Waiter | Explore careers | National Careers Service (2024)

You could prepare for this job by doing a college course to get some of the skills you'll need. Courses include:

• Level 1 Award in Introduction to Employment in the Hospitality Industry
• Level 1 Certificate in Food and Beverage Service
• Level 2 Diploma in Professional Food and Beverage Service

Entry requirements

You may need:

• 2 or fewer GCSEs at grades 3 to 1 (D to G), or equivalent, for a level 1 course
• 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course

More Information

• equivalent entry requirements
• funding advice
• search for courses

You could do the Hospitality Team Member Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

More Information

• equivalent entry requirements
• guide to apprenticeships

You could volunteer in a cafe run by a local community organisation or a charity like the Royal Voluntary Serviceto develop your skills.

You can also find more volunteering opportunities through Do IT.

You can apply for waiter jobs without experience as you'll get training on the job.

You might have an advantage if you've worked in customer service before.

Further information

You can find out more about working in hospitality from Careerscope.

You'll need:

• customer service skills
• the ability to work well with others
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• excellent verbal communication skills
• a desire to help people
• active listening skills
• a good memory
• to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

As a waiter you could:

• greet customers, give out menus and take food and drink orders
• answer questions about the menu and give advice on ingredients
• serve food and drinks, handle bill payments and clean tables
• handle any complaints and make sure customers are happy

You could work at a restaurant.

Your working environment may be hot, humid and noisy.

You may need to wear a uniform.