Catering assistant jobs: flexible shifts
Service counters, basic prep, and front-of-kitchen support in schools, care homes, and event venues. Term-time and year-round shifts.
Before you apply: this is shift-based agency work, not a permanent vacancy. There are no guaranteed hours. You choose shifts through the Ubeya app and can decline any of them. Typical UK agency pay for catering assistants in 2026 is £12.71-£16/hr, assignment-dependent, and your rate is confirmed before you accept each shift. Paid monthly through PAYE with weekly Earned Wage Access, holiday pay accrued.
What the work looks like
Catering assistant work sits at the front of the kitchen. You are the person on the counter at a school lunch service, plating in a care home dining room, or running a service line at an event. Less heat than a chef section, more contact with the people eating the food.
School shifts are the steady end: regular hours inside the lunch window, term-time only, popular with parents working around school runs. Care homes and event venues book year-round and at all hours, which is where people build fuller weeks. The DBS we arrange for school work covers care shifts too.
Prefer back-of-house graft to counter service? Kitchen porter shifts sit at the same pay band with no service element.
Pay and hours
Typical UK agency pay for catering assistants in 2026 sits at £12.71-£16/hr. The £12.71 floor is the National Living Wage from April 2026. That band is an industry figure drawn from published 2026 rate guides, not a Chefs Bay rate card. The exact rate for every assignment is confirmed in the app before you accept the shift, so the number on payday is the number you agreed to.
Pay runs through PAYE, monthly into your bank account, with weekly Earned Wage Access so you can draw the wages you have already earned before payday. Holiday pay accrues on top. We handle tax and National Insurance. No umbrella companies.
Hours are not guaranteed. Some people on our books work 5-6 days a week across several venues; others take the odd weekend shift. Demand moves with the season, so treat agency shifts as flexible income rather than a fixed wage.
Where the shifts are
Shifts are at client venues across Merseyside, Greater Manchester, the East Midlands, and London, coordinated from our Wallasey, Manchester, Leicester, and London offices.
Catering assistant shifts split into two rhythms: term-time school service that follows the academic calendar, and year-round care home and event work that does not. Many people on our books mix the two.
The wider picture of working with us, including the app, online timesheets, and Academy training, is on our Find Work page.
What you need
How to apply
Email your CV to workwithus@chefsbay.co.uk with "Catering Assistant" in the subject line. The button below opens a pre-filled email in your mail app: fill in the gaps, attach your CV, and send.
No mail app on this device? Email us at workwithus@chefsbay.co.uk — include the role name and attach your CV.
No CV ready? The registration form takes about 10 minutes and covers the same ground. Either way, we verify right to work and references before your first shift; most people are approved within 48 hours.
Common questions
Ready to apply?
Send your CV with "Catering Assistant" in the subject line, or register online. Vetting usually clears within 48 hours.