Kitchen Helper
Impact: Operational efficiency, Food quality
Assists cooks and chefs in food preparation, maintains kitchen cleanliness, and organizes supplies. Performs routine tasks to ensure smooth kitchen operations and food safety standards.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Moderate
- Team vs solo
- 80% Team / 20% Solo
- Client facing
- Rarely
- Impact visibility
- Low
- Travel
- Minimal
- Schedule flexibility
- Rigid
- Remote work
- On-site Only
- Typical work hours
- 40-50 hours/week
- Stress level
- Moderate
At a glance
- Median salary
- $30,000
- Entry-level
- $25,000
- Senior
- $38,000
- Growth by 2033
- 2% (slower than average)
- Demand
- Stable
- Freelance potential
- Low
- Salary growth potential
- Low to 50% growth from entry to senior
- Typical student debt
- None
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Food Preparation
- Kitchen Sanitation
- Inventory Management
- Basic Cooking Skills
- Knife Skills
Soft skills
- Teamwork
- Attention to Detail
- Time Management
- Physical Stamina
- Communication
Technical complexity: Low
How to get there
- Minimum education
- High School Diploma
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 2-4 years
- Years to senior
- 5-7 years
- Career switching
- Easy
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
Where you can go from here
Typical progression
- Kitchen Helper
- Prep Cook
- Line Cook
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 70% to high risk for routine tasks like dishwashing and basic prep
- AI disruption risk
- Very Low
- Demand trend
- Stable
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 2.8/10
- Meaning
- 4/10
- Work-life balance
- 3/10
- Prestige
- 2.5/10
- Social perception
- Low