Catering Assistant

The Bedford College Group; Bedford; Presencial; GBP 27.000 - 28.000; A tiempo parcial

Ventajas ofrecidas por este puesto de trabajo

Pension scheme

Retail and Leisure Discounts

Professional development opportunities

Access to college courses

Descripción de la vacante

The Bedford College Group is seeking a friendly Catering Assistant for The Bedford Sixth Form. You will support food preparation, front-of-house service, stock control, and hygiene tasks to deliver high‑quality catering for students and staff.

You’ll work 20 hours per week during term time, with a pro‑rata salary between £26,510 and £28,482 per year. Reliable teamwork, good cash handling, and a positive approach to health and safety are essential.

Formación

• Customer service and cash handling experience.
• Knowledge of food preparation and basic cooking techniques.
• Strong understanding of health and safety procedures in catering.
• Ability to work as part of a team and use basic IT tools.
• Willingness to adapt working hours to meet business needs.

Responsabilidades

• Food Preparation & Catering Service - assist with preparation, cooking and presentation, serve customers, support catering service.
• Customer Service & Front-of-House Support - create a welcoming environment for students, staff and visitors, resolve issues.
• Stock Control & Operational Support - assist with stock management, deliveries and storage, support hospitality orders.
• Kitchen Hygiene, Health & Safety - maintain cleanliness and hygiene, operate equipment safely, ensure compliance with safety standards.
• Professional Standards & Team Contribution - work flexibly as part of the team, uphold safeguarding and training.

Conocimientos

Customer Service & Cash Handling

Catering Operations & Food Preparation

Health, Safety & Food Hygiene

Teamwork, Communication & IT Skills

Flexibility, Initiative & Work Ethic

Herramientas

POS systems

PDQ terminals

Microsoft Word

Excel

Outlook

Descripción del empleo

Role: Catering Assistant

Location: The Bedford Sixth Form

Salary/Benefits: Salary is between £26,510 and £28,482 per annum (Pro-Rata) DOE and Qualifications, People’s pension, Retail and Leisure Discounts, excellent professional and personal development opportunities, accessing college courses.

Hours/Weeks: 20 hours per week – 36 weeks per year – Monday to Friday, 4 hours per day

Contract Type: Permanent – Term Time

This is a UK based contract, and you are required to have the Right to Work in the UK. Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer sponsorship and any offer of employment will be subject to evidence of your Right to Work in the UK.

About the role:

We are currently seeking a Catering Assistant to join our Leisure, Catering and Events Services department at The Bedford College Group.

As a Catering Assistant, you play an important role in the success of our students through:

• Food Preparation & Catering Service - Assist with the preparation, cooking and presentation of food, serve customers courteously, support hospitality functions, and help deliver an efficient and high-quality catering service.
• Customer Service & Front-of-House Support - Create a welcoming environment for students, staff and visitors, maintain positive customer interactions, resolve issues professionally, and support promotional activities and sales initiatives.
• Stock Control & Operational Support - Assist with stock management, deliveries and storage, support hospitality orders, ensure financial transactions are processed in accordance with College procedures, and report any operational concerns appropriately.
• Kitchen Hygiene, Health & Safety - Maintain high standards of cleanliness and food hygiene, operate catering equipment safely, undertake cleaning duties, and ensure compliance with health and safety and food safety requirements.
• Professional Standards & Team Contribution - Work flexibly as part of the catering team, maintain high standards of punctuality, appearance and conduct, and actively promote safeguarding, equality, diversity and inclusion, health and safety, and ongoing training and development.

About you:

• Customer Service & Cash Handling - Experienced in delivering excellent customer service and processing payments using POS and PDQ systems, providing a professional, efficient and welcoming experience for customers.
• Catering Operations & Food Preparation - Knowledgeable in food preparation and basic cooking techniques, with experience supporting catering operations and maintaining high standards of food quality, presentation and service.
• Health, Safety & Food Hygiene - Strong understanding of health and safety procedures within a catering environment, with a commitment to maintaining excellent standards of cleanliness, hygiene and safe working practices.
• Teamwork, Communication & IT Skills - Able to work effectively as part of a team, follow instructions accurately, communicate positively with customers and colleagues, and utilise Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook for day-to-day administrative tasks.
• Flexibility, Initiative & Work Ethic - Demonstrates enthusiasm, initiative and a proactive approach, with the ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment, undertake manual handling duties, adapt working hours to meet business needs, and continually develop skills and knowledge.

For a more detailed breakdown of the job role and the requirements, please see the Job Description attached to this vacancy.

Interviews to be held: TBC

Successful candidates must also be able to demonstrate alignment to our organisational VISION values:

• Valuing Teamwork - We are one team who by working together can achieve great things, respecting the opinion and valuing the contribution each of us makes.
• Improving Continuously - We challenge ourselves to always do better by trying new things, sharing knowledge, reflecting on practice and learning from others.
• Student Centred - At our heart is always doing what is best for our students. We consider students in all of our decision making to create positive outcomes and memorable experiences for every student.
• Inclusive - We celebrate differences and diversity, recognising that we can learn from each other.
• Open and Caring - We care about the wellbeing of our staff, our students, our community and wider society, creating an environment built on trust where we listen, engage with and support each other.
• Nurturing Education Excellence - We promote educational excellence by delivering programmes that challenge our students to achieve their ambitions.

About The Bedford College Group

The Bedford College Group was formed in 2017 following the merger of Bedford College and Tresham College and is now the largest provider of education in the South East Midlands, with over 15,000 students passing through our doors each year.

Today, the Group is made up of a family of colleges across Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire:Bedford College, Central Bedfordshire College andTreshamCollegein the towns of Bedford, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough;ShuttleworthCollege,a specialist land-based college; The Bedford Sixth Form, (the only dedicated sixth form in Bedford); The Corby Sixth Form, (opened in September 2023); and the National College for MotorsportalongsideSilverstonerace circuit.To widen accessibility to education and training, the Group also has community-based Learning Centres in Bedford, Corby and Kettering which offer IT training.

Safeguarding our Students

The Bedford College Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to thorough vetting process which includes, an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide. The Bedford College Group's policy on Employment of Ex-Offenders is attached to this vacancy.

Candidates who are barred from working with children are reminded it is a criminal offence to apply for this post.