How to become a coffee shop worker

Official title: Coffee shop workers

Also called: Coffee maid, Coffee barman, Coffee barmaid, Coffee room maid, Coffee shop assistant, Coffee stall attendant, Barista maestro

Coffee shop workers make and serve coffee, food and other beverages in coffee shops and cafés, and perform various cleaning, fetching and carrying tasks.

Main tasks

• Takes customer orders, makes and serves coffee and other refreshments
• Receives payment for drinks and gives change
• Cleans and tidies service area, kitchen surfaces, crockery, cutlery, glassware, kitchen utensils and disposes of rubbish
• Keeps service area well stocked

How to become one

There are no formal academic entry requirements. Training is typically received on-the-job. Qualifications to become a barista are available.

Pay · Outlook

• Median full-time pay: £21,598 a year
• About 59,600 people work in this job now, and about 57,400 are projected by 2035. (-3.7%)

Related jobs

• Bar and catering supervisors
• Hospital porters
• Kitchen and catering assistants
• Waiters and waitresses
• Bar staff
• Leisure and theme park attendants

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Questions people ask

How do I become a coffee shop worker?

There are no formal academic entry requirements. Training is typically received on-the-job. Qualifications to become a barista are available.

How much does a coffee shop worker earn in the UK?

Median full-time pay is £21,598 a year (Office for National Statistics).

Is a coffee shop worker a growing career in the UK?

Employment is projected to fall 4% by 2035, from about 59,600 to about 57,400 people (Department for Education).

Do you need a degree to become a coffee shop worker?

Usually not. Only 24% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Sources

• Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03