Kitchen Porter
Impact: Operational efficiency, Sanitation
Maintains cleanliness and organization within a commercial kitchen by washing dishes, sanitizing equipment, and assisting with basic food preparation.
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
- $38,000
- Entry-level
- $35,000 - $40,000
- Senior
- $45,000+
- Growth by 2033
- -2% (declining)
- Demand
- Declining
- Freelance potential
- Very Low
- Salary growth potential
- Low to 20-30% growth from entry to senior
- Typical student debt
- None
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Kitchen Cleaning
- Dishwashing
- Food Safety
- Basic Food Prep
- Inventory Management
Soft skills
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Attention to Detail
Technical complexity: Low
How to get there
- Minimum education
- High School Diploma
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 1-2 years
- Years to senior
- 3-5 years
- Career switching
- Moderate
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
Where you can go from here
Typical progression
- Kitchen Porter
- Commis Chef
- Chef de Partie
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 60% to high risk for repetitive cleaning tasks, but human oversight remains crucial
- AI disruption risk
- Very Low
- Demand trend
- Declining
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 2.8/10
- Meaning
- 4/10
- Work-life balance
- 5/10
- Prestige
- 2.5/10
- Social perception
- Low