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Waiters serve food and drinks to customers in restaurants and cafes, take orders and handle payments.
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on shifts
In this role you could:
You may need to wear a uniform.
You could work at a restaurant.
Your working environment may be hot, humid and noisy.
You can get into this job through:
You could prepare for this job by doing a college course to get some of the skills you'll need. Courses include:
You may need:
You could get into this job through a hospitality team member intermediate apprenticeship.
You'll usually need:
You could volunteer in a cafe run by a local community organisation or a charity like the Royal Voluntary Service. This will help you to develop your skills before you apply for paid work.
You can find more volunteering opportunities through Do It.
You can apply for jobs without experience, though you'll have an advantage if you've worked in customer service before. Your employer will train you on the job.
You can get more details about working as a waiter from the Hospitality Guild.
You could specialise in fine dining and silver service waiting at formal events like weddings and banquets.
With experience you may be able to progress to head waiter or restaurant supervisor.
You may also be able to go into related areas of work like restaurant and kitchen management or stock purchasing.