As the location of the best restaurants and most prestigious events in the U.K., there is no better place than London to pursue a career in catering. London has the second largest number of Michelin star restaurants in Europe, just behind Paris. The city offers a huge variety of restaurants, cafés and other food vendors, in addition to its constant stream of events and parties, which of course need catering.
As the country's capital of tourism and entertainment, London is the best place in England to find entry-level work in catering. There are many companies which supply catering staff for events such as festivals, conferences, product launches and private parties. Some of the biggest catering and hospitality agencies include Metro Hospitality and Lola Events. Once these agencies take on staff, they are trained to become as efficient and professional as possible before being sent out to work.
Catering employment in London doesn’t have to involve working for a large company. There are also many opportunities to work in kitchens or as waiting staff at restaurants and cafés, which could be an independent or family run business. These positions would typically be filled with the assistance of recruitment agencies. Salaries vary depending on your level of experience, and the work is often casual or rota-based. Typical payment for an entry-level job such as catering assistant would be around £6.50 per hour, but London’s high quality restaurants offer high-level jobs for the best in the business, where the head chef can earn a six figure salary.