Ed Chapman, catering supervisor at Delia's Canary Catering at Norwich City Football Club.

Catering Assistant

Answers supplied by Ed Chapman, catering supervisor at Delia's Canary Catering (Norwich City Football Club), which provides catering at all levels to every customer who attends an event at Norwich City Football Club. Winners of the Apprentice Employer Award in Catering and Overall Apprentice Employer of the Year Award, the club has a good working relationship with the Centre of Vocational Excellence (COVE) at City College, which is a major training provider to the hospitality industry locally.

What does the job entail?
There are many varied roles within catering or within different organisations depending on where you work. For example, here at Carrow Road there are jobs in the kiosks which serve snacks, hot drinks, pies and alcohol. My job is to ensure the smooth running of the main bar and snack kiosks within the lounge selling hot and cold food and drink to the public. I also work in the restaurant as a wine waiter and on the bar at some of the corporate events which take place during the week. Behind the scenes, kitchen porters, pie boys and girls and warehouse staff are also needed.

What skills and qualifications are needed?
No qualifications are needed on entry. New staff usually attend induction courses followed by a training course in table waiting, kiosk work or other hospitality related subjects. This gives them an insight into what type of area they will be working in and good training for specific roles.

What type of person will fit in?
You need to be friendly, polite, presentable and willing to work in a team. People often expect to be served quickly and efficiently and you will often find this is the case wherever you work in the industry.

What are the pluses and minuses of the job?
You may be asked to commit to certain hours or days which might not always be particularly sociable or flexible. If you start working in one area of the catering industry and find you do not like it, there are various other jobs to try in different areas — this is a real plus.

What opportunities exist for career progression?
I started at ground level about eight years ago and now I supervise on busy days and at the VIP and corporate functions. There are always promotion opportunities for anyone who would like to progress. Just recently one of our casual members of staff progressed into a full time position as conference services assistant; that position came about as a result of another internal promotion from conference services into the ranks of the duty management team.

What can I expect to earn?
This could vary greatly, but a rough guide on entry would be between £5-£7 per hour rising according to experience, responsibility and qualifications. There are also often bonus schemes available such as loyalty bonuses and seasonal bonuses for those who work extra hours over the Christmas period.

Any hints on getting a job in this area?
Keep a look-out in the recruitment section of the local paper or try registering with a specialist recruitment agency. Jobs at Delia's Canary Catering are advertised around the ground, in the local papers and on local radio. The catering office contact is Nicky Wason on (01603) 218773.