Catering assistant
Get involved in all sorts of cookery and customer service tasks – from plating up food in the kitchen to serving meals.
Also known as: food service assistant, catering staff, catering operative, catering support assistant
About the job
What it's like
Looking for an entry-level role in Scotland’s food and drink industry? As a catering assistant, you’ll carry out many different tasks across kitchens and serving areas.
Catering assistants do valuable work behind the scenes but also serve customers. Your responsibilities will vary depending on the company you work for. In some roles, you’ll plate food, wash dishes and set up serving areas. Other positions will see you serving meals and taking payments in a canteen.
You could work across a range of settings. For example, catering assistants are often found in school or office canteens. Hospitals, care homes and factories also need people to run their catering service. If you’re employed by a catering company, you may even get the chance to work at events, conferences and weddings!
Your tasks might include:
helping chefs prepare food – you may chop vegetables and plate meals
setting up and disassembling buffets or serving areas
washing dishes, cleaning kitchens and keeping the workplace tidy
refilling food stations, restocking ingredients and organising storage
serving food in a canteen or at events
operating a till where you’ll handle cash and card payments
Explore more information about this job
Here are some useful links to learn more about this career:
CareerScope – explore the hub of the United Kingdom’s hospitality industry
NHS Scotland Careers – learn how to become a catering assistant within the health service
Like the sound of this career?
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Education
Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- verbal communication
- implementing ideas
- concentrating
- positive attitude
- resilience
- supporting
- working with numbers
- cooperating
- attention to detail
- time management
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
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Maths (Mathematics)
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Foundation Apprenticeship: Food and Drink Technologies
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Foundation Apprenticeship: Hospitality
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Skills for Work: Hospitality
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Health and Wellbeing
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Health and Food Technology (Home economics)
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Hospitality: Practical Cookery (Home economics)
You can get a head start in this career by doing a Foundation Apprenticeship in S5 and S6.
You'll get an SCQF level 6 qualification which is the same level as a Higher. You'll also learn new skills and gain valuable experience in a work environment.
Discover what's on offer at your school on Apprenticeships.scot.
You don’t need any qualifications to become a catering assistant.
However, there are some courses you can do that’ll boost your chances of landing a job.
Let’s explore the routes you can take to get into this career.
Work
You can become a catering assistant through applying directly with an employer.
Having some form of experience in food preparation, cooking or customer service will help your job application stand out from the crowd.
Use the My World of Work job search to look for vacancies.
College
Getting qualifications at college – such as an HNC, HND, NC or SVQ – could help you find a job. Useful subjects include:
Professional Cookery
Culinary Arts
Hospitality
Hospitality Management
Hospitality, Events, and Professional Food Production
Catering Operations
Food Hygiene and Safety
Hospitality with Events
Having college qualifications is an advantage for certain roles. For example, hospitals, schools or large catering firms may look favourably upon these.
Use the My World of Work course search to find college opportunities.
Apprenticeships
Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) mean you learn on the job. You get paid and work towards a qualification at the same time. You might want to consider an MA in areas such as:
Basic food handling and preparation skills are useful.
Customer service skills are an advantage – especially if you serve food as part of your role.
Some employers may ask that you have a food hygiene-related qualification. Use the My World of Work course search to look for free, online certificates – they can usually be completed in a few hours.
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