What does a kitchen porter do?

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

How do you become a kitchen porter?

You can get into this job through a college course and an apprenticeship.

How much does a kitchen porter earn?

Starter salaries are around £17,000 a year, rising to about £25,000 with experience.

How many hours does a kitchen porter work?

Typically 40 to 42 hours a week.

Kitchen porter

Kitchen porters or kitchen assistants prepare food, make sure chefs have everything they need and keep the kitchen clean.

Also known as: Kitchen assistant

Starter salary£17,000 a year
Experienced£25,000 a year
Typical hours40 to 42 a week

What you'll do

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.

Skills and knowledge you'll need

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 a kitchen porter

You can get into this job through:

a college course
an apprenticeship
applying directly

College

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.

Apprenticeship

You could get into this job by applying to do an apprenticeship, such as:

Catering and Hospitality Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship
Commis Chef Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
Food and Beverage Team Member Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship

Direct application

You can apply directly to employers for a job as a dish washer or general kitchen hand, then train while you're working.

Foundation apprenticeship

You can apply for a foundation apprenticeship if you're aged 16 to 21.

If you're aged 22 to 24, you can apply if you:

have an education, health and care (EHC) plan
are in care or have been in care
are in prison or have been in prison

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

no specific qualifications or experience to apply for a foundation apprenticeship
some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

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.

Guides for this industry

Hospitality & Catering: pay, interviews and getting started →

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