Café Assistant - Casual - Tenterden Leisure Centre

Freedom Leisure; Tenterden; On-site; GBP 14,000 - 21,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Discounted staff membership

Employee Assistance Programme

Flexible working hours

My Staff Shop discounts

Paid annual leave

Potential permanent opportunities

Insurance and savings schemes

Job summary

Freedom Leisure in Tenterden is seeking a Café Assistant to join our friendly café team. You’ll provide a warm welcome, deliver excellent service, and handle drinks and light snacks in a fast-paced environment.

Training will be provided for those new to barista duties, with opportunities to support events and work flexibly around casual hours. You’ll join a supportive team at a community leisure centre, where customer care and safe food handling are priorities, and where staff benefits and

Qualifications

• Demonstrated commitment to customer service excellence.
• Comfortable operating till systems and handling cash/card payments.
• Barista experience is desirable but training can be provided.

Responsibilities

• Welcome visitors with a smile in a friendly and professional manner.
• Accurately operate till systems.
• Provide up-to-date information on centre facilities.
• Prepare and serve hot and cold drinks, including barista-style coffee.
• Offer a range of light snacks and pre-packaged food items.
• Ensure compliance with food hygiene and health & safety standards.
• Replenish café stock and vending machines as required.
• Keep café spaces clean, well-organised and customer friendly.
• Work as part of a collaborative, multi-skilled team.
• Support the delivery of events and activities within the centre.
• Follow Freedom Leisure’s safeguarding, health & safety and customer care policies.
• Participate in training and development.

Skills

Customer service

Till systems

Barista experience

Tools

Cash handling

Job description

Join the Energy at Freedom Leisure – Do Good Feel Good!

At Freedom Leisure, we’re all about positive vibes, great people, and making a real impact. Yes, we run leisure and cultural facilities, gyms, and swimming pools—but at the heart of it all, it’s our people who make the difference.

As one of the UK’s leading charitable leisure trusts, we’re proud of our mission: Improving Lives Through Leisure. We’re here to help communities live healthier, happier lives by making our centres welcoming, inclusive, and accessible to everyone—because everyone deserves to feel good. We’re all about delivering amazing customer service with a smile—every single day. We create spaces where people feel at home, supported, and inspired. If you’re passionate about helping others and love creating great experiences, you’ll feel right at home with us.

You don’t need to be an expert to get started—we’ll give you all the training and support you need. With over 130 centres across England and Wales, there’s loads of room to grow. Many of our team have built amazing careers doing what they love, helping customers day-to-day and making people feel good - one smile at a time

We’re proud to be a workplace where everyone is welcome, valued, and supported to thrive—because when our team reflects the communities we serve, we all grow stronger together.

This is your place, this is where you matter.

Tenterden Leisure Centre provides an exciting range of activities for residents and visitors alike. Including a leisure pool, a fitness suite, exercise studios and sports hall providing a wide range of activities. The centre also boasts a lovely café providing a focal point for the community.

About the Role

We are looking for an enthusiastic, approachable and customer-focused Café Assistant to join our café team. In this role, you’ll be providing a warm welcome and will deliver excellent service in our café. If you enjoy working with people and thrive in a fast-paced environment, we’d love to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities:

Customer Service

• Welcome all visitors with a smile in a friendly and professional manner.
• Accurately operate till systems.
• Provide up-to-date information on centre facilities

Café & Retail Service

• Prepare and serve hot and cold drinks, including barista-style coffee.
• Offer a range of light snacks and pre-packaged food items.
• Always ensure compliance with food hygiene and health & safety standards.
• Replenish café stock and vending machines as required.
• Keep café spaces clean, well-organised and customer friendly.

Teamwork & Operational Support

• Work as part of a collaborative, multi-skilled team.
• Support the delivery of events and activities within the centre.
• Follow Freedom Leisure’s policies on safeguarding, health & safety and customer care.
• Participate in relevant training and ongoing professional development.

Please note: If a high volume of suitable applications is received, we may close this vacancy earlier than advertised. Early applications are encouraged.

Hours: Casual hours, as and when required.

We’re looking for someone who is:

• Passionate about delivering outstanding customer service.
• Comfortable using till systems and handling cash/card payments.
• Barista experience is desirable but training can be provided.
• Able to multitask and remain calm in a busy environment.
• A proactive, flexible and reliable team player.

Desirable Skills & Experience:

• Previous experience in a customer-facing role in leisure, fitness or community service settings.
• Hospitality or Retail experience delivering customer excellence.

We want you to love coming to work, feeling healthy, happy and valued. That's why we've developed a benefits package with you in mind, so what can we offer you?

• Discounted Staff Membership (including family members)
• Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 confidential, independent and professional counselling
• Financial advice
• Flexible working hours
• My Staff Shop employee benefits scheme, offering discounts on cinema tickets, travel, high street e-vouchers, gift cards, days out, leisure activities and everyday spending
• Paid annual leave
• Potential permanent work opportunities
• Various insurance and savings schemes

Closing date: 27th November 2026

Salary: up to £12.71 per hour

At Freedom Leisure, we believe a diverse workforce strengthens our organisation and enhances the services we provide. We welcome applications from suitably qualified candidates regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.