How to find a job in hospitality and food service in Ireland

To find a hospitality job in Ireland, decide which kind of role you want (kitchen, front of house, café, bar or management) and which hours suit you, then apply early, because good roles are often filled from the first few applicants. Keep a short profile or CV ready, follow the places you would most like to work at so you hear when they hire, and look at a place's food and reputation before you go for the interview.

Hospitality takes all sorts: students looking for a few shifts, people building a career in kitchens, people who want three evenings a week around another job. The approach is the same.

What kinds of hospitality jobs are there?

Kitchen roles. Kitchen porter is the usual way in, and a good one: you learn how a professional kitchen runs from the ground. From there, commis chef, chef de partie, sous chef and head chef, with specialist routes such as pastry. Prep cook roles sit alongside.

Front of house. Servers, hosts, bar staff and shift supervisors. Communication and staying calm when a room fills up matter more than any qualification.

Cafés and coffee. Barista work has grown with Ireland's café culture. It combines a technical skill with fast customer service, and a good barista is in demand.

Management. Assistant manager, restaurant manager, general manager and, in larger groups, roles across several sites. Most managers in hospitality started on the floor or in the kitchen.

Food trucks, markets and catering. Smaller teams and more variety: different events, different places, different days.

Hotels and tourism. Restaurants and bars inside hotels and guesthouses, often with year-round hours in cities and seasonal peaks elsewhere.

Part-time, seasonal and student work

A lot of hospitality work is not full-time, and that is normal rather than second best.

• Students often work evenings and weekends around lectures. Ask about flexibility at interview, not on your first rota.
• Seasonal work peaks in summer in tourist areas, along the west coast and in towns like Killarney and Dingle, and around Christmas everywhere.
• Casual shifts suit people with another job or other commitments.

If you want part-time work, say so at the start. A place hiring for a full-time head chef and a place hiring for a Saturday barista are looking for different things.

What do you need to work in hospitality in Ireland?

Before your first shift, have these sorted:

• The right to work in Ireland, and the documents to show it.
• A PPS number, which an employer needs to pay you correctly.
• A bank account for wages.
• Food hygiene awareness. Anyone handling food must be trained or supervised in food hygiene appropriate to the job. Many employers train new staff; some roles ask for a certificate up front.

It also helps to know that in Ireland employers must tell staff how tips and service charges are distributed, and pass on tips paid by card. Ask about it. Our guide to tipping in Ireland covers the customer side.

How do you apply for hospitality jobs?

Speed matters more here than in most industries. A place that is hiring is usually short-staffed now, and the shift that needs covering is on Thursday.

1. Have a profile or short CV ready before you start looking. Name, contact details, availability, the roles you have done and where. One page is plenty.
2. Apply early. Roles are often filled from the first handful of applications.
3. Say your availability clearly. Days, evenings, weekends, start date. It is usually the first thing a manager checks.
4. Mention relevant experience in one line. Busy café, high-volume kitchen, cocktail bar. Specifics beat adjectives.
5. Follow up once, politely, if you hear nothing after a few days.

A CV is not always needed. Plenty of good hospitality roles care more about availability and attitude than a document.

Finding hospitality jobs on Mosey

Mosey Jobs lists roles at food places near you, across kitchen and front of house: chefs, baristas, bar staff, servers, kitchen porters and managers, full-time, part-time and casual. Everything on it is food and hospitality.

• One profile, used for every application. You build it once and apply in about a minute, with a CV attached if you have one.
• Follow the places you want to work at. You are told when they post a role, instead of hearing about it after it is filled.
• Alerts. Tell it what you are looking for and where, and you are told when something matching appears.
• See the place first. Every place hiring has a page with its food, photographs and ratings, so you can see what you would be walking into.
• Part-time and shifts are filterable, so you are not reading head chef roles to find a Saturday shift.
• Your profile is seen by the places you apply to, not browsed by anybody who feels like it.

Looking, applying and alerts are free for anybody looking for work.

Preparing for a hospitality interview or trial shift

• Eat there or look at the place first. Know the menu and the style of service.
• Expect a trial shift for kitchen and bar roles. Ask whether it is paid and how long it lasts before you agree.
• Bring the basics: non-slip shoes for kitchen and floor work, and whatever the place asks you to wear.
• Ask your own questions: hours, how the rota is set, how tips are shared, what training there is.

Building skills and qualifications

Hospitality builds skills that travel: dealing with people, working under pressure, teamwork, handling cash and stock. Promotion can come quickly for people who are reliable.

Formal training helps too. Courses on Mosey include food safety, allergens, barista and hospitality training, taught by people who work in food, and where a course awards a certificate, it can be verified by an employer.

Try it on Mosey

Set up your profile once, follow the three or four places you would most like to work at, and turn on alerts for the roles and area you want.