Baker, Salad Bar Preparation
(Female, Age 50) from Prague, OK
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 50 who works as a Baker, Salad Bar Preparation in Prague, OK. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
Job Title | Baker, Salad Bar Preparation |
---|---|
Salary | $11,000 |
Other Compensation | None Set |
Hours/Week | 35 |
Company Size | (not answered) |
Location | Prague, OK |
Years Experience | 5 years |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
Years in Career | 0 |
---|---|
Education | (not answered) |
Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
I work for the local public school child nutrition program. There are approximately 1100 students in all grades.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I am responsible for assembling the salad bar for 300 students and teachers on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday each week, break-down and storage of this salad bar, keeping production records, and ordering food. On Wednesdays I prepare dessert for 1000, and on Fridays I bake rolls, do dishwashing and cleanup, trash removal, and janitorial duties in the cafeteria after the students’ lunch.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
No vacation, but we are allowed to spread our pay over 12 months’ time and are off work from the end of May to the 3rd week of August. I receive 3 personal days each year & 1 sick day per month. I cannot afford the insurance offered, but am included in the Teachers Retirement System
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
I feel that I am under-compensated, as I only make $7.70 per hour and carry a heavy workload. I only bring home $815.00 per month, and over half goes just for rent & utilities.
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Yes, there are 7 of us in the kitchen at any given time. Our kitchen was designed when student population was about half of what it is today. It is crowded and work space is very cramped, and some people aren’t as considerate of others as they should be.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
The cafeteria/kitchen was designed for cooking/serving about half of the kids that we have and is probably at maximum serving/seating capacity now. It’s hard not to get in each other’s way, and our walk-in refrigerator is too small. I also dislike having to sweep and mop the cafeteria every day-every other building has a janitor/janitors, and we could spend that time doing a more thorough job of cleaning the food preparation/serving areas.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 3
Benefits: 5
Hours: 4
Co-Workers: 2
Supervisors: 1
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 7
The Actual Work: 6
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
5am to 6am | |
6am to 7am | |
7am to 8am | Wed. & Fri.- 6:30 a.m.-Arrive at work, clock in, wash hands, gather ingredients, weigh, measure, crack eggs if needed. Start first batch mixing, gather pans & spray with cooking spray. Scoop cookies with ice cream scoop or dip batter with pitcher & pour into pans. |
8am to 9am | Bake first batch, start second batch mixing. Take 1st batch out of oven when done, cool, pack to send out & set on serving lines.
M-Tues-Thurs-gather containers & insulated cart, take another cart back & load with non-refrigerated dressings & crackers, set up on serving line. Gather produce from refrig. and begin filling containers. |
9am to 10am | Pan up 2nd batch, cook, cool, and package.
M-Tues-Thurs: continue filling containers, and load any needed foam trays, serving utensils, and plasticware on cart to go to Middle School. |
10am to 11am | Mon., Tues., Thurs.: finish filling containers, clean up if time allows. 10:30a.m.- set up salad bar line with pans, fill with ice, set up salad bar line. Begin serving at 10:50. Wed-Fri: finish baking/frosting, clean up if time allows, begin serving at 10:50. |
11am to 12pm | Mon., Tues., Thurs.: serve until all children served, usually 11:35, go help load van to transport food to Middle School. Take out trash & reline cans, wash hands, go to set up salad bar at Middle School. Help unload van, set up salad bar. Begin serving at 11:55. |
12pm to 1pm | Salad bar until 12:15, break down salad bar & repack, sending dirty dishes to be taken back to kitchen. Clean salad bar & table, lock storage cabinet, return to kitchen. 12:45-1 p.m eat lunch. |
1pm to 2pm | Unpack insulated cart, remove pans from serving line, making note of leftovers. Clean out dirty dishes for handwashing, then sanitizer. Package reusable items, label & date, place in refrigerator. Take dressings , crackers, and clean dishes back to storage room. Transfer frozen foods from freezer to thaw in refrigerator if needed. If time allows, I help whoever needs help with clean-up in kitchen. Clock out at 2 p.m., noting on log in supervisor’s office of commodities used. All open perishable food is disposed of on Thursdays. I also must complete & turn in salad bar production records on Friday. |
2pm to 3pm | |
3pm to 4pm | |
4pm to 5pm | |
5pm to 6pm | |
6pm to 7pm | |
7pm to 8pm | |
8pm to 9pm | |
9pm to 10pm | |
10pm to 11pm | |
11pm to 12am |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
I had applied here in the past, but all they offered was fill-in work. Then they started a salad bar for 150 people and myself and another lady were hired.
What was the application process?
Paper application, background check.
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
I was called in to speak with the cafeteria director and kitchen manager, and they explained what I would be doing.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
Don’t remember.
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
No-there was much more to it than what I was told.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
None-just as I went, as they hadn’t had a salad bar before.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
N/A
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
N/A
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
DON’T!!!!!
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
The ability to bake for large groups and organizational skills would be helpful.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
No.
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Beware-I thought that this would be a great job. THEN I found out that as long as the job gets done, administration turns a blind eye to goings on that would lead to immediate termination in any other workplace.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Wasn’t at all, but now I think I’d stick it out just for the retirement benefits.
What are your current career goals?
My goal now is to work as long as I am able.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
N/A
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
Prior Job 1 | Cafeteria Staff | 5 years | 11000 | See previous |
Prior Job 2 | Restaurant | 5 years | 14000 | Greeted customers, seated customers, bused tables, rented RV sites, maintained gift shop. |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:3.75
GPA | School | Degree | |
College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3 | Seminole Junior College | Associate in Science |
Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
Ask a Question of this Mentor
This mentor has opted to receive questions from people interested in this career or job position. Please be respectful of their time and willingness to help. Include some basic relevant background so they can intelligently answer your question.