Catering assistant salary in France
Average monthly net salary in full-time equivalent in the French private sector, according to INSEE (occupation group “Aides de cuisine, apprentis de cuisine et employés polyvalents de la restauration”).
- Average net per month
- €1,652
- full-time equivalent, 2024
- Estimated monthly gross
- €2,087
- estimate with 2026 non-executive contributions
- Gap to the average
- -40%
- compared with all private-sector employees (€2,733 net)
- Compared with the SMIC
- 1.1 × the net SMIC
- 2026 net monthly minimum wage: €1,478
Source: INSEE, all-employees database 2024 (average net private-sector pay, full-time equivalent) · Data downloaded on 18 October 2026
Source: French minimum wage (SMIC) as of 1 June 2026 · Data downloaded on 18 October 2026
By sex
| Women | €1,652 |
|---|---|
| Men | €1,652 |
By age
| Under 30 | €1,542 |
|---|---|
| 30 to 39 | €1,748 |
| 40 to 49 | €1,767 |
| 50 to 59 | €1,796 |
| 60 and over | €1,824 |
Working as a catering assistant in France
Search for "employé de restauration collective", "agent de restauration" or "agent de service restauration" in hospitals and care homes. No diploma is strictly required; the CAP Production et service en restaurants (rapide, collective, cafétéria) is the reference qualification, and food hygiene training is highly valued. Employers are either private catering companies that run canteens under contract, or public bodies: town halls for primary schools, regions and departments for secondary schools, hospitals. In the public sector, the job often corresponds to an "adjoint technique" post, open to contract staff or through a civil service exam. Hours are usually daytime and school canteens follow the school calendar.
How to read these figures
The salary shown is an average, not a median: a few high salaries pull the average up. It is net pay before income tax, converted to full time.
The gross figure is an estimate: it applies 2026 employee contributions for a private-sector worker to the net salary. It leaves out bonuses, overtime and health insurance.
Salaries are from 2024 while the minimum wage is the 2026 one, so the comparison gives an order of magnitude.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the average salary of a catering assistant?
According to INSEE, a catering assistant employed in the private sector earns on average €1,652 net per month in full-time equivalent (2024), about €2,087 gross based on our estimate with 2026 contributions.
Do women and men earn the same as a catering assistant?
According to INSEE (2024), the average full-time equivalent net salary is €1,652 for women and €1,652 for men in this occupation. The gap can come from the positions held, seniority or actual working time.
Does a catering assistant earn more than the minimum wage?
The average net salary for the occupation (€1,652, INSEE 2024) is 1.1 times the 2026 net monthly minimum wage (€1,478). Early in a career, pay is often closer to the minimum wage than to this average.