Caterlink - Catering Assistant - Outwood Grange Academy
CaterlinkThe Breakroom Take
- People enjoy this job
- Recommended by parents
About Caterlink
Caterlink is a catering company. They provide catering services for schools and colleges.
Job description from Caterlink
We are hiring for a Catering Assistant at Outwood Grange Academy, Wakefield to perform a variety of food production tasks along with food service in our schools. This role is working term-time only and no weekends so is great for those looking for flexibility.
The role:
- £11.44 per hour
- 25 hours per week working Monday – Friday
- Term-time only – working 38 weeks per year
Your key responsibilities will include:
- Assisting in the preparation of tasty food and snacks
- Complying with Caterlink Health and Safety and Food Safety standards and procedures
- Keeping the kitchen, counter and restaurant areas in a clean and tidy state
- Providing a friendly, efficient and hygienic service to all customers
- Representing Caterlink and maintaining a positive brand image
Caterlink strives to always provide a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment for all our teams where every individual is treated with respect, integrity and has the opportunity to grow and be treated equally and with fairness at all times.
Caterlink is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees to share this commitment. An enhanced DBS disclosure will be obtained for this role.

Job insights from Breakroom
Kitchen and catering assistant
Kitchen porters or kitchen assistants prepare food, make sure chefs have everything they need
What you’ll do as a kitchen and catering assistant:
- Plan meals
- Prepare and cook food
- Purchase food and look after a budget
- Be responsible for the hygiene and safety of food served
Is it right for you?
This job may involve:
- Standing
- Physical activities
- Wearing a uniform
- Cleaning
- Anti-social hours
Map
Wakefield, UK
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What employees say
Pay
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Needs improving
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Most people aren’t paid a living wage
Do Caterlink pay catering assistants enough to live on?
Most people are not paid a living wage.
How we know this
88% of people say they are paid below the Real Living Wage for where they live.Based on data from 26 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between February 2023 and February 2025.
Why this matters
Everyone should be paid enough to live on.
The Real Living Wage is a voluntary rate employers can sign up to that is based on the real cost of living.
The current rates are £12.60 per hour, and £13.85 per hour in London.
Find out more in our explainer about the Real Living Wage.
Good
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Most people are paid market rates
Do Caterlink pay catering assistants market rates?
Most people are paid above average for their job.
How we know this
74% of people are paid above average for the type of work they do.Based on data from 27 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between February 2023 and February 2025.
Why this matters
Pay can vary a lot between types of job. Employers should be ensuring that the rates their staff are paid are in line with similar roles elsewhere.
Needs improving
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Most people don’t get paid breaks
Do catering assistants at Caterlink get paid breaks?
No. Most people don’t get paid breaks.
How we know this
100% of people say they don’t get paid breaks.Based on data from 11 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between February 2023 and January 2025.
Why this matters
A good job should have paid breaks.
You should be paid for all your time at work, whether you’re on a break or not.
Needs improving
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Most people don’t get sick pay
Do Caterlink pay catering assistants sick pay?
No. Most people don’t get proper sick pay.
How we know this
85% of people say they wouldn’t get paid if they were sick but scheduled to work.Based on data from 26 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between February 2023 and February 2025.
Why this matters
Everyone gets sick sometimes. You should be able to take time off without worrying.
At a good job you should still get paid if you’re scheduled to work but can’t due to sickness. Your contract should say how many sick days you can take each year.
This is more than the legal minimum, which says you should only get paid if you are unwell for 4 full days. See Citizens Advice for more details.
Okay
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Some people do unpaid extra work
Do catering assistants at Caterlink do extra work that they don't get paid for?
Sometimes. Some people do unpaid extra work.
How we know this
55% of people report that they do extra work that they don’t get paid for.Based on data from 20 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between March 2023 and January 2025.
Why this matters
Everyone should get paid for any extra work they do, even if it is outside your contracted hours. At a good job, you should be paid for all the time you spend at work.
Hours and flexibility
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Good
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Most people don’t worry about their hours
Do catering assistants at Caterlink worry about hours?
Most people don’t worry about getting enough hours.
How we know this
81% of people report they don’t worry about getting enough hours.Based on data from 21 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between March 2023 and February 2025.
Why this matters
At a good job, you shouldn’t have to worry about getting enough hours each week.
A good job should guarantee you a minimum number of hours in a contract, if you want it.
This makes it easier to plan your finances, because you know how much you’ll be earning.
Needs improving
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Most people don’t get any choice of shifts
Do catering assistants at Caterlink get to choose the shifts they work?
Most people don’t get enough choice over which shifts they work.
How we know this
69% report that their manager doesn’t give them enough choice over which shifts they work.Based on data from 16 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between March 2023 and January 2025.
Why this matters
A good job is flexible around your personal life. This means you get a say in when you prefer to work.
Needs improving
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Hard to change shifts
How easy is it for catering assistants at Caterlink to change shifts?
Most people find it hard to change shifts.
How we know this
80% of people report that it’s hard to change shifts if they need to.Based on data from 10 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between March 2023 and February 2025.
Why this matters
A good job is flexible around your personal life. It should be easy to change a shift if you need to, whether that’s in an emergency or for planning ahead.
Okay
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Can be hard to book holiday
How easy is it for catering assistants to book a holiday at Caterlink?
Some people find it hard to book holiday.
How we know this
61% of people report it’s hard to book holidays.Based on data from 23 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between February 2023 and February 2025.
Why this matters
A good job should let you take time off when you need it, and it shouldn’t be a nightmare to arrange.
Good
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Shifts don’t get changed at short notice
Do Caterlink managers change catering assistants shifts at short notice?
Most managers don’t change people’s shifts at short notice.
How we know this
91% of people say their manager doesn’t changes their shifts at the last minute.Based on data from 22 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between March 2023 and February 2025.
Why this matters
If your manager is often changing your shifts at short notice that’s a sign of poor planning. At a good job you won’t be messed around at the last minute.
Okay
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Some people find it hard to take sick leave
How easy is it for catering assistants to take sick leave at Caterlink?
Some people find it hard to take sick leave.
How we know this
56% of people report that it’s hard to take time off if they are sick.Based on data from 25 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between February 2023 and February 2025.
Why this matters
Everyone gets sick sometimes. You should be able to take time off when you need to.
A good job should support you when you’re unwell and have systems in place that will allow you to take time off to recover when you need it.
Good
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Most parents say it’s good
Is working as catering assistants at Caterlink good if you have caring responsibilities?
Most parents and carers say this is a good place to work.
How we know this
100% of people who care for a child or other relative report this is a good place to work.Based on data from 22 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between February 2023 and February 2025.
Why this matters
Whether it’s looking after children or caring for a relative, a good job should support your responsibilities outside of work.
Workplace
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Okay
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Only some people feel treated with respect
Do catering assistants at Caterlink feel treated with respect by their managers?
Some people don’t feel treated with respect by their managers.
How we know this
39% of people say they’re not treated with respect by their managers.Based on data from 23 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between February 2023 and February 2025.
Why this matters
Everyone should get treated with respect by their managers. You shouldn’t feel discriminated against or bullied, and if you have a problem you should be able to speak to someone about it.
Okay
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Only some people get proper breaks
Do catering assistants at Caterlink get proper breaks?
Some people don’t get proper breaks.
How we know this
67% of people report that they don’t get to take proper breaks.Based on data from 12 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between February 2023 and January 2025.
Why this matters
When you take a break it should be a proper rest. It should last the full duration and you shouldn’t get pulled off it.
Needs improving
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Most people are stressed
Is it stressful for catering assistants to work at Caterlink?
Most people feel stressed here.
How we know this
70% of people say they often feel stressed at work.Based on data from 27 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between February 2023 and February 2025.
Why this matters
Work isn’t always easy, but if you’re frequently feel stressed, that’s not good.
Your employer should support you with enough people and resources to get your job done without feeling overwhelmed.
Okay
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Only some people enjoy their job
Do catering assistants at Caterlink enjoy their jobs?
Only some people enjoy their job.
How we know this
47% of people report they don’t enjoy their job.Based on data from 15 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between February 2023 and February 2025.
Okay
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Only some people recommend their team
Do catering assistants at Caterlink recommend working with their team?
Only some people recommend working with their team.
How we know this
48% of people report that they wouldn’t recommend working with their immediate team to a friend.Based on data from 27 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between February 2023 and February 2025.
Why this matters
A good job means enjoying the place where you work.
The people you work with every day really matter. They can be the difference between a terrible day and a great one.
If you’d recommend your team to a friend, this shows that something’s going right.
Good
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Most people get enough training
Do catering assistants get enough training when they start at Caterlink?
Most people got enough training when they started.
How we know this
69% of people report they got enough training when they started working here.Based on data from 26 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between February 2023 and February 2025.
Why this matters
A good job should give you good training when you start, not just drop you in at the deep end.
This means that you’ll be happier and more productive from day one and shows that your employer values you.
It’s also very important if your job involves anything that could be dangerous. Good training from the outset keeps you and your team safe.
Okay
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Only some people get support to progress
Are catering assistants given support to progress at Caterlink?
Only some people are given support to progress here.
How we know this
In the last year, 60% of people report not being given an opportunity to get better at their job, learn a new skill, learn to manage a team or get more responsibility in their role.Based on data from 20 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between February 2023 and February 2025.
Why this matters
A good job should help you progress at work, if you want to. That might be supporting you to get better at the job you currently have, learn something new, manage a team or take on more responsibilities.
This means you’ll be able to build on your skills and experience, and earn more money.
Needs improving
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Head office doesn’t understand what’s happening
Do catering assistants think Caterlink head office understands what's happening where they work?
Most people think head office doesn’t understand what’s happening where they work.
How we know this
87% of people think that this employer’s head office or owners don’t have a good understanding of what’s really happening where they work.Based on data from 23 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between March 2023 and February 2025.
Why this matters
At a good job, the role of head office should be to support the people on the frontline serving customers.
To do that properly, the company’s owners or head office need to have a good understanding of what’s really happening on the frontline. This is especially important when a company owns multiple locations.
Needs improving
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Most people don’t feel well informed by head office
Do catering assistants feel well informed about how Caterlink is doing?
Most people don’t feel well informed about how the company is doing.
How we know this
70% of people feel that they aren’t kept well informed about how the company is doing as a whole.Based on data from 23 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between February 2023 and February 2025.
Why this matters
At a good job, there should be a supportive relationship between the people working on the frontline serving customers and the people who own the company or work in head office.
You should be kept informed about how the company is doing as a whole, both in good times and when things get tough for the business.
What Caterlink employees say about their job
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Best thing
The students and friendly teacher's.
Worst thing
My caterlink boss, very hard to talk to. Has no idea what we do, unpaid overtime, expected to do online training in own time, if paid overtime its always paid late. Op's manager unhelpful, hard to get hold of.
Caterlink Employee, December 2024
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Best thing
Term time work
Great manager
Contact with peopleWorst thing
Minimum wage
No chances to progress
Growing amount of duties within the same time frame with no increase in work forceCaterlink Catering assistant, June 2024
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