Skip to main content
National Careers Service

beta How could we improve this service? Your feedback will help.

  1. Home
  2. Explore careers
  3. Waiter

Waiter

Alternative titles for this job include Waiting staff, server

Waiters serve food and drinks to customers in restaurants and cafes, take orders and handle payments.

Average salary (a year)

£19,000 Starter

to

£24,000 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

39 to 41 a week

You could work

evenings / weekends / bank holidays on shifts

How to become

Explore the different ways to get into this role.

How to become

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • volunteering
  • applying directly

College

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

Courses include:

  • introduction to employment in the hospitality industry
  • food and beverage service
  • professional food and beverage service

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

More Information

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do a Food and Beverage 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

Volunteering

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

You can also find more volunteering opportunities through Do IT.

Direct Application

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.

Further information

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

What it takes

Find out what skills you’ll use in this role.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

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

What you’ll do

Discover the day to day tasks you’ll do in this role.

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

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
  • deal with any complaints and make sure customers are happy

Working environment

You could work at a restaurant, in a coffee shop or in a food outlet.

Your working environment may be hot, humid and noisy.

You may need to wear a uniform.

Career path and progression

Look at progression in this role and similar opportunities.

Career path and progression

With experience you could:

  • specialise in fine dining at formal events like weddings and banquets
  • progress to head waiter, restaurant supervisor or restaurant manager
  • move into kitchen management or stock purchasing

Current opportunities

Find apprenticeships, courses and jobs available near you.

Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

Bar and Waiting Apprenticeship

  • Wage: £15,600 a year Annually
  • Location: SHREWSBURY

Bar and Waiting Apprenticeship

  • Wage: £15,600 a year Annually
  • Location: CAMBRIDGE
Find apprenticeships near you

Courses In England

Level 3 Food and Beverage Service Supervision

  • Provider: HEART OF YORKSHIRE EDUCATION GROUP
  • Start date: 01 September 2025
  • Location: Wakefield

Food and Beverage Supervision Diploma level 3

  • Provider: LEICESTER COLLEGE
  • Start date: 08 September 2025
  • Location: Leicester
Find courses near you

Jobs In the United Kingdom

The Find a job service can help you with your search for jobs and send alerts when new jobs become available.

Search further careers

Related careers

Skills assessment

Take an assessment to learn more about your skills and the careers that might suit you.

Speak to an adviser

You can call 0800 100 900 or use webchat to speak to an adviser.

We're open:

  • 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday
  • 10am to 5pm Saturdays and bank holidays

We're closed on Sundays, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Is this page useful?

Yes No

Thank you for your feedback.

Thank you for your feedback. Click here if you'd like to let us know how we can improve the service.