Café Assistant (Aylesbury)
New Meaning Centre: Park View Café at NMT Enrichment Centre Aylesbury
Employer: New Meaning Training (NMT)
Type: Permanent, Full Time, All-Year-Round
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Schedule: Monday to Friday 08:30 – 16:30
Salary: £25,000
Job ref: BUCAYCAKP082602
Closing date: 24/08/26
Introduction
On 1st September 2026, a much-loved community café in Aylesbury will begin an exciting new chapter.
The café will reopen under new management as Park View Café, operated by New Meaning Training. For existing customers, it will remain the same welcoming space they've come to know and enjoy. The knitters meeting over coffee, the local residents popping in for lunch, the Buckinghamshire Council staff holding informal meetings, the carers supporting young people in the community, and the families who value having an accessible and welcoming place to visit. This café already has a community. What we're building is the team that will help it thrive.
We're looking for a Café Assistant to join us as Park View Café enters this new phase.
This is a varied role that helps keep the café running smoothly day to day. You'll work alongside our Café Cook, supporting food preparation, serving customers, maintaining cleanliness and food safety standards, operating the till, receiving deliveries, setting up service and helping wherever needed. Some days you'll spend more time in the kitchen. Other days you'll be front of house. Most days will be a mixture of both.
This isn't a teaching role. We already have tutors responsible for learner development. However, as Park View Café continues its role as a training environment for young people, you'll be working alongside learners and helping model the professional standards, customer service and teamwork that make hospitality work well.
We're looking for someone practical, reliable and positive. Someone who enjoys working with people, takes pride in doing things well, and understands that great cafés are built on good teamwork.
If you're looking for a role where no two days are quite the same, where you'll be part of a genuine community hub, and where your work helps create opportunities for local people and young people alike, we'd love to hear from you.
Key Responsibilities
- Support the day-to-day operation of Park View Café.
- Assist with food preparation and service.
- Help prepare ingredients, basic meals, snacks and drinks.
- Serve customers in a friendly and professional manner.
- Operate the till and handle transactions accurately.
- Ensure café, kitchen and customer areas remain clean, tidy and welcoming.
- Wash up and maintain high standards of cleanliness throughout the day.
- Assist with stock rotation, deliveries and storage of supplies.
- Support food hygiene, health and safety and allergen management requirements.
- Set up and clear down service areas.
- Work flexibly between kitchen and front-of-house duties.
- Support young people participating in workplace experience by modelling positive workplace behaviours and standards.
- Contribute to creating a welcoming environment for all customers and visitors.
You will have:
Essential
- Experience working in hospitality, catering, retail or customer service.
- A positive and professional attitude towards customer service.
- The ability to work well as part of a team.
- Good communication skills.
- A willingness to turn your hand to whatever needs doing.
- An organised and reliable approach to work.
- The ability to maintain high standards of cleanliness and presentation.
- Basic understanding of food hygiene and health and safety requirements.
- The ability to remain calm and friendly during busy periods.
- Basic IT skills.
Desirable
- Experience working in a café environment.
- Food Hygiene certification (or willingness to obtain one).
- Experience preparing food or supporting kitchen operations.
- Experience working in customer-facing hospitality settings.
- Experience working alongside trainees, young people or volunteers.
- Understanding of SEND and inclusive environments.
About us
New Meaning Training offers education with a difference. We work with young people aged 15–25 who haven't always had a straightforward experience of education. Some have disengaged from learning, some have additional needs, and some simply need a different environment in which to grow in confidence and develop practical skills.
Park View Café forms part of our Aylesbury Enrichment Centre and provides a genuine workplace environment where young people can gain experience, develop employability skills and build confidence for the future. At the same time, it continues to serve the wider local community as a welcoming, inclusive and valued café.
For many people, the café is already a place to meet friends, hold informal meetings, connect with local groups or simply enjoy good food and company. As we begin this new chapter, we're looking for someone who can help us preserve everything people already love about the café whilst introducing fresh ideas that help it reach even more people. Because community matters. Good food matters. And the right person can help this place become something really special.
Why work for New Meaning Training?
Generous annual leave
- 20 days annual leave, plus bank holidays
- Up to 10 additional “gifted” days off each year (taken during school holiday periods)
- Annual leave increases with length of service, up to a maximum of 24 days
Pension
- Auto enrolment into The People’s Pension
- 5% employee contribution with 3% employer contribution
Blue Light Card
- Access to hundreds of national discounts (retail, food, travel, days out)
- Admin fee fully reimbursed by NMT
Service recognition
- Additional annual leave as a thank you for long service
- Gift rewards at key milestones (e.g. 5 and 10 years)
Wellbeing benefits
- Annual flu vaccination voucher (paid for by NMT)
- Birthday gift voucher to celebrate your day
Sustainable travel schemes
- Cycle to Work scheme (salary sacrifice)
- Electric Vehicle scheme via Octopus Energy (salary sacrifice)
- Green Travel to Work initiatives with rewards for taking part
A supportive, values-led workplace
- Strong focus on staff wellbeing, development, and collaboration
- Training and CPD supported as part of your role
- The opportunity to make a meaningful difference in young people’s lives
Safeguarding
New Meaning Training is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. We expect all staff to share this commitment and adhere to our safeguarding and professional conduct policies.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: £25,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company events
- Company pension
Experience:
- cook or chef: 2 years (required)
Work Location: In person
