Discover the world of student jobs in fast food!

The popularity of student jobs in the catering industry has proven to be unbroken over the years. This is no coincidence, as it provides a stable, constant opportunity for working students. Thus, those who want to work flexible hours that fit around their studies find it particularly beneficial. Moreover, for those who are persistent and talented, it even offers an impressive career path and opportunities for promotion.

Burger joints, hot-dog stands, lángos stalls, and many other food service establishments welcome students with open arms. What hourly wage can you expect at the company, and what jobs can you apply for? What makes an ideal fast-food employee, and why might it be worth working there if you're looking for a part-time position? Find out more about student jobs in fast-food restaurants from our article!

Why are fast-food student jobs popular?

Flexible working hours

At many companies, employers expect us to subordinate our studies to our tasks, even as student workers. Thus, searching for a student job is not the easiest task we face as students. However, for most fast-food student jobs, the management knows that you want to give your best in your studies as well – so you can adjust your shifts to your schedule according to your availability.

What's more: if you're not available on weekdays, or if it's exam season and you have a lot to study, you can even take on evening or weekend shifts. This way, you can plan ahead effectively, while also developing your time management skills.

Excellent work environment

As a young person, we always have a slight fear of how we will get along with older colleagues from different generations. You don't have to worry about this with student jobs in catering: the workforce in fast-food restaurants is predominantly from the 18-30 age group. Working together and having similar goals and experiences brings people together – so you can also gain many great connections and friendships during your work.

The workplace atmosphere is particularly supportive: the management strives to provide everything for professional development. As a family- and student-friendly workplace, the company also contributes to ensuring that work does not come at the expense of private life, for anyone.

Gaining experience and opportunities for development

Do you learn quickly and are always looking for new experiences? If you have a diligent nature and a hunger for knowledge, you can acquire many new skills within the framework of a student job at a burger joint, or develop existing ones to a new level. You can definitely deepen your proficiency in customer service and teamwork.

And if you decide to stay with fast-food restaurants, in most cases, exciting advancement opportunities await you within the company! Through training, you can even become a junior assistant restaurant manager or manager.

How can you apply for a fast-food student job?

Conditions for student jobs in the catering industry

To work in such a place, it is essential that you are over 16 years old and have an active full-time student status. In addition, they ask every student to commit to an average of 16-20 hours per week. Therefore, having any prior work experience is not a requirement.

However, it is also important that your personality fits the chosen job. What do we mean by this? If you have always been a team player, are reliable, yet dare to ask for help when needed, that is already a very good starting point. In addition to a communicative personality, it doesn't hurt if you not only tolerate but also enjoy a fast-paced environment – because you will get plenty of that in fast-food restaurants!

The application process

If you too would like to enter the world of fast-food jobs, choose the one that suits you, and then you can do so through our online application interface. For this, you will first need to register on our site. Here, you mostly just need to provide your basic data. Once this is done, you can apply for the advertised positions. If we call you back and you successfully complete the interviews, a practical trial will take place in one of the fast-food restaurants of your choice. If at the end of this, both you and the company decide that it would be good to continue the work "for real," your career path can begin!

Types of fast-food student jobs

Restaurant Worker

Are you a people-oriented, kind, and patient person in your daily life, for whom socializing and helping others is a core element? Working in a fast-food restaurant always involves a lot of hustle and bustle, so you can put your aforementioned qualities to good use in catering student jobs.

Your tasks in this position will be varied. You can get a taste of cashier duties, food preparation, and serving guests, while also ensuring that the guest area is always clean. So, if you imagine your future in the catering industry, you can gather enough experience here for that as well.

Kitchen Helper

To prepare the ovens and ingredients, it helps to be diligent and persistent, and helpfulness is not far from you either. As a kitchen helper, all of these and performing basic hygiene tasks will be among your duties. This is a fast-paced role in which you will probably never be bored – making it particularly ideal for lively, energetic personalities.

If you want to stay in catering later, you can acquire the basics in this position. But even if you don't, you will still gain plenty of skills here that you can use in other industries. A disciplined, diligent, persistent attitude and a humble approach to work are valued by almost every company: a motivated workforce is a plus for most HR professionals.

Part-time and seasonal opportunities

You can work in such a place not only during the school term but also during school holidays. Most of these places specifically advertise summer student jobs every year, in addition to part-time student job opportunities.

How much can you earn with a student job in a fast-food restaurant?

Hourly wages and benefits

The student wage in a fast-food restaurant in Hungary is generally around or above the minimum wage. To give a specific example: the pay range extends from HUF 1705/1800 gross + supplements up to approx. HUF 2590 gross. This is accompanied by supplements for evening (6 PM - 10 PM) and night (10 PM - 6 AM) shifts. For the former, you can receive a 30% supplement, and for the latter, a 40% increased supplement.

In addition, you can count on many extra bonuses if you join the company. These include a 20% shopping and dining discount or a 100% wage supplement on public holidays. Some positions may also come with an appearance bonus if you always show up on time for your shift.

What can you expect in the long term?

The company values the loyalty of its employees – therefore, at many fast-food student jobs, a wide range of career opportunities are open to you as well. Your income can grow in proportion to your experience and performance, and you can move up the career ladder, even as a manager.

Advantages vs. challenges in fast-food student jobs

The advantages of fast-food and catering student jobs

Flexible working hours The biggest and unquestionable advantage of this type of student job is that it does not require special organization to reconcile it with your studies. Whether it's exam season or busy weekdays, you can take on evening and weekend shifts. This can be particularly ideal if you are a full-time student.

Youthful, supportive environment You can be part of a team of similarly aged, hard-working people in the world of fast-food restaurants. It can be easier to find common ground with your peers, so you can make many valuable friendships during the fast-paced daily life of a fast-food restaurant. You can ask them anything at any time: a supportive work environment is an integral part of the company culture. Your colleagues who have been working there longer will likely be happy to help you learn the new tasks as quickly as possible.

Gaining experience Professional guest service, quick problem-solving, and excellent communication skills are now fundamental in many jobs. You can acquire all of these at most catering establishments, which can be useful in your future career, even in a completely different field. Your persistence and loyalty are rewarded not only with training but, over time, even with a managerial position.

Extra benefits Dining discounts and bonuses for outstanding performance and taking on extra shifts are just the icing on the cake. Undoubtedly, they also make it financially worthwhile to take on a student job at such a place.

You can expect these challenges

Stressful peak periods We have mentioned the fast pace several times in the article – and for good reason: there are typically many more customers during lunchtime or on weekends. To ensure that everyone receives perfect service, you need to be able to work and make decisions quickly and efficiently. What is certain, however, is that your problem-solving skills will develop the most in high-pressure situations.

Physical demands Since fast-food student jobs largely require standing for long periods, it is important that you have good physical stamina – so it's useful if you already do some form of exercise. The high traffic and dynamic pace dictated by restaurant life can often be exhausting; however, if you organize your work, you will cope with it much better.

Monotony Although the work pace is brisk, this does not always mean brand new tasks. At times – especially if you have been working there for a long time – preparing food, but also working the cash register, can become monotonous. However, you will see once you settle in: working in a good team, with kind feedback from customers, time will just fly by!

Take advantage of the quality services of Y Diák Student Cooperative!

If you are diligent and persistent enough, fast-food student jobs can provide you with all the financial freedom you need to study comfortably during your student years. In addition, you can also acquire valuable connections and skills during your time at work – which you can utilize both within the company and later at other companies. Through all of this, any of the fast-food positions can open new horizons in your career-building opportunities.

The high-quality services of the Y Diák Student Cooperative will also help you in this. Whether it's a long-term student job, organizing an internship program, or mentoring, you can count on us! And to see exactly what you can expect based on your age and experience, you can find information via the wage calculator on our site.