If you’re looking to make some extra money this summer and you love fine wines and dining – or just a good party – then jobs in catering and hospitality may be just the ticket. Positions include bartending, waiter work and chef work, and the good news is that hours are pretty flexible so they can fit around your holiday plans. The take-homes aren’t bad either. Ten trays of sausage rolls, anyone? Leftover wine? At the end of a shift, it could all be yours.

Admiral Group has an admirable (get it?) number of positions and they’ll give you all the training you need. Another hospitality recruiter that is worth a gander is The Change Group, which fills positions for large-scale events as well as finding staff for top rated restaurants. Berkeley Scott focuses on openings in hospitality – so for working more regular hours in smaller food and drink establishments such as restaurants, pubs and bars.

Bartenders:

This is for anyone sociable and outgoing who enjoys their grog and knows what a daiquiri should taste like. Not that we condone drinking on the job…

Catering: Bar jobs in this area usually revolve around big events such as weddings, award ceremonies and music festivals. The hours are flexible as a result so you can work as much or as little as you want each month – but actual shifts can be long. You don’t need years of experience but if you go through a catering recruiter you will need to do a day or so of training. Pay ranges from £7 to £12 an hour if you’re also helping with set-up and take-down at events. If you’ve gone for bartending at a festival, you’ll be paid in the form of a ticket, which is a bargain for music lovers.

Hospitality: These are more specialised on-site positions in bars and pubs so hours will be regular. If it’s a cocktail bar you may need to have done a mixology course. Pint pulling at pubs however won’t necessarily require experience, unless you’re after a manager position. Pay starts at £7 an hour but bar managers can make upwards of £18,000 for full-time work. Barzone.co.uk advertises jobs at watering holes all around the country.

Waiters:

From waiting tables at top-notch restaurants to silver service at big events, these jobs are accessible to most and can be good fun as well. Summer is also prime-time as celebrations abound, so get looking now.

Catering: Weddings and summer parties will make up the bulk of your work here and if you get in with a fancy catering company, you may even get to hang with some celebs. Again, recruiters such as Admiral will train you up so you don’t need prior experience. If your shift lasts the whole event you may also have to help with set-up and take down. Pay starts at £12 an hour.

Hospitality: Waiter positions in restaurants or cafes require a bit more experience, but they’re more stable employment. Jobs can range from taking orders behind a bar to waiting tables and having advanced knowledge of the specials and the wine. And don’t forget, you have to be a class act at balancing. Pay starts low at around £6.50, but if you throw in tips, you can bring in a pretty good haul each week. Add in that Aussie accent and you’reg olden. Leisurejobs.com has a good range of jobs at restaurants in the UK.

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Chefs:

If working as a chef has been something you’ve always dreamed of, catering may be a good way to gain experience; if you already have some skills in the kitchen then roll up your sleeves and get stuck into a more permanent position at a restaurant.

Catering: Caterers cook for large amounts of people at big events and parties so it’s much more of a factory operation, but there’s lots to be learned from these positions. Most of the job openings are in the form of chef’s assistants who help prep the food. An NVQ qualification in catering may be required. Pay starts at £8 an hour and hours can be long, as you’ll be needed before and throughout an event to keep cooking up the goods. On the upside however you can take jobs as and when you please if you go with a caterer. Check Admiral and The Change Group for jobs.

Hospitality: Becoming a chef at a restaurant is hard and cooks spend years interning for the top people in the industry. However, if you have any experience as a trainee chef or you have an NVQ professional chef’s certificate, you’ll be well on your way. If you want to work in a restaurant kitchen you’ll have to look for a job in the more traditional way, by grazing openings on general sites such as Reed.com or Indeed.co.uk – rather than joining a catering company. If you’re up to scratch, Just Chefs is a leading recruiter for top London restaurants.

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