Salary guide
Assistant Cook salary
What assistant cooks are advertised at on live vacancies we hold — we name the nation whenever we publish a figure.
Official support staff pay spine · 2026/27
NJC pay points 3–43
Full-time, full-year rates from 1 April 2026 (3.3% increase agreed). Show all pay points
| Pay point (SCP) | Annual salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | £25,614 | £13.28 |
| 4 | £26,016 | £13.48 |
| 5 | £26,427 | £13.70 |
| 6 | £26,847 | £13.92 |
| 7 | £27,274 | £14.14 |
| 8 | £27,709 | £14.36 |
| 9 | £28,153 | £14.59 |
| 10 | £28,608 | £14.83 |
| 11 | £29,071 | £15.07 |
| 12 | £29,542 | £15.31 |
| 13 | £30,023 | £15.56 |
| 14 | £30,515 | £15.82 |
| 15 | £31,015 | £16.08 |
| 16 | £31,525 | £16.34 |
| 17 | £32,046 | £16.61 |
| 18 | £32,578 | £16.89 |
| 19 | £33,119 | £17.17 |
| 20 | £33,673 | £17.45 |
| 21 | £34,237 | £17.75 |
| 22 | £34,811 | £18.04 |
| 23 | £35,570 | £18.44 |
| 24 | £36,581 | £18.96 |
| 25 | £37,563 | £19.47 |
| 26 | £38,510 | £19.96 |
| 27 | £39,481 | £20.46 |
| 28 | £40,444 | £20.96 |
| 29 | £41,177 | £21.34 |
| 30 | £42,123 | £21.83 |
| 31 | £43,149 | £22.37 |
| 32 | £44,253 | £22.94 |
| 33 | £45,529 | £23.60 |
| 34 | £46,579 | £24.14 |
| 35 | £47,665 | £24.71 |
| 36 | £48,738 | £25.26 |
| 37 | £49,817 | £25.82 |
| 38 | £50,908 | £26.39 |
| 39 | £51,928 | £26.92 |
| 40 | £53,051 | £27.50 |
| 41 | £54,143 | £28.06 |
| 42 | £55,224 | £28.62 |
| 43 | £56,293 | £29.18 |
Source: NJC for Local Government Services pay agreement 2026 (Annex 1)
Councils and most maintained schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland pay support staff on this spine; each employer decides which pay points a role sits on. Annual figures are for a full-time (37-hour), all-year post — term-time and part-time staff are paid a proportion of them. Hourly rates are for a 37-hour week. Pay point 2 was removed, so the spine now starts at point 3. Academies, independent schools and private nurseries may use their own pay.
Read the official pay agreement (Local Government Association)Typical advertised pay
£13,275 per year – £25,570 per year
Median advertised range for Catering Assistant roles in England
Based on Catering Assistant adverts
We don't yet have enough Assistant Cook adverts with pay to publish a figure of their own, so this shows the closest main role. Based on 17 live public vacancies. Support-staff pay is set locally, so individual adverts vary.
See the Catering Assistant salary guideAssistant Cook job openings
Assistant Cook
Aqueduct Primary Academy · Telford
Assistant Cook
Camulos Academy · Colchester
Assistant Cook
The Basildon Upper Academy · Basildon
Assistant Cook
Forge Valley School & Sixth Form · Sheffield
Schools hiring assistant cooks
Ranked by live vacancy volume. We do not publish employer-level pay figures.
Where assistant cooks are being advertised
Areas with the most live assistant cook vacancies.
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Local-government support-staff pay structures (England and Wales)
See admin assistant salary guide
Career advice for assistant cook roles
Frequently asked questions
How much does an assistant cook earn?
We do not yet hold enough verified salary evidence to publish a assistant cook figure. Rather than estimate, we show live vacancies so you can see what employers are actually advertising.
Does assistant cook pay vary by area?
It can, but we only publish area differences where we have enough evidence for that area — we never apply a regional multiplier to invent a local figure.
What pay framework applies to a assistant cook?
Many maintained schools in England and Wales use support-staff pay structures derived from the NJC national agreement, but grades, points and term-time arrangements are set locally by the employer. Academies, independent schools and private providers may use their own scales.
Find your next assistant cook job
Live UK assistant cook vacancies from schools, trusts and agencies.
Browse Assistant Cook jobs