NQF 4 · 184 credits
Enrolment for the Chef and Cook certificates closes on 30 December 2026
SAQA shows the Occupational Certificate: Chef (SAQA 101697) and the Occupational Certificate: Cook (SAQA 102296) have both passed their registration end date. The last day to enrol for either is 30 December 2026, and enrolled learners have until 30 December 2029 to finish. We found no replacement qualification yet. Ask your provider what you will enrol for after 2026.
Check that a chef course is a registered qualification
Some chef courses are short courses or overseas certificates that are not registered on South Africa's National Qualifications Framework. Before you pay, ask for the SAQA qualification ID and look it up on the SAQA website.
Matric Requirements
Pass type you need
- Occupational Certificate: Chef: Matric not required
- Occupational Certificate: Cook: Matric not required
Mathematics or Maths Literacy?
Worth knowingGrade 10 and 11 · still reversible
This week, cook a family meal from a recipe and double it: work out every new quantity and what the ingredients cost. Then ask a local restaurant or hotel kitchen if you can job-shadow for a day during the holidays.
You take Mathematics
- For the Chef certificate, ask the provider whether Mathematics is accepted in place of Maths Literacy.
- The Cook certificate asks for an NQF Level 1 qualification 'with Mathematics', so Maths covers the subject part of that rule.
- Hospitality management study later on is easier to get into.
- Costing recipes and controlling stock will come more easily.
You take Mathematical Literacy
- The Occupational Certificate: Chef accepts NQF Level 2 with Mathematical Literacy, so the main chef route stays open.
- The Cook certificate's entry rule says 'with Mathematics' and does not say whether Maths Literacy counts. Ask the provider before you enrol.
- Culinary diplomas set their own entry rules. Check whether each one accepts Maths Literacy before you apply.
Best School Subjects
Strongly recommended
- Hospitality Studies · Teaches kitchen and restaurant work, cooking methods and food hygiene used in professional kitchens.
- Consumer Studies · Covers recipes, cooking methods, catering and small-scale food production.
- English · Home Language or First Additional Language. Kitchens run on written recipes, orders and hygiene rules.
Also useful
- Mathematical Literacy · Accepted for the Chef certificate; helps with scaling recipes, costing and stock counts.
- Mathematics · Helps with costing and stock control, and if you later study hospitality management.
- Business Studies · Helps if you later run a kitchen budget or start your own food business.
Practical Requirements
Kitchen work experience modules (79 credits) for the Cook certificateWork-integrated learning
Enrolling for the Occupational Certificate: Cook. The Cook certificate includes five work experience modules worth 79 credits. You complete them in a working kitchen as part of the qualification.
Chef trade test (to become a qualified artisan)Requirement
Wanting the artisan (trade) qualification for Chef, listed as a trade in 2012. Chef was listed as a trade in South African law in 2012. To get the artisan qualification, you must pass a trade test at an accredited trade test centre, unless regulations exempt you. You can apply after a Chef learnership or apprenticeship, or once a test centre certifies enough prior learning. If you pass, the QCTO issues your trade certificate.
Required by law · Skills Development Act 97 of 1998, s26D(1), subject to regulations under s26D(5); Chef listed as a trade by GN 691, Government Gazette 35625, 31 August 2012 (under s26B)
Kitchen work experience modules (270 credits)Work-integrated learning
Enrolling for the Occupational Certificate: Chef. The Chef certificate includes four work experience modules worth 270 credits. You complete them in a working kitchen. You must show proof of this work experience before you can sit the final external assessment.
Alternative careers
Related careers. Each has its own entry requirements — check every one separately.
Career Ladder
- Kitchen hand · No qualification needed
- Commis chef · Learning on the job, often while studying for the Chef certificate
- Chef de partie (section chef) · Occupational Certificate: Chef or kitchen experience
- Sous chef · A chef qualification and several years' kitchen experience
- Head chef · Years of senior kitchen experience
- Executive chef · Long senior experience and management skills
Last reviewed October 2026. We work hard to keep this information accurate, but details can change — always verify before making a career decision. Tell us something is out of date.
