Setting and Scoring the English Level for a Chef Interview

Tell a chef candidate, before the call, which parts of the interview run in English, what level the job actually needs, and that clear cooking answers matter more than fluency. Score English on a three-level rubric tied to the job (kitchen only, counter-facing, head chef), always separate from technical ability, and run the same questions in the same order for every candidate.

1. Why prepare candidates for the English portion specifically

Chefs' English varies widely. Some hold everyday conversations easily; others manage kitchen English but have never sat a formal interview in it. What an English-language segment should find out is not how fluent the chef is, but whether the two of you can run a kitchen together, and whether the job's actual English demands are within reach.

A briefing note sent in advance reduces the number of candidates who come across worse than they are because of nerves, lets you compare real ability with everyone on the same prepared footing, and shows candidates you take them seriously, which cuts withdrawals.

2. What to tell candidates about the English part

The interview's overall design, the interpreter and the schedule are covered in full in how to interview a chef in Japan online. What that guide does not set out is the English split, so make this explicit in your invitation:

• Which named segment runs in English, and for how long (for example, the first 20 minutes with the owner, before the interpreter joins for the technical block in Japanese)
• That the technical questions will be asked in Japanese wherever possible, so English is not standing in for cooking knowledge
• What to have ready in English: a one-page career summary, and photos of their food with captions they can read out

3. Define the English level, with a scoring rubric

"English: conversational" means different things to different readers. Describe the job in terms of situations, and score against a pass answer at each level rather than a vague fluency impression.

Score cooking ability on its own scale, using sushi chef interview questions; do not let a strong English score offset a weak technical one, or the reverse. Some visa systems separately require a proof of English (Australia's Skills in Demand visa, for example, requires the primary applicant to meet a set test result unless exempt); if your country's route requires a test, confirm the candidate's plan for sitting it at this stage, alongside your own rubric. Setting the requirement in a job posting is covered in language requirements for a Japanese kitchen, which this page does not repeat.

4. Assessing English fairly: the same process for everyone

Two interviewers in the same restaurant will score English differently unless the process forces consistency.

• Same questions, same order, every candidate. Comparing "tell me about yourself" from one candidate against a different opening question from another is not a comparison.
• Write the score before discussing it. Each interviewer notes a level (kitchen only / counter-facing / head chef, pass or not) independently, then compares. Talking first anchors everyone on the first opinion spoken.
• Decide in advance which segment tests English and which tests technique. If an interpreter joins partway through, agree beforehand that they translate answers in full rather than summarising, and that they do not weigh in on either score.
• Score English and cooking on separate lines, so a panel discussion cannot quietly average a weak cook's confident English against a strong cook's halting English.

5. The candidate handout: questions and phrases to send separately

Keep this off the interview itself and send it as its own document a day or two before the call, clearly labelled as preparation material, not a script to memorise. Its job is to organise what the candidate wants to say, not to test them again.

Being honest about English ability, as in the last phrase, while showing what they can do in the kitchen should not count against a candidate; make that explicit in the note you send with the handout. For the full technical question bank and how to score it, see sushi chef interview questions; for kitchen vocabulary, point candidates to Japanese kitchen terms in English and sushi and fish terms in English.

6. Questions to leave out

While you help candidates prepare, interviewers need to watch what they ask. In the US, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission states that pre-employment inquiries should be limited to what is essential for deciding job qualification, that information on race, sex, national origin, age and religion is irrelevant to that, and that asking about disability before an offer is explicitly prohibited. In Japan, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare states that finding out matters unrelated to aptitude and ability, such as family registry, birthplace, family, religion or political affiliation, may lead to employment discrimination. Avoid "Are you married?" or "Will your family come with you?", even as small talk; explain family-related rules yourself and let the candidate ask if they need to. The full country-by-country list is on sushi chef interview questions, which we do not repeat here.

7. A briefing note to send candidates

Send it in Japanese; this is the English version of the structure.

Sending a note like this changes the quality of the interview. For scoring the answers afterwards, see the evaluation sheet in sushi chef interview questions.

General information, not legal or immigration advice. Limits on interview questions and English requirements for visas differ by country and change over time. Check the primary sources below and the rules where your restaurant operates.