Kitchen Assistant

YHA England and Wales; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 10,000 - 40,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading hospitality organization in Cambridge is seeking a seasonal Kitchen Assistant to join their friendly team. This role involves ensuring food hygiene standards, preparing and serving meals, and assisting in various kitchen tasks. Ideal candidates will have experience in customer service and the ability to work flexibly across shifts. An opportunity to work as a housekeeper may also be available. The position offers a competitive hourly wage, including benefits such as free hostel stays and discounts.

Benefits

10 nights free hostel stays per year

Staff discount and cashback portal

Free YHA Membership

Employee Assistance Program support

Qualifications

• Face-to-face customer service experience is essential.
• Experience in hospitality is desirable.
• Ability to work in a team to achieve common goals.
• Excellent timekeeping and flexibility for different shifts.
• Basic Microsoft Office knowledge is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Ensure hygiene standards in food storage, preparation, and delivery.
• Complete kitchen checks in accordance with health and safety regulations.
• Prepare and serve high-quality food with pride.
• Record food wastage according to hostel procedures.
• Assist in food preparation and service with hospitality.

Skills

Customer service experience

Teamwork

Timekeeping

Ability to handle pressure

Basic IT skills

Knowledge of food hygiene

Education

Food Safety Level 2 Certificate

Job description

While this role primarily focuses on the catering aspects of our hostel, you may also be called upon to assist in other hostel departments. We are a friendly team and will provide the training required for you to undertake the role. However, there is plenty for you to get stuck into from day one, including:

• Ensuring adherence to food hygiene standards in food storage, preparation, and delivery.
• Upholding health and safety regulations, ensuring timely and accurate completion of kitchen checks.
• Taking pride in the preparation, presentation, and service of high-quality food.
• Recording food wastage in accordance with our hostel's procedures, focusing on minimizing waste to maximize profit.
• Assisting in the preparation of food and serving food and drinks with genuine warmth, hospitality, and pride that will influence in more sales.

What Skills and Experience do you need to be a Kitchen Assistant?

Our Kitchen Assistants undertake a wide range of customer-facing duties within the hostel, delivering an excellent service to all guests and visitors.

• Experience of working face-to-face with customers.
• Experience of working in hospitality or customer service (desirable).
• Food Safety Level 2 Certificate (desirable) – otherwise will be required to complete within hostel.
• Experience of working in a team – can help others to achieve a common goal.
• Excellent timekeeping, with flexibility to cover different shifts – punctual, can work to deadlines.
• Ability to manage varying pressures, including peaks in workload demands – can prioritise, able to deal with conflicting duties.
• Basic IT skills (ideally Microsoft Office) – able to use Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel.
• Knowledge and understanding of the core purpose of YHA – what YHA does and how we do it.
• Demonstration of our HEART values – they're part of everything we do, and we look for people who bring them to life in their everyday work.

YHA is a social enterprise with a mission to enrich the lives of all, especially young people. YHA does this by providing brilliant hostel stays and experiences that improve physical health, mental wellbeing and life skills.

£12.21 per hour (rising to £12.71 per hour from 1st March 2026 in line with National Living Wage) plus £1.20 per hour Local Living Allowance (applies to all, including those under the age of 21).

Are you looking for a fun and varied job in hospitality? YHA Cambridge are looking for a Kitchen Assistant to join their team! We are looking for a seasonal Kitchen Assistant to help and support the Kitchen team with breakfast and dinner, 5 days a week. If there are not enough hours in the kitchen, there will be the opportunity to work as housekeeper.

Benefits

• 10 nights free hostel stays per year for you and up to 3 friends or family.
• Access to YHA's staff discount and cashback portal.
• Free YHA Membership each year.
• Access to support via our Employee Assistance Program.

There are many more benefits to working for YHA, so please visit our YHA Jobs website for more information.