Occupation

Kitchen helper

Kitchen helpers do the preparation and cleaning work that keeps a kitchen running: washing dishes, prepping ingredients, receiving deliveries, and clearing waste. It is physical, wet, and fast during service, and it is the most common way people get their first kitchen job. Many cooks and chefs start here.

Also known as: Kitchen porter · Dishwasher · Food preparation assistant · Kitchen hand

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Occupation content

Part of Hospitality, travel and tourism

A visual day in the work

What the work involves

  1. Wash dishes, pots, and utensils and keep clean stock moving back to the line.

  2. Peel, wash, portion, and store ingredients as directed by the cooks.

  3. Receive deliveries, check them against the order, and rotate stock in storage.

  4. Clean floors, surfaces, extraction filters, and equipment to the kitchen's schedule.

  5. Handle waste, recycling, and grease disposal safely.

  6. Report shortages, breakages, and equipment faults to the chef or supervisor.

Entry-route stepper

How people commonly enter

  1. Direct entry with on-the-job training, usually with no prior experience required.

  2. A short food handling or workplace safety course where the employer or jurisdiction expects one.

  3. A first step into kitchen work leading toward line cook or apprenticeship routes.

Typical training: Short course or on-the-job training

Licensing: Not typically licensed

Work-context map

Typical work context

  • Physically active
  • Fast paced
  • Team based
  • Shift work

Physically active · Fast paced · Team based · Shift work

Related interests

  • Realistic (hands-on)
  • Conventional (organizing)

Realistic (hands-on) · Conventional (organizing)

Related aptitude preparation

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Skills to practise

Related learning

Family-level learning links for Hospitality, travel and tourism.

Official sources

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Labour-market context (not part of exploration match)

This is broad family-level context for Hospitality, travel and tourism in Canada, not a figure for Kitchen helper. It does not affect matching scores and is not an eligibility determination.

This is a broad Hospitality, travel and tourism family. Explore the official profile for the chosen occupation; entry education and training can differ within the family.

Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period

Hospitality, travel and tourism: education pathways

Some roles in Hospitality, travel and tourism may be regulated. Confirm whether the specific role requires registration, certification, or a jurisdiction-specific licence.

Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period

Hospitality, travel and tourism: licensing

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