Catering Assistant

Location
York
Vacancy Type
Permanent/Full Time
Application Deadline
Sunday, October 18, 2026
Job Summary
Salary: £12\.79 weekdays, £13\.62 weekends

Hours: Full Time/Full Year – 40 hours per week working on a rota basis (part time hours will be considered)

Introduction:

Queen Ethelburga’s is set in more than 220 acres of beautiful North Yorkshire countryside, on the Thorpe Underwood Estate. Staff work as one team – whether they are directly teaching or supporting students as part of the school and pastoral teams, or as part of our estates team making sure that the campus works as it should – to create a vibrant learning and living environment in which every student can thrive. We aspire to excellence, have high expectations of ourselves and others, and take pride in everything we do. We aim to nurture resilient, confident, and independent lifelong learners. The Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate Standard is ‘To be the best that I can with the gifts that I have’.

Job purpose

The Catering team as a whole is responsible for maintaining the high standards of food service throughout the Estate.

Our team of hard working Catering Assistants support our Catering Management team in the operation of our 2 main catering facilities – The Undercroft \& The Atrium, and our 2 smaller satellite units \- Woodlands Coffee Shop and the Muggles Diner.

We are looking for Catering Assistants to join our teams in the Undercroft and the Atrium.

The Undercroft caters for students in Year 1 through to Year 11 and the Atrium is our exclusive 6th form dining facility.

We provide 3 meals a day, 7 days per week for our staff \& student population and a wide variety of events across the school calendar. Outside of term time, we cater for a large number of residential groups.

As part of a large staff team, our Catering Assistants work together to ensure our students receive a high standard of meal service, breaktime provision and any additional catering that may be required for events or excursions.

It is a varied and interesting role and would suit candidates that enjoy working as part of a team, that are fast and efficient workers and that take pride in providing excellent customer service.

This job description is written at a specific time and is subject to change as the demands of the Estate and the role develops.

The role requires flexibility and adaptability and the employees of the Estate need to be aware that they may be asked to perform tasks and be given responsibilities not detailed in this job description.

Duties and responsibilities

• Set up the meal service counters for all meal services to ensure the food is well presented


• Clear down the meal service counters, ensuring high standards of cleanliness are maintained


• Demonstrate excellent customer service at all times for our staff, students \& visitors


• Prepare food such as packed lunches and refreshments as required for events \& excursions


• Work in the Potwash area operating the dishwashers or using the equipment sink to ensure equipment is readily available for service


• Be capable of multi\-tasking and have strong teamwork skills


• Demonstrate a “can do” attitude and use own initiative and resourcefulness


• To demonstrate excellent standards with regard to timekeeping, presentation, hard work, attitude, motivation and commitment


• Ensure all dining areas are cleaned to a high standard


• Be proactive in ensuring the cleanliness and tidiness of the department at all times


• Work in the other catering facilities on site when required


• Promote a friendly working relationship with all colleagues


• Ensure that all COSHH requirements are adhered to


• Adhere to all Food Safety, Allergen and Health and Safety Guidelines


• Attend all training as and when required


• Assist in other areas of the Catering Department as and when required.


• To inform the Catering Manager of any important activities on site of relevance of the catering department


• Carry out any other duties requested by the Catering Senior Team

• Competitive salaries, with a range of flexible hours to suit


• 10% discount on Explorers fees (aged 3 months to 3 years)


• Significant discount on school fees from age 3 to 18\.


• Free private staff gym, separate to the students with state of the art equipment.


• Free, secure onsite parking and electrical vehicle charging points on site for staff


• Staff community social events including bonfire and fireworks, Christmas ball, summer family fun day etc.


• 24/7 Employee Assistant Programme


• Training and Development Opportunities


• Increased holiday entitlement for staff with long service


• Long service awards


• Discount on King’s Theatre productions – external events


• Enhanced paternity / maternity pay, including new baby book


• Refer a friend scheme \- We believe that staff are our greatest and most valuable asset, and this scheme involves and financially rewards our staff for referring like\-minded candidates who join our school community.

QE is committed to ensuring a safe environment for its pupils and staff. Applicants will be required to provide proof of identity and undergo the relevant DBS checks for their role.

Any personal information you share with us on your application form will be used solely for recruitment purposes. Your details will be held for up to 6 months and destroyed after this time.

Any questions on individual roles or the recruitment process can be sent to the HR department on recruitment@qe.org

We receive high volumes of applications, due to this if you have not heard from us within two weeks of your application, unfortunately on this occasion your application will not have been successful.

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