How To Become A Cafeteria Helper: What It Is and Career Path

What is a cafeteria helper and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a cafeteria helper. For example, did you know that they make an average of $14.73 an hour? That's $30,641 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 9% and produce 372,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreCafeteria HelperUS Average

Salary

2.4

Avg. Salary $30,641

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.2

Growth Rate 9%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.09%

Asian 8.43%

Black or African American 8.84%

Hispanic or Latino 23.90%

Unknown 5.93%

White 51.81%

Gender

female 71.08%

male 28.92%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress Level

6.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.1

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

10.0

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a cafeteria helper

Explore cafeteria helper education requirements

Most common cafeteria helper degrees

High School Diploma

50.0 %

Associate

19.4 %

Diploma

13.4 %

Start to develop specific cafeteria helper skills

Skills	Percentages
Kitchen Equipment	32.09%
Food Service	25.76%
Food Handling	16.36%
Food Safety	15.69%
Cafeterias	3.14%

Complete relevant cafeteria helper training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New cafeteria helpers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a cafeteria helper based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real cafeteria helper resumes.

Research cafeteria helper duties and responsibilities

Go to different grade school cafeterias and wash dishes and prep meals.
Complete required reports and maintain dining room cleanliness including sweeping, mopping and stocking of deliver groceries.
Regulate the underground water systems pressure and consistency by performing HVAC relate maintenance with regular time monitoring.
Make sure all kids that have allergies where eating the right kind of diet.

Prepare your cafeteria helper resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your cafeteria helper resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a cafeteria helper resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Cafeteria Helper Resume templates

Build a professional Cafeteria Helper resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Cafeteria Helper resume.

Apply for cafeteria helper jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a cafeteria helper job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do cafeteria helpers rate their job?