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- Make and serve coffee in cafes, coffee shop chains, restaurants, and hotels.
- With experience you could become a store manager and then move on to a regional manager role
- Work may involve some early mornings and late evenings, and some weekends and bank holidays
As a Barista, you'll be responsible for serving customers and making up their orders. Your role is to make sure that customers enjoy their food and drink in a pleasant environment.
DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES
- Prepare the coffee shop ready for opening
- Take customer orders and payments
- Grind fresh coffee beans
- Prepare and serve food and snacks
- Clean and tidy work areas, equipment, and coffee machines
- Create displays, do stock checks and order new stock
- Clean and tidy the coffee shop before closing
DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT
Your salary will depend on the type of coffee shop you work for, and its location. As a trainee barista you'll usually be paid by the hour, earning around the minimum wage.
Some employers may pay more for shift work and overtime. Part-time opportunities are often available. You'll usually work on a shift pattern to cover early morning and late evening opening hours. You may also need to work some weekends and bank holidays. The role can be physically demanding so you'll need to be reasonably fit.
The environment can be busy, hot, and noisy. Some employers will provide you with a uniform.
You'll need
This role would suit someone with a love of coffee who has excellent customer service skills.
There are no set entry requirements for this job but GCSEs in English and maths can be useful. Experience of working in customer service or a catering environment will also be helpful.
You could complete a college qualification in a subject like food safety or hospitality and catering, but this isn't essential. Examples of courses include the Level 2 Award in Barista Skills or the Level 2 Diploma in Food and Beverage Service. You may be able to get into this job through a hospitality apprenticeship.
CAREER PROSPECTS
With experience, you could become a store manager and then move on to a regional manager role. You could also become self-employed and set up your own coffee shop.