Also called: Lunch Server, Food Service Assistant
Prepares and serves breakfast and lunch to students at school.
You arrive early to prep fruit and heat entrees, then serve hundreds of students in quick waves. You get summers and holidays off and know every kid by name. It is a popular job for parents.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. On-the-job training; food-handler card.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Growing about average (about 2% over 10 years).
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Pre-made meals and simple robots may trim kitchen work; serving kids and keeping lines moving stay human.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply to your school district's food service openings; you'll go through fingerprinting First: School district background check and fingerprinting (a few weeks)
Classes: Foods & Nutrition class, Culinary arts CTE, Health.
Official data: O*NET occupation 35-2012.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.