Hospitality & Catering Assistant - Seasonal

Looking for meaningful work, with the freedom to pursue other passions over winter?   

This is your opportunity to support our hospitality & catering team during our busiest and most rewarding months. 

Our permanent seasonal contract gives you the best of both worlds – a chance to make a difference during our core season, with the security of knowing you can return to the team each year.    

• You’ll work an average 15 hours per week during the core season only (normally March to October) each year. 

• Weekly hours will vary across the year, with more during busy periods and fewer in quieter weeks. 

• Salary equates to circa £12.71 per hour. The full-time equivalent salary is circa £24,785 per annum 

• Excellent benefits, including generous annual leave, life assurance and health & wellbeing support (full details below)   

• Your new place of work is in a beautiful location, be surrounded by nature on your breaks. 

Make every season count   

At the Field Studies Council we promise to get people outdoors, provide high quality learning and encourage positive wellbeing. We’re all about creating outdoor learning experiences and opportunities that inspire everyone to be curious, knowledgeable, passionate and caring about the environment. 

In this role, you’ll help us create a warm, welcoming environment for the schools and groups who stay with us, by ensuring our spaces are clean, comfortable, and welcoming for every visitor. 

Your attention to detail will help create safe, relaxing environments where learners of all ages can focus, feel at home, and fully immerse themselves in the natural world. 

What you’ll be doing 

• Setting up the dining room for breakfast, lunch, and dinner service 

• Working in the kitchen, assisting with food preparation 

• Serving food to our visitors 

• Cleaning bedrooms, bathrooms, and communal areas 

• Preparing rooms for guests, including making beds, providing towels, and restocking tea/coffee facilities   

• Ensuring public areas, such as corridors and classrooms are neat, tidy, and well-presented   

Further info regarding the full responsibilities can be found in the vacancy pack attached to the advert on our careers website. 

Where you’ll be based  

Flatford Mill sits at the end of a quiet lane in the Dedham Vale National Landscape, offering a rare sense of peace and escape. We accommodate up to 64 guests across 24 bedrooms in remarkable historic buildings, from the medieval great hall of Valley Farm to the Mill itself, once restored by the Constable family.  

The site is surrounded by riverside paths, woodland, grassland and quiet picnic spots, all linked by gentle circular walks. It’s a tranquil, picturesque place to work, with nature all around you. 

We ask that you have: 

• A positive, can-do attitude 

• Ability to work independently and with others 

• Good customer service skills 

• Flexibility and willingness to support different areas of the centre 

Your benefits whilst working with us will include: 

• Pro rata of 28 days annual holiday entitlement + bank holidays + extra loyalty days dependent on length of service  

• Life assurance 5 x your annual basic salary  

• Health and Wellbeing Support App for you and eligible family members to access remote GP appointments, mental health consultations, physio, financial & legal support 

• 24hr Counselling Helpline Service  

• Cycle to work and EV schemes  

• Discounts and cashback opportunities  

• Flexible working options where roles permit  

• Quality learning and development opportunities  

Sound like the role for you? Come and be part of the team! We look forward to your application. 

If you have any queries regarding this vacancy, please call Ali Porter (Lead Housekeeper) on 01206 297110 

The closing date for receipt of your completed application is 23 August 2026 

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we’re in receipt of sufficient applications. Please apply early to avoid disappointment. 

Interviews are scheduled to take place at Field Studies Council Flatford Mill in the week commencing 24 August 2026 

Shortlisted applicants will be contacted by email. 

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and we expect all team members to share this commitment. Any offer of employment will only be confirmed following the successful completion of rigorous pre-employment checks, including appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks