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Sushi Chef Job Description: Template in English and Japanese

A complete sushi chef job ad to copy, the same job as a Japanese 求人票, the head sushi chef lines to change, and official pay figures with a method for setting the salary range.

Updated September 27, 2026 WashokuJob

A sushi chef job description should name your format (omakase counter, à la carte, high volume), the fish work the chef will own, the services and covers, a pay range with currency and period, the days off, and whether you sponsor a visa. Below is a complete English ad and a Japanese 求人票 for the same job, ready to copy, plus the official pay figures to set the salary line.

For owners and managers hiring a sushi chef or head sushi chef for the counter. This page covers the sushi role only. For other roles see the teppanyaki chef job description, the ramen chef job description and, for the person who runs the whole kitchen, the head chef job description. The conventions of Japanese job ads are explained in writing a job ad for chefs in Japan.

On this page

  1. Four things to settle before you write
  2. Sushi chef job description: English template
  3. Japanese version (求人票)
  4. Head sushi chef: the lines to change
  5. Filling in the pay line
  6. What to ask for with the application
  7. What to do this week

1. Four things to settle before you write

Experienced sushi chefs decide in the first few lines whether an ad is for them. They look for the format, the fish, the language at the counter and the visa. Settle those first.

DecisionOptionsWhat to write
FormatOmakase counter; à la carte restaurant with a sushi bar; high volume or conveyorSeats, covers a day and average spend in the first paragraph. An omakase chef and a volume chef rarely want each other's job.
Fish workWhole fish broken down in house, or loins and prepared neta bought inWhich species arrive whole, who orders, and the weekly fish budget the chef handles
Counter languageGuest facing in English (or the local language), or back of houseThe level you truly need, not the level you would like
VisaYou sponsor, or candidates must already hold the right to workOne sentence either way, and what you pay for

If the job is a small omakase counter, also read hiring an omakase sushi chef. For volume formats, see hiring conveyor belt sushi staff.

2. Sushi chef job description: English template

Copy the block, replace everything in [brackets], and delete any line that does not apply. A vague line is worse than a missing one.

Sushi Chef, [Restaurant name], [City]

About us
[Restaurant name] is a [number] seat [omakase counter / à la carte Japanese restaurant with a sushi bar] in [area]. We serve about [number] guests a day at an average spend of [amount]. Our fish comes from [market / supplier / direct from Japan, and how often]. The kitchen has [number] people and the counter is led by [title].

The job
You will work the sushi counter for [lunch and dinner / dinner only], [number] services a week, reporting to [title]. You will make sushi in front of guests and talk with them in [language].

What you will do
- Break down and portion whole fish ([species you buy whole]) to our spec, and record yield
- Make nigiri, sashimi and maki to spec across service
- Prepare and season shari for each service
- Check neta daily and order with [buyer / supplier], within a weekly fish budget of [amount]
- Keep temperature, labelling and cleaning records for the sushi section
- Train [number] junior cooks on prep and knife work

What you need
- [Number] years on a sushi counter, including [number] years breaking down whole fish
- Comfortable working the counter in front of guests in [language, at the level you really need]
- [Local food handler certificate, or able to obtain one within (number) weeks]
- Welcome but not required: [aging, hikarimono, live shellfish, a Japanese cook's licence (調理師免許)]

Hours and days off
[40] hours over [5] days, [straight / split] shifts, service [times]. Two days off every week ([fixed days / rotating]). Overtime paid at [rate] under [local law]. Paid leave: [number] days a year.

Pay
[REPLACE WITH YOUR OWN RANGE: currency, amount from and to, per year or per month. Not a market figure.] Plus [tips or service charge: how the kitchen shares]. [Bonus, if any, and what it depends on.]

Benefits
[Health insurance, pension or retirement contribution, staff meals, uniform, knife allowance. List only what you provide.]

Visa and relocation
[Choose one] We sponsor a [visa type] for this role and pay [government fees / legal fees / one way flight / first (number) weeks of housing]. Expect about [number] months from offer to start. / Applicants must already have the right to work in [country]. We cannot sponsor a visa.

How to apply
Send your CV and a short video of you breaking down a fish and making nigiri to [email]. We reply to every applicant within [number] days. Next steps: a video call, then [a paid trial shift / a remote skills test].

3. Japanese version (求人票)

A chef in Japan reads a job ad in a fixed order of items, with pay stated as an annual figure and days off in precise terms. This version follows that order.

【募集職種】寿司職人（カウンター担当）
【店舗】［店名］（［国・都市・エリア］）。［席数］席の［おまかせカウンター／寿司カウンターのある和食店］。1日平均［人数］名、客単価［金額］。魚は［仕入れ先・頻度］
【業務内容】（雇入れ直後）丸魚のおろしと歩留まりの記録、握り・刺身・巻物、シャリの仕込み、ネタの検品と発注（週の魚予算［金額］）、衛生記録、若手［人数］名の指導（変更の範囲）［当店の調理業務全般］
【応募資格】寿司店での実務経験［年数］年以上（うち丸魚のおろし［年数］年以上）。カウンターでの接客経験。語学：［英語は日常会話程度／不問］
【歓迎】［熟成・光り物・活貝の経験、調理師免許］
【雇用形態・契約期間】正社員［期間の定めなし／有期（［年数］年）、更新あり（判断基準：［在留資格の更新、勤務成績］）］
【試用期間】［3］か月（期間中の条件変更なし）
【勤務地】（雇入れ直後）［店名・住所］（変更の範囲）［なし／同じ都市の系列店］
【勤務時間】［16:00〜24:00］（休憩［60］分）、週［40］時間、シフト制
【時間外労働】あり（月平均［時間］時間）。［現地の法律］に基づき割増賃金を支給
【休日】完全週休2日制（［曜日／シフト制］）、年間休日［日数］日、有給休暇［日数］日
【給与】年収［要記入：現地通貨で金額の幅。相場データではありません］（月給［要記入］）。参考円換算 約［要記入］万円（［日付］の為替による参考値）
【賞与・チップ】賞与［あり（年［回数］回、業績により変動）／なし］。チップ・サービス料［厨房への分配方法］（保証なし）
【加入保険・福利厚生】［現地の医療保険］、［年金・退職積立］、［労災保険］、まかない［回数］食、制服、［包丁手当］
【ビザ・渡航】［ビザの種類］を当社が申請し、［申請費用・専門家費用・往路航空券・到着後［週数］週間の住居］を当社が負担。内定から着任まで目安［月数］か月 ／ 現地での就労資格をお持ちの方のみ（ビザのスポンサーはできません）
【受動喫煙防止措置】屋内禁煙
【応募方法】履歴書と、魚をおろして握る様子の動画（数分で可）を［メールアドレス］へ。［日数］日以内に全員へ返信します。選考：書類 → オンライン面接 → ［有給の実技試験／オンライン実技］
【募集者】［法人名］

Two lines need care. Write 完全週休2日制 only if the chef gets two days off every week; if not, write the monthly number instead (休日 月［日数］日). And do not write 社会保険完備, which means Japan's own insurance schemes; list your local cover. Both points are explained in Japanese conventions for pay, bonus, days off and insurance.

4. Head sushi chef: the lines to change

A head sushi chef leads the counter: the fish, the sequence and the other chefs at the board. That is narrower than a head chef who owns the whole kitchen's menu, budget and team; if that is the job, use the head chef template instead. For a counter lead, change four things in the template above:

5. Filling in the pay line

No official statistic anywhere measures "sushi chef" as its own occupation. The nearest official figures are for chefs or cooks in general, and one for Japanese cuisine cooks in Hong Kong. Use them as the floor of the market you hire into, not as the offer.

MarketOfficial figureAmountPeriod
United StatesChefs and head cooks: median, 75th, 90th percentile (BLS)$62,470 / $78,750 / $98,560 a yearMay 2025
United StatesRestaurant cooks, median (BLS)$37,390 a yearMay 2025
SingaporeChef, median gross monthly wage (MOM)S$3,650June 2025
United KingdomChefs, full time median (ONS, provisional)£30,010 a yearApril 2025
AustraliaAward minimum, cook grade 5, full timeA$1,221.10 a weekFrom 1 July 2026
Hong KongCook (Japanese Cuisine), median monthly wage (Labour Department)HK$19,670List revised 22 June 2026

A method for setting the range:

  1. Find the median for the chef occupation in your city, not the country, where your statistics office publishes it.
  2. Place a chef who breaks down whole fish and works the counter unsupervised around the 75th percentile; a head sushi chef towards the 90th.
  3. If you sponsor a visa, check the salary floor for that route and take whichever is higher. Visa floors for each country are in visa sponsorship for Japanese chefs.
  4. Price housing, flights and tips separately and show them as separate lines, so the base figure stays comparable.

Full tables by country and city are in sushi chef salary by country.

6. What to ask for with the application

Ask for a short phone video of the candidate breaking down one fish and forming ten pieces of nigiri. You can score it in ten minutes on four points, each out of five: knife work and yield; consistency of shari size and shape; hygiene habits (cloth, board, hands); and pace. Anyone who scores well goes to a video call and then a paid trial. Interview questions are in sushi chef interview questions, and remote testing in skills tests for remote hiring.

7. What to do this week

Figures that expire: BLS wage data (next release spring 2027), Singapore MOM occupational wages (published each year around June), ONS earnings (provisional figures each autumn), Australian award rates (reset each 1 July) and the Hong Kong list of common posts (revised periodically). Checked 27 September 2026.

Questions employers ask

What are the main duties of a sushi chef?

Breaking down and portioning fish, preparing shari, making nigiri, sashimi and maki to a set standard, checking and ordering neta, keeping food safety records for the section, and serving guests at the counter. Senior chefs also train junior cooks and manage yield against a fish budget.

Should I put the salary in a sushi chef job ad?

Yes. Experienced chefs, especially those abroad, rarely apply to an ad without a range, because moving country for an unknown figure is too much risk. State the currency and whether it is per year, month or hour, and show tips and bonus separately.

Do I need a Japanese version of the ad?

If you want applicants who are in Japan now, yes. Most chefs there search and read in Japanese, and expect pay, days off and insurance to be stated in a set way. Use the 求人票 above and have a native speaker check it.

What is the difference between a sushi chef and a head sushi chef?

A sushi chef works the counter to a standard someone else sets. A head sushi chef sets that standard for the counter: the neta, the sequence, the fish budget and the other chefs at the board. A head chef runs the whole kitchen, which is a separate role with its own template.

Can I require candidates to be Japanese?

In many countries a nationality or age requirement in a job ad is unlawful. Describe the skills and language level the job needs instead, and check local employment law before you publish.

General information, not legal or immigration advice. Employment terms, required certificates and permitted wording in job ads vary by country. Check local rules before you publish, particularly on language, age and nationality requirements.

Sources

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