what is a catering assistant?
As a catering assistant, your job is to maintain kitchen organisation and general cleanliness in the cooking and service areas. Additionally, you help with basic food preparation tasks, including operating slicing and chipping machines. On-shift, you have storeroom and stock duties, receiving deliveries and putting them away. You also take care of washing equipment and crockery, collecting rubbish, clearing tables and, when required, serving customers.
what does a catering assistant do?
To be a catering assistant, you need physical stamina and the ability to work well with others under pressure. A catering assistant works as part of a kitchen team in a busy and fast-moving environment, so attention to detail is important, as is excellent spatial awareness to avoid accidents in the confined space of the cooking area. You work quickly and efficiently, lifting boxes, using potentially dangerous tools and equipment, and delivering prepared meals.
Would working as a catering assistant suit your physical stamina and attention to detail? Then read on to find out what competencies and qualifications you need to thrive in a catering assistant role.
catering assistant salary
According to ONS as a catering assistant, you earn between £13,000 and £20,000 a year. Two-thirds of catering assistant jobs are casual or seasonal, and most positions are paid hourly.
Your earnings as a catering assistant will depend on your employer's hourly pay rate, the number of shifts available, and the number of hours you work per week. There is often the opportunity for overtime, which will improve earnings, and depending on the type of kitchen you work in, there may be tips too.
types of catering assistant
As a catering assistant, you can find work in a variety of organisations. Depending on the size of the company, you are either focused on a few repetitive tasks or have broader areas of responsibility:
- cafes and pubs: small hospitality businesses need their staff to do a little bit of everything. As well as assisting the cook or chef by washing and preparing ingredients, performing basic cooking tasks, and managing stock levels, you also clean the serving areas and wash plates and utensils. In some businesses, you might take care of ordering supplies and receiving fresh produce. You assist the waiting staff in setting and clearing tables, serving meals and taking orders from customers during busy periods.
- hotels and restaurants: as a catering assistant in a small hotel or restaurant, you take many of the same broad responsibilities as you would in a cafe or pub. In larger establishments, your tasks are more focused but still involve basic food preparation and cooking tasks, managing the stock levels on shift to ensure that ingredients are on hand, dishwashing duties and keeping the kitchen and service areas clean.
- canteens and commissaries: hospitals, schools and military bases have large kitchens, so your main role as a catering assistant is to prepare large qualities of ingredients for cooking in bulk. In kitchens with a canteen, you serve diners from behind a hot or cold display station, while in a hospital, you might do rounds of the wards to take patients' meal orders.
- event catering: as a catering assistant in an event management company, you help prepare food for transport and then for service. You work in the company's kitchen, maintaining cleanliness and preparing ingredients, and then help your team to pack up the meals to be delivered to the event. When on-site, you could be back of house, or you might be responsible for clearing tables and then packing away equipment at the end of the event.
working as a catering assistant
Want to know what it's like to work as a catering assistant? Then read on to learn more about your responsibilities, work environment, colleagues and schedule.
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catering assistant job description
When you are working as a catering assistant, your duties include:
- cleaning: the kitchen and everything in it is your area of responsibility. The appliances, work surfaces, floors and walls must all be cleaned regularly to ensure compliance with food hygiene standards. If your unit has a dishwasher, you will use it to wash crockery, utensils and cookware, and will then need to dismantle and sanitise it, ready for the next service period.
- washing and preparing ingredients: you wash and peel vegetables, portion meat and ensure the chefs have everything they need in terms of ingredients. This might involve using industrial slicers, chippers and commercial-grade graters.
- stock control: receiving, organising and storing deliveries properly are vital to effective stock control. Without attentive stock counts and assessments, goods could go out of date. Stock rotation to ensure new deliveries are put to the back of the shelves in fridges and freezers is part of this duty.
- cooking tasks: catering assistants have basic cooking skills. They may be limited to sauces, side dishes and desserts or cover all menu items and recipes. Depending on the kitchen, you may be asked to step in only when it's very busy, or you might be a permanent part of the production line.
- customer service: if you work in smaller venues or for an events catering company, your role as a catering assistant might also include serving customers. You will be part of the team that sets up and breaks down the dining space, take an active part in customer-facing service, and will be tasked with a final check on cleanliness and hygiene before finishing your shift.
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work environment
As a catering assistant, you work indoors and are on your feet, moving almost all the time. A kitchen environment has limited space and is always busy, so you must be aware of potential hazards to avoid accidents. You generally wear a uniform which may be relatively informal (checks and a t-shirt) or traditional chef's whites, but will always include comfortable shoes and an apron. You might also need hygiene protection such as gloves or a hairnet. When using cleaning chemicals and other hazardous liquids, you might be required to wear overalls and protective boots.
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who are your colleagues?
Depending on your employer and industry, your colleagues might include cooks, chefs and wait-staff. You might also be working closely with stewards, bar staff, production assistant and cleaners, as well as other hospitality professionals that could include, but not be limited to, catering managers, event managers and venue managers.
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work schedule
Your work schedule as a catering assistant depends on your employer.
- small employers such as cafes might employ you on a part-time or casual basis during daytime, weekends and holidays, while pubs and restaurants require evening work. A full shift is usually eight hours or longer, but split shifts of four hours or less are common.
- in a larger kitchen such as a hotel or hospital, your shifts rotate to cover morning, midday and evening meals, and your work varies between high-pressure at mealtimes and preparation and cleaning between service periods.
- if working for a company that supplies supermarkets or airlines, your schedule could be based on 24/7 shift coverage to accommodate both delivery volumes (supermarkets) and flight times (in-air meals).
- if catering for events, your schedule might vary between early mornings for breakfasts and lunches to late at night for dinners. You could be in a commercial kitchen unit to pre-prep the menu, travel to the venue for set up and service, then be tasked to remove all equipment and return to your kitchen to clean your supplies at the end of your shift.
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job outlook
The hospitality and food sectors offer seasonal work in cafes and hotels, but there is always demand for catering assistants in services such as hospitals and armed forces catering. Although vacancies in restaurants, hotels and events might fluctuate, available positions in the type of commercial food preparation companies that supply supermarkets remain stable.
In terms of seniority, catering assistant is an entry-level position but can be a good starting point for advancement into a role as a commis chef, chef de partie or sous chef. With experience and dedication, achieving executive chef status is not out of reach!
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advantages of finding a catering assistant job through randstad
Finding your catering assistant job through Randstad provides important advantages such as:
- a wide variety of training and development opportunities
- an experienced contact person to provide help if needed
- a range of opportunities in your area
- get paid weekly or monthly, depending on the job
- temporary and permanent contracts
Want a permanent contract? A temporary job as a catering assistant is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Every year, thousands of people earn a permanent contract with great employers thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too!
education and skills
You don't need formal qualifications to work as a catering assistant, although a food hygiene certificate will help you when applying for positions. Good numeracy skills are of great advantage as your role will involve both stock control and customer services like billing. Proving that you have these skills can be easier with a secondary-level education.
Catering assistant is an entry-level position, but many employers offer the opportunity to advance in-house, and further development is available through apprenticeships and other hospitality-focused certification from organisations like City & Guilds.
skills and competencies
To be successful in a catering assistant role, a creative interest in food is beneficial. Although skills aren't dependent on your culinary experience, the hours can be long and physically demanding, so a natural preference for the environment can help you through the harder shifts. Basic requirements are:
- an ability to work well under pressure
- good communication and team working skills
- enthusiasm and stamina
- spatial awareness in terms of potential hazards
- high standards of hygiene and cleanliness
- good customer service skills
FAQs
FAQs about working as a catering assistant
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what is a catering assistant?
As a catering assistant, you maintain kitchen hygiene and cleanliness while helping to prepare food and serve customers. You manage stock and undertake pre-service prep, as well as keeping service areas compliant with food hygiene standards.
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what are the duties of a catering assistant?
Your duties as a catering assistant include maintaining a high standard of hygiene in the service areas, preparing ingredients for cooking, organising stock, and dealing with clean up and refuse removal.
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what skills are needed for a kitchen assistant?
Kitchen assistants have to be able to work well under pressure. They need stamina, awareness, communication, and good team working skills as well as excellent personal hygiene.
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what is the difference between a kitchen assistant and a catering assistant?
A kitchen assistant works only in the kitchen, preparing ingredients and keeping surfaces and utensils clean. A catering assistant also manages stocks and stores, helping to manage events and performing customer service duties on demand.
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is a catering assistant a good career?
A job as a catering assistant gives you a great start in the hospitality industry. You can develop your skills with qualifications in hygiene, food service positions and management, advancing your career to the position of executive chef and beyond.
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how do I apply for a catering assistant vacancy?
Applying for a catering assistant job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our job offers for vacancies in your area. Then simply send us your CV and cover letter. Need help with your application? Check out all our job search tips here!
