Weekend Café Assistant

MAIN PURPOSE: To work in the Café under the direction of the Manager. To support young autistic people gain the skills and experience needed to apply for paid employment in catering and hospitality.

CORE RESPONABILITIES:

1. Work in The School House Café on weekends, dates and times to be arranged with the Manager.
2. Help train the Trainee Café Assistants.
3. Prepare coffee and food including baking, making sandwiches and salads, cooking.
4. Help restock/refill items as necessary.
5. Help check stock in fridge for out-of-date products and dispose of as necessary.
6. Customer service including taking orders, serving customers and cash handling.
7. Help maintain coffee machine including set up, cleaning and refilling with beans.
8. Help ensure café is ready for customers on opening (e.g. tables and chairs out, steps are swept).
9. Create a welcoming and professional environment.
10. To work closely with Manager to develop the café.
11. To help raise awareness of autism amongst customers.
12. To keep the café clean and ensure a high standard of hygiene.
13. To ensure food safety guidelines and laws are adhered to.
14. To ensure a Healthy and Safe working environment for self, staff, volunteers and customers.

PERSON SPECIFICATION:

1. Working knowledge of Health and Safety requirements.
2. Knowledge and understanding of Autism.
3. Ability to work independently and use own initiative.
4. Good organisational skills.
5. Understanding of and commitment to safeguarding relating to vulnerable young people and adults.
6. Proven experience of working in Catering.
7. Experience of working with people with autism (paid or unpaid) and or learning disabilities.
8. Ability to communicate effectively with other staff, trainees and customers.
9. Experience of cooking skills and knowledge of food.
10. Self-motivated, able to use own initiative and a strong work ethic.
11. To be passionate about empowering autistic adults.
12. Possess considerable patience, to be tactful and diplomatic.
13. To have a flexible approach and to be creative in responding to needs of trainees.
14. Able to work alone or as a member of a team.
15. Excellent time keeping skills and ability to work under pressure.
16. Loyalty and commitment.

About CareTrade:

CareTrade has a passionate belief “that employment is the biggest single factor that will transform the life of an autistic person.”
And our vision for the future is “a world that embraces neurodiversity where all autistic people can lead purposeful, working lives”.
Our purpose is to:
• Change perceptions of neurodiversity in society and the workplace
• Achieve employment opportunities and outcomes for autistic jobseekers.
• Raise aspirations and employment skills of autistic people (through the delivery of innovative and person-centered projects).
• Engage employers in embracing neurodiversity in their workforces.
Our ambition is enable all autistic adults that want to work to be in work.

About The School House Café:

The School House Café is a 23 seat café adjacent to Spa School, Monnow Road in Bermondsey. Spa is a specialist secondary school for children and young people (aged 11-19) with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The school runs the café during school hours and providing food and coffee to the community as well as work experience for students.
CareTrade run the School House Café at weekends to provide real work experience to autistic adults interested in working in catering and hospitality. Our current traineeship programme here has been running since 2019 and we support trainees to gain practical skills and qualifications to support them on their journeys towards greater independence and employment. All food served is freshly prepared and made on site.