Catering manager
Lead a team to make and serve tasty food to people in schools and hospitals or at special events.
Also known as: food service manager, caterer
About the job
Salary
Source: National Careers Service
Weekly
£385
Entry level
£654
Experienced
Monthly
£1,667
Entry level
£2,833
Experienced
Yearly
£20,000
Entry level
£34,000
Experienced
6,700
people are currently employed
High growth
200 more jobs in 5 years
These figures refer to this job and similar ones with comparable skills and qualifications. They only apply to Scotland. Source: Oxford Economics
What it's like
You would lead a team to make and serve tasty food to people at schools, in hospitals or at events like a conferences or weddings.
You’d work with chefs and catering assistants to plan the menus for meals. You’d motivate the team of kitchen and serving staff so they provide a good service.
You would plan your budget so you can make good food that people want to eat without overspending on ingredients or wages.
If you manage a team in a restaurant or cafe you’d also need to price your food and drinks so people will buy them but you still make a profit.
You would:
Advertise vacancies and recruit staff
Arrange training for staff
Organise shifts and rotas
Control the stock of ingredients so you don’t run out
Meet suppliers
Meet customers who want you to provide a catering service for them
Discuss contract requirements with customers
Check the quality of the service
When the food is being served, you’d supervise the staff to make sure that the food is good and arrives on time.
You’d be responsible for making sure your service meets health and safety, food hygiene and nutritional regulations.
Hours
Environment
Travel
Explore more information about this job
Here are some useful links to learn more about this career:
Like the sound of this career?
Browse courses in Scotland related to 'Catering manager'
Select qualification level(s)
Other careers that you might like
Kitchen manager (head chef)
Related industries
Many jobs can be done in lots of different industries. We've highlighted the ones we think are most important for this job.
Tourism
Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Here are some of the skills you'll need to do this job:
- taking responsibility
- motivating others
- making decisions
- delegating
- managing resources
- developing a plan
- attention to detail
- verbal communication
- cooperating
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore the sections shown for more information about getting into this career.
You might have qualifications which are not shown here but will allow you access to a course. You can compare your qualifications by looking at their SCQF Level. For more information about this, check out the SCQF website.
Always contact the college, university or training provider to check exactly what you'll need.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Health and Food Technology
Hospitality: Practical Cake Craft
Hospitality: Practical Cookery
Skills for Work: Hospitality
Foundation Apprenticeship: Hospitality
You can get a head start in this career by doing a Foundation Apprenticeship in S5 and S6.
You'll get an SCQF level 6 qualification which is the same level as a Higher. You'll also learn new skills and gain valuable experience in a work environment.
Discover what's on offer at your school on Apprenticeships.scot.
A Higher National Certificate (SCQF level 7), Higher National Diploma (SCQF level 8) or a degree (SCQF level 9/10) in Hospitality Management. Or a degree in an unrelated subject and then a postgraduate qualification (SCQF level 11) in Hospitality Management.
You can enter Higher National Certificate (SCQF level 7) or Higher National Diploma courses (SCQF level 8) with National 5 qualifications and one to three Highers or equivalent qualifications.
To enter a degree course in Hospitality Management you will need National 5 qualifications and three to five Highers including Maths and English.
Alternatively you can gain relevant work-based experience and qualifications such as the Institute of Hospitality Certificate or Diplomas or Scottish Vocational Qualification in Hospitality Management Skills (SVQ level 4).
Qualifications and experience that demonstrate an understanding of the industry and customer care skills such as Skills for Work Hospitality (SCQF level 4/5).
It is helpful to have relevant industry qualifications such as a Elementary Food Hygiene Certificate from the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS) or Scottish Vocational Qualification in Hospitality (SVQ level 2/3/4) or be willing to work towards qualifications once in a job.
A full driving licence.
Explore over 22,000 courses in Scotland
Find the perfect course to boost your career.
