What does it mean to be an Agency Chef?

I have never dealt with or been involved with Chef Agencies in over a decade, up until now.

Scenario: I was looking for work. I supplied my CV to a Chef recruitment agency. Made contact with a person at the agency who knows about lots of chef job vacancies and he arranged for me several interviews.

Eventually, through somewhat awkward circumstances, I landed a job at a hotel the chef agency had a vacancy for. I say awkward circumstances because I initially turned down the job offer, but I know and have worked with the head chef who has just taken over the kitchen at this hotel, before. the head chef was on holiday at the time of my interview, but first day he started at this hotel he called me up and said he would like to take me on board, even though I had turned down the position already, asking if I was still interested.

I turned down the job because I was holding out for another job the agency had. yet nothing became of that.

so now I have been offered the same job that I had turned down previously. offered the job by the head chef who I know and have worked with before, yet not the agency. even though it was the agency who put me in contact, indirectly, with the head chef i have worked with before. 

I'm left thinking is the chef agency going to get anything out me? because I have been offered the job by the head chef instead, who knows me personally and wants to take me on board himself ...      

 

Thank you Bazza and EdB for the advice and well wishes.

Good point you made about paperwork. I haven't so far received any paperwork to sign, so far I have been offered the job, a salary has been agreed, and I am going to the hotel tomorrow to do my first shift. So I expect such formalities of things like paperwork to be an agenda on the day.

Another circumstance that made me decide to turn down the job in the first place was: at the end of the initial interview the GM said he was gonna call the agency and then call me back in an hour. I had a good 30-45 mins drive home ahead of me and decided to stop at a roadside restaurant 10 mins after leaving the hotel. 5 minutes later the guy who had interviewed me called my phone saying that I had got the job and wanted me to go back to the hotel to sign paperwork.

Not only did I not like the fact that he called me 20mins after the interview when I was expected to be driving and when I was expecting the call a lot later, but also calling my mobile phone and expecting me to do a U-turn on a motorway, so-to-speak. I decided to drive home and turn my phone off for the rest of the evening instead.

During the interview he did mention that he did have concerns over agency fees, he was concerned that there would be a higher recruitment fee for him to pay because I know and have worked with the head chef before.

As it is a Chef Recruitment agency, with the emphasis on Recruitment, I get the impression that the recruitment agency gets paid by the employer to recruit staff, and that's what the GM of the hotel was talking to me about.

Now that I have been to see the head chef and he has offered me the job, he also text me directly after I went to see him and said not to mention anything to the Chef Recruitment agency about me being offered the job. I agreed that I wouldn't let the agency know anything about him offering me the job.

Consciously I'm taking things seriously and carefully, I have to take into account everything, even scepticism. Because dealing with agencies is new to me.

I do think though that I may have dropped on a really good opportunity. I know the head chef and he knows me and wants to take me on board. The head chef even got me a better salary than what I asked for in the first place, plus there is advantages of bonus's if certain targets are met.

The hotel hasn't even been rated yet, it is a blank canvas with targets set out. The hotel is undergoing some refurbishment to extend its facilities, and together with the new management, head chef, and staff, the hotel is aiming for 3 stars with 1AA Rosette, pushing for possible 2AA Rosettes in time to come. If targets are met then that will be good for both the company and staff. The hotel is looking to get AA inspectors in as soon as 6 months.

I will be based in region south yorkshire.