Apprenticeship Kitchen Assistant Jobs

Leading apprenticeship employers

Helping you find a career in the kitchen assistant industry

The kitchen assistant helps prepare food, keep the kitchen clean and sometimes prepares ingredients.

They will work under the guidance of a kitchen supervisor or a station chef (someone who is in charge of a particular area of production such as the meat station).

The kitchen assistant needs to make sure everything in a kitchen is operational, they are an important part of the chef's team and is expected to help ease the workload of the chefs.

N Written by Navdeep

Find out more

FAQs
Popular companies

FAQs

What does a Kitchen assistant do?

A kitchen assistant washes, peels and prepares food items. They are in charge of keeping the kitchen clean by washing the work surfaces in-between and after service. A typical day for a kitchen assistant will be:

Washing, peeling and preparing food items
Keeping the kitchen clean
Washing kitchen appliances, work surfaces, floors and walls
Organising the storeroom
Using kitchen appliances such as mixtures, blenders, special knives and cutters
Supporting chefs at their stations
Unloading deliveries
Organising linen laundry
Throwing out the rubbish

Skills & interests required for a Kitchen assistant

Kitchen assistants need to be quick thinkers and able to cope with unexpected changes. They need to be passionate about food and interested in learning new ways to prepare food. Kitchens can be hectic environments and kitchen assistants will need to keep up with the chefs!

What hours does a Kitchen assistant typically do?

Kitchen Assistants are expected to work shifts, evenings, weekends and during public holidays. Factory and catering businesses offer more regular hours than restaurants.

What environment is a Kitchen assistant based in?

Restaurants, hotels, bars, events or food production factories.

How much does a Kitchen assistant get paid?

A kitchen assistant will earn between £15,000 - £16,500 per annum.

Some employers will offer an hourly rate of £5.80 to £7.20 depending on age, location and experience. Apprentice kitchen assistants will receive a minimum of £3.70 per hour for the first year of their apprenticeship.

Trainee or junior chefs earn between £17,000 to £22,492 per annum. The national average salary for this position is £19,000.

An executive chef earns up to £50,000 per annum with an average salary of £32,500.

What qualifications does a Kitchen assistant need?

There are no set qualifications needed for this role. But, having GCSEs such as English (grade 3/ D required) and Math (grade 2/ E required) will give you the upper hand when applying.

You will need to demonstrate practical skills and an interest in preparing food and drink (start now!) There are some college entry-level courses that help you prepare for the role such as a Level 1 Certificate in General Cookery or Level 2 Award in Introduction to Employment in the Hospitality Industry.