Role: Catering Assistant
Location: Tresham College – Wellingborough
Salary/Benefits: Salary is between £25,467 and £26,499 per annum (Pro-Rata) DOE and Qualifications, People’s pension, Retail and Leisure Discounts, excellent professional and personal development opportunities, accessing college courses.
Hours/Weeks: 17 hours per week – 36 weeks per year – Monday 09.00 – 13.30, Tuesday 12.00 – 16.00, Wednesday 13.30 – 18.30 and Thursday 10.30 – 14.00.
Contract Type: Permanent – Part Time / Term Time
This is a UK based contract, and you are required to have the Right to Work in the UK. Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer sponsorship and any offer of employment will be subject to evidence of your Right to Work in the UK.
About the role:
We are currently seeking a Catering Assistant to join our Catering and Hospitality department at The Bedford College Group.
As a Catering Assistant, you play an important role in the success of our students through:
1. Customer Service & Professional Image – Provide courteous support to customers and staff, maintain a welcoming environment, resolve issues promptly and promote the College’s reputation through high standards of service.
2. Food Preparation & Service – Assist with food preparation and cooking, set up and run service counters, serve food and beverages, and support catering for special functions and hospitality orders.
3. Kitchen Operations & Hygiene – Clean kitchen, dining and service areas, wash equipment and crockery, carry out deep‑cleaning tasks, and ensure excellent food hygiene and safe working practices.
4. Stock, Cash & Operational Support – Support stock control, deliveries, storage and stock taking, ensure financial transactions follow regulations, and report any concerns to management.
5. Compliance, Flexibility & Development – Uphold safeguarding, EDI and health & safety standards, attend training, maintain punctuality and hygiene, and work flexibly to support staffing needs and College operations.
About you:
6. Customer Service & POS Handling – Experience in customer care, handling payments through POS and PDQ machines, and delivering friendly, efficient service in a catering environment.
7. Food Preparation & Catering Skills – Knowledge and experience of food preparation and cooking, maintaining high standards of kitchen cleanliness and hygiene.
8. Health, Safety & Cleanliness – Strong understanding of health & safety procedures in catering, with the ability to work cleanly, safely and follow instructions accurately.
9. Teamwork, Pace & Flexibility – Able to multitask in a fast‑paced environment, work effectively as part of a team, adjust hours to meet service demands and perform frequent lifting tasks.
10. IT Skills, Initiative & Development – Competent IT skills (Word, Excel, Outlook), proactive and enthusiastic approach, with willingness to continuously update skills and knowledge.
For a more detailed breakdown of the job role and the requirements, please see the Job Description attached to this vacancy.
Interviews to be held: TBC
Successful candidates must also be able to demonstrate alignment to our organisational VISION values:
11. Valuing Teamwork - We are one team who by working together can achieve great things, respecting the opinion and valuing the contribution each of us makes.
12. Improving Continuously - We challenge ourselves to always do better by trying new things, sharing knowledge, reflecting on practice and learning from others.
13. Student Centred - At our heart is always doing what is best for our students. We consider students in all of our decision making to create positive outcomes and memorable experiences for every student.
14. Inclusive - We celebrate differences and diversity, recognising that we can learn from each other.
15. Open and Caring - We care about the wellbeing of our staff, our students, our community and wider society, creating an environment built on trust where we listen, engage with and support each other.
16. Nurturing Education Excellence - We promote educational excellence by delivering programmes that challenge our students to achieve their ambitions.
About The Bedford College Group
The Bedford College Group was formed in 2017 following the merger of Bedford College and Tresham College and is now the largest provider of education in the South East Midlands, with over 15,000 students passing through our doors each year.
Today, the Group is made up of a family of colleges across Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire: Bedford College, Central Bedfordshire College and Tresham College in the towns of Bedford, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough; Shuttleworth College, a specialist land-based college; The Bedford Sixth Form, (the only dedicated sixth form in Bedford); The Corby Sixth Form, (opened in September 2023); and the National College for Motorsport alongside Silverstone race circuit. To widen accessibility to education and training, the Group also has community-based Learning Centres in Bedford, Corby and Kettering which offer IT training.
Safeguarding our Students
The Bedford College Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to thorough vetting process which includes, an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide. The Bedford College Group's policy on Employment of Ex-Offenders is attached to this vacancy.
Candidates who are barred from working with children are reminded it is a criminal offence to apply for this post.