What would your kid earn as an apprentice?
Pick a trade and we'll show the minimum award pay — per week and per hour — straight from the Fair Work Ombudsman's 2026 pay guides. These are the legal floor: many employers pay more.
Cook / chef · Apprentice 1st year / Stage 1
$16.20 an hour · 38-hour week
Minimum award rate under the Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020 (MA000009), effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
Stick with it: in the 2nd year this rises to $727.42 a week.
What's behind this number — and what it leaves out
- These are the legal minimums, not the going rate. Many employers — especially in construction and electrical — pay above the award, and enterprise agreements (EBAs) on commercial sites can be substantially higher.
- Your award or agreement may differ. An enterprise agreement, a different award (a cook in a standalone restaurant is under the Restaurant Award, which pays differently), or a Group Training Organisation arrangement changes the numbers.
- Base rate only. Excludes overtime, penalty rates, most allowances and super.
- School-based apprenticeships work differently — paid the hourly apprentice rate for hours worked plus paid training time, and they progress more slowly (roughly 12 months of progression per 2 years at school).
- From the pay guide: Competency-based progression possible; later-stage rates may apply early once proficiency is attained (pay guide note)
- Western Australia: apprentices employed by WA sole traders or partnerships sit in the state system, outside these national awards.
Is cook / chef in demand?
Pay is half the picture — see the official demand data for the occupations this trade leads to:
Rates change every July
Apprentice award rates reset every 1 July. Get the 2027 rates for cook / chef the week they land — one email a year, that's it.
First-year apprentice pay at a glance (2026)
Minimum weekly award rates for a first-year apprentice who finished Year 12 and started under 21, effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. Building trades shown for residential work on the 4-year scale.
| Trade | A week | An hour | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carpenter / joiner | $710.45 | $18.70 | MA000020 |
| Bricklayer | $698.49 | $18.38 | MA000020 |
| Stonemason | $710.45 | $18.70 | MA000020 |
| Plasterer | $703.33 | $18.51 | MA000020 |
| Roof tiler | $690.82 | $18.18 | MA000020 |
| Painter / glazier / signwriter | $679.12 | $17.87 | MA000020 |
| Wall & floor tiler | $710.45 | $18.70 | MA000020 |
| Electrician | $682.76 | $17.97 | MA000025 |
| Plumber | $688.01 | $18.11 | MA000036 |
| Fire protection plumber | $693.38 | $18.25 | MA000036 |
| Metal trades / fabrication / fitter | $615.51 | $16.20 | MA000010 |
| Motor mechanic | $615.51 | $16.20 | MA000089 |
| Hairdresser | $615.51 | $16.20 | MA000005 |
| Beauty therapist | $615.51 | $16.20 | MA000005 |
| Cook / chef | $615.51 | $16.20 | MA000009 |
Minimum award rates from the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide for the Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020 [MA000009] (© Fair Work Ombudsman, www.fairwork.gov.au, CC BY-NC 4.0), rates effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. Presentation and any errors are ours.
Information, not advice — for your exact situation, check fairwork.gov.au or the Pay and Conditions Tool.