What the job involves
Pulling shots and steaming milk is the visible part. The rest is dialling in the grinder each morning, keeping the machine clean, working a queue at speed, and in many cafés doing the till and the food as well.
Hours
Barista work is usually early starts and daytime finishes, which suits people who do not want late nights. Weekend shifts are the norm. An advert should say the start time, not just the number of hours.
What it must pay
From 1 April 2026 the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over is £12.71 an hour. It is £10.85 for 18 to 20 year olds, and £8.00 for 16 and 17 year olds and for apprentices. That is the floor for every hour you work, including any trial shift that is really work.
The rates, on gov.uk National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates
Every job on Covers states its pay, because the database will not publish one that does not. Once there are four live listings for a role, its pay page shows the median of what venues are actually offering.
Tips belong to the staff
Since 1 October 2024 employers in England, Scotland and Wales must pass on every tip, gratuity and service charge they control to workers, in full, by the end of the month after it was paid, and must have a written policy on how they are shared. They cannot keep a cut to cover card fees. An advert should tell you whether there is a tronc and roughly what it adds.
The statutory code of practice on tips Code of practice on the fair and transparent distribution of tips
Moving on
Experienced baristas move into head barista, café supervisor and café manager roles, and into training, roasting and wholesale for coffee companies.