Chef Offer Letter Template, With Visa Conditions

By the time you send an offer letter, you and the chef have agreed the deal in conversation. The letter's job is to write that deal down clearly enough that nobody remembers it differently six months later, and, for a chef moving countries, to say what happens if the visa is refused or delayed.

This page gives a template and explains which parts need adapting. It is not a contract, and it does not replace the written terms that employment law in your country may require. Use it alongside our chef employment contract checklist, and have the final documents checked by a local employment lawyer.

1. What an offer letter is for

• Confirm the essentials. Title, pay, hours, start date, place of work, who they report to.
• List the conditions. Visa grant, documents, checks. For a chef coming from Japan these can take months.
• Set a deadline to accept. Otherwise an offer can sit open while the candidate compares others.
• Point to the contract. Say that the full terms will be in the employment contract, and when it will be issued.

Keep it short. Two pages is plenty. Detail that belongs in the contract (disciplinary procedure, full leave policy, confidentiality) should stay there.

2. Chef offer letter template

[Company letterhead]
[Date]

Dear [Name],

Thank you for the time you spent with us, [including the tasting on (date)]. We are pleased to offer you the position of [Job title] at [Restaurant name], [address], on the terms below.

Position

You will report to [name, title]. Your main responsibilities are described in the attached job description.

Start date

[Date], or the first practical date after your work visa is granted, whichever is later. [If the visa has not been granted by (date), either of us may withdraw from this offer without cost, except as set out under "Relocation".]

Pay

[Currency][amount] per [year / month / hour], paid [monthly / fortnightly]. [Bonus or service charge arrangement, with how it is calculated.] We will review your pay [after probation / annually in (month)].

Hours and days off

[x] hours per week over [x] days, with [x] days off per week. [How overtime is paid or compensated.]

Leave

[x] days of paid annual leave per year, plus [public holidays / as required by local law]. [Home leave arrangements, if any.]

Probation

The first [x] months are a probation period. [Notice during probation: x.] [See our guide to probation reviews.]

Relocation and visa

We will sponsor your [visa type] and pay [list: visa fees, legal fees, one-way flight, first x weeks of accommodation, shipping allowance]. [Repayment terms, if any, and only where lawful where you operate.]

Benefits

[Health insurance, meals on duty, uniforms, knife allowance, pension or retirement plan, staff discount.]

Conditions of this offer

This offer is conditional on:

• the grant of a work visa or permit that allows you to do this job;
• [proof of your right to work, if you already hold it];
• [documents required for the visa application, such as employment certificates, qualification certificates and, if the immigration authority asks for one, a police certificate];
• [any other check you actually run].

Contract

Your full terms will be set out in an employment contract, which we will send you [before your start date / by (date)]. If anything in this letter and the contract differ, the contract applies.

Accepting this offer

Please confirm your acceptance by signing and returning a copy of this letter by [date]. If you have questions, contact [name, email, phone].

We look forward to working with you.

[Name]
[Title]
[Restaurant or company name]

Accepted: ______________________ Date: __________

3. Conditions for an international hire

The conditions section matters most when the chef is abroad. Three points to get right:

• Visa timing. Do not promise a fixed start date that depends on an immigration decision you do not control. Link the start date to the grant, and set a long-stop date after which either side can walk away.
• Documents. Tell the chef early which documents the visa needs, because some take weeks to obtain in Japan. A Japanese police certificate, for example, is issued only for submission to a foreign authority that asks for it, and applying from abroad through an embassy can take around two months. See Japanese police certificates for visas and employment certificates in English.
• Costs if it falls through. Say who bears what if the visa is refused. The chef may resign from their job in Japan on the strength of your letter. If you will cover a refused application's fees or a flight already booked, say so.

Be careful with repayment clauses. Some visa systems prohibit employers from recovering certain costs from the worker. In the UK, for example, GOV.UK says the sponsor must pay the immigration skills charge itself, and that a sponsor licence may be revoked if the employer asks the sponsored worker to pay the fee or any costs linked to the application. Our contract checklist covers the ones we have verified. For what a relocation package usually covers, see relocation packages for chefs.

4. What local law says you must give in writing

An offer letter rarely satisfies these rules on its own, but it helps to know what you will have to issue. A few examples we have checked:

Rules elsewhere differ. Check the labour ministry of the country where the chef will work.

5. Sending an offer to a chef in Japan

• Send a Japanese version. State which language prevails if the two differ, and make sure the translation matches exactly.
• Show annual pay. Chefs in Japan think in annual and monthly salary. If you pay hourly, add the annual equivalent at your standard hours.
• Expect comparison with a 労働条件通知書. A chef employed in Japan should have received a written notice of working conditions under Japanese law. Laying out your letter under similar headings (contract period, place of work, duties, hours, days off and leave, pay, leaving the job) makes it easier to read and compare.
• Mind the time zone. Give an acceptance deadline in both time zones.

If the chef will be seconded from a Japanese parent company rather than hired locally, the paperwork is different; see secondment and employment contracts for overseas postings.

6. Before you send it

• Do title, pay, hours and start date match what you agreed in conversation?
• Is the start date tied to the visa grant, with a long-stop date?
• Are the conditions limited to checks you really run?
• Is it clear who pays for what, including if the visa is refused?
• Is there an acceptance deadline and a named contact?
• Has a local employment lawyer reviewed the final version?

General information, not legal or immigration advice. This template is a starting point only; employment and immigration law differ by country and change over time. Have your offer letter and contract reviewed by a qualified local adviser.