Kitchen porter
Kitchen porters or kitchen assistants prepare food, make sure chefs have everything they need and keep the kitchen clean.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
As a kitchen porter you could:
- provide support to chefs
- wash, peel and prepare food items
- use a variety of kitchen equipment such as mixers, special knives and cutters
- unload deliveries
- organise the storeroom
- wash kitchen appliances, work surfaces, floors and walls
Working environment
You could work at a restaurant, in an NHS or private hospital or in a factory.
Your working environment may be noisy and hot.
You may need to wear a uniform.
Career path and progression
With experience and further training, you could become a trainee or junior chef.
You could also progress into management or move into bar work or food service.
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- the ability to work well with others
- customer service skills
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- the ability to work well with your hands
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to organise your time and workload
- the ability to use your initiative
- physical fitness and endurance
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
How to become
You can get into this job through:
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- applying directly
You may find it helpful to do a college course in a related subject like:
- introduction to employment in the hospitality industry
- general cookery
- food safety
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
More Information
You could get into this job by applying to do an apprenticeship, such as:
- Commis Chef Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
- Food and Beverage Team Member Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
More Information
You can apply directly to employers for a job as a dish washer or general kitchen hand, then train while you're working.
You can find out more about how to become a kitchen porter from Caterer.com.
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External links
This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.