General Assistant

Thomas Franks Ltd.; Tonbridge; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

A catering company in the UK seeks a General Assistant to join the team in Tonbridge. The role involves supporting customer service, preparing and serving food, maintaining hygiene standards, and ensuring quality service delivery. Ideal candidates should have experience in catering, good communication skills, and a food hygiene certificate. This position offers various benefits including training and progression opportunities.

Benefits

Wider wallet scheme

Free meals on duty

Enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoptive leave

Cycle to work scheme

Recommend a friend bonus

Excellent career progression

Qualifications

• Previous experience in a fast-paced catering environment is preferable.
• Willingness to learn new skills and take on responsibilities.
• Ability to manage some moderately heavy lifting.

Responsibilities

• Support the team in serving customers and cleaning.
• Prepare and serve food, following hygiene and safety practices.
• Restock and replenish stocks during service periods.

Skills

Team working abilities

Listening skills

Ability to work on own initiative

Impeccable personal presentation

Ability to demonstrate reasonable/good understanding of verbal English

Ability to demonstrate reasonable/good standard of written English

Education

Food hygiene certificate (preferred)

Job description

An exceptional Co-Ed Prep School in the heart of Tonbridge catering for boys and girls aged 3 to 13. Feeding just over 300 students and teachers daily. We offer a core feeding of Lunch with a fair amount of hospitality. This is a term time contract and operates Monday to Friday. Additional benefit to this location is free parking onsite.

We have a fantastic opportunity for you as General Assistant to join one of our fantastic locations in Tonbridge.

You will ideally have previous experience of working within a fast-paced catering environment.

You will enjoy what you do, working with a great team, for a company fanatical about food serving wonderful customers.

You will be required for some overtime, outside of school hours

Job to start 20th April 2026

Key responsibilities

• To support the team with serving customers, replenishing stocks, cleaning.
• Prepare all service areas for the days business relating to that meal service.
• Prepare, set-up, serve, clear, clean and store away any food, beverage or equipment required for special functions.
• Prepare basic food for sale/service, following good hygiene and safety practices and to the standard specified.
• Restock and replenish stocks and consumables as required during service periods, pre-empt customer needs and achieve optimum customer service delivery.
• Empty, remove and store rubbish / recycle rubbish in the correct place.
• Be prepared to occasionally work evening and/or weekend for functions and school events.
• Ensuring company food standards are adhered to and wastage controlled.
• Ensuring all Food Hygiene and Health & Safety policies and allergen control procedures are followed.

You will have the following skills

• Team working abilities, Listening skills, the ability to work on own initiative, impeccable personal presentation, hygiene and behaviour to others, Food hygiene certificate preferred.
• The ability to be adaptable and be flexible as necessary. Reliable, Honest and able to demonstrate an open attentive approach to customer service.
• Willingness to learn new skills and take some responsibility.
• Ability to manage some moderately heavy lifting, carrying, and pushing.
• Ability to demonstrate reasonable / good understanding and use of verbal English.
• Ability to demonstrate reasonable / good standard of written English and reading skills.
• Similar experience of customer and / or food preparation environment is preferred.

Benefits

• Wider wallet scheme (discounts at major retailers restaurants, gyms etc).
• Free meals on duty
• Volunteers leave – up to one day per year.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoptive leave.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Recommend a friend bonus.
• Unrivalled individual training and development.
• Well established apprenticeship programme.
• Team & company social events.
• Employee assistance programme.
• Workplace pension.
• Excellent career progression within a leading independent contract caterer.

About us

Thomas Franks is a founder led, fresh food catering business with a focus on excellence and service delivered with individuality, passion and style. We are unique in every approach and our clients, and our people are paramount to our daily success.

Disclaimer

All applicants must be able to demonstrate that they have the Right to Work in the UK to be considered for this role.

An enhanced DBS, Identity & reference checks (covering the last five years) will form part of the selection process. As an organisation using the Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) Disclosure service to assess applicants' suitability for positions of trust, Thomas Franks Ltd complies fully with the DBS Code of Practice and undertakes to treat all applicants for positions fairly. We are committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and undertake not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a Disclosure based on conviction or other information revealed. However, for any post in school please be aware that any application is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such any criminal conviction, caution or bind-over must be declared.

Diversity and Inclusion at Thomas Franks

We actively encourage applications from candidates from diverse backgrounds and continue to develop a culture of growth and inclusion and would like to invite applications from groups who are currently under-represented, because we believe greater diversity leads to exceptional results and provides a better working life.