How To Become A Bakery Worker
There are many opportunities to become a bakery worker in the UK today. Tailor-made courses at colleges within the UK and many job roles.
A baker is mainly employed within places that have freshly made baked products. To follow is a baker job description.
Want To Skip Ahead?
- What Is A Baker?
- Where Are Bakery Workers Employed?
- What Products Do Bakers Make?
- The Best Bits Of Being A Baker
For example, in many shops, the freshly made bread and pastries are made by the in-house baking team. Furthermore, there are many specialised bakery shops within the UK.
And also the Full-Time baker may also hold full-time employment in bakeries that produce not only bread and pastries but also a broad range of cakes.
What Is A Baker?
A career as a baker and how to become a bakery worker. A baker is a person employed to make and sell baked goods. These may include bread, rolls, biscuits, cookies and basic cakes.
The goods will be prepared and cooked using a bakers oven. They could have the ability to make cakes, but the baker may not concentrate on cakes and desserts and this is more of a pastry chefs job.
They may also be working in a bakery, this could be within an establishment such as a supermarket or at individual bakery shops.
Where Are Bakers Employed?
You need to make a choice as to which area you will work in when learning how to become a baker in the UK, These are the main types of places that a baker will be employed:
A Plant Bakery
These types of establishments manufacture large quantities of baked goods for shops, some supermarkets, Also the plant bakery makes products in large quantities for customers who need large quantities of goods.
Also as a baker in a plant bakery, you will be using machinery usually working on a production line.
A Store Bakery Worker
A store baker will be working in stores such as supermarkets. This job will require the baker to use machinery in the production of fresh bread and pastries.
Then the products will then be sold within the store directly to the customers.
The Specialised Bakery
A baker in a specialised bakery will be making fewer products to be sold in the shop. The products will be mainly produced by hand using more skills than larger operations.
The work in a specialised bakery will be more varied and skilled with a lot of skills and knowledge for a trainee baker to learn.
What Products Do Bakers Make?
A baker will be producing baked goods including:
- Baguettes,
- Burger Buns,
- Sandwich Bread,
- Pastries, Cakes,
- Afternoon tea,
- Bread Rolls,
- Speciality Bread,
- Traditional Bread.
Bakery Worker Job Description And The Average Working Day
Bakers will mainly work a 40 hour week that will be over a five day period. The job requires early starts and will include working over the weekends and possible night shifts.
In the larger production operations, the role will usually be on a shift pattern and a rota will be followed to cover all the different shifts.
A bakers role is a physical job with long standing hours and various heavy equipment and goods that will need to be used and carried.
However, there will be equipment to lift many heavy items, including bags of flour.
A Baker Job Description – Salary
As a trainee baker, the salary will be in the region of £13000 – £15000 and rise up to £19000 per year.
However, with experience gained and learning specialist skills or taking a more supervisory role the salary could increase to £20000 – £25000. At the high end of the job, a role is the bakery plant production managers who can earn up to £43000.
Best Bits Of Being A Bakery Worker
Becoming a baker is a fantastic choice of career with good work life balance. Early finishes are common in many establishments leaving the rest of the day available for yourself.
Working as a baker you will be part of a team learning all the skills.
To become an important part of a team. And in many places, there are career opportunities for progression and colleges offering specialised courses and qualifications.
Being creative and producing products from the simple core ingredients, flour-yeast, water and salt.
Worst Bits Of Being A Baker
Early starts 3 am – To have all the products ready for the first customers.
And there are many types of baker job role opportunities out there and courses to take from short courses to full-time apprenticeships.
Also, there is a broad range of areas to specialise in as a baker including artisan bread, pastries, cakes, sweets.