Assistant Manager
Caffè Nero
From £12.56 per hour
22 Fitzroy Street Cambridge, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB1 1EW, United Kingdom
Full time
The Breakroom Take
- Pays all ages fairly
- Recommended by students
About Caffè Nero
Caffè Nero is a coffee shop chain. They specialise in serving Italian coffee.
Job description from Caffè Nero
As an Assistant Manager you will support in the running of the store, providing great customer service and the best standards of coffee and food.
What you can expect:
- Brilliant training - no experience is required!
- The opportunity to grow your career and develop personally and professionally.
- Unlimited free handmade drinks and up to 75% off food and packaged drinks when you're on shift.
- 50% off all handmade drinks and 40% off everything else when you're off shift.
- Recommend A Friend Scheme, giving you the chance to earn up to £750 if you refer new people to join the team.
- Length of service recognition.
- Access to our benefits platform, with hundreds of discounts, rewards and offers.
- Via our incentive 'Nero 90', our Assistant Managers also have the opportunity to receive an additional 30p per hour, if their store collectively achieves the Customer Satisfaction score.
To be successful you will:
- Have experience as a Supervisor or Assistant Manager in a busy, customer facing environment.
- Be people focused - really caring about the welfare and development of your team.
- Love the challenge of meeting business targets.
- Strive for excellence, always.
- Be passionate about the Caffè Nero brand!
Why choose us?
When you join us, you're joining a group of caring, supportive and friendly people - whether that's your team, the regular customers of your café or your community. You'll be part of building something special and have loads of fun along the way - that could be at one of our regular CN Club parties, our Barista of the Year Competition or grabbing you and your team an award at our End of Year celebration.
The starter rate for Assistant Managers in this location is £12.41 per hour, increasing to £12.56 with service.
If you have a great attitude, bags of energy and love interacting with customers then we'd love to hear from you!
At Caffè Nero you really can be you, with us.
What employees say
Pay
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Needs improving
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Most people aren’t paid a living wage
Do Caffè Nero pay assistant managers enough to live on?
Most people are not paid a living wage.
How we know this
73% of people say they are paid below the Real Living Wage for where they live.Based on data from 48 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between March 2023 and February 2025.
Why this matters
Everyone should be paid enough to live on.
The Real Living Wage is a voluntary rate employers can sign up to that is based on the real cost of living.
The current rates are £12.60 per hour, and £13.85 per hour in London.
Find out more in our explainer about the Real Living Wage.
Needs improving
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Most people are paid below market rates
Do Caffè Nero pay assistant managers market rates?
Most people are paid less than average for their job.
How we know this
98% of people are paid below average for the type of work they do.Based on data from 47 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between April 2023 and April 2025.
Why this matters
Pay can vary a lot between types of job. Employers should be ensuring that the rates their staff are paid are in line with similar roles elsewhere.
Good
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Most people get paid breaks
Do assistant managers at Caffè Nero get paid breaks?
Yes. Most people get paid breaks.
How we know this
83% of people say they get paid breaks.Based on data from 48 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between April 2023 and April 2025.
Why this matters
A good job should have paid breaks.
You should be paid for all your time at work, whether you’re on a break or not.
Needs improving
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Most people don’t get sick pay
Do Caffè Nero pay assistant managers sick pay?
No. Most people don’t get proper sick pay.
How we know this
96% of people say they wouldn’t get paid if they were sick but scheduled to work.Based on data from 47 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between April 2023 and April 2025.
Why this matters
Everyone gets sick sometimes. You should be able to take time off without worrying.
At a good job you should still get paid if you’re scheduled to work but can’t due to sickness. Your contract should say how many sick days you can take each year.
This is more than the legal minimum, which says you should only get paid if you are unwell for 4 full days. See Citizens Advice for more details.
Okay
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Some people do unpaid extra work
Do assistant managers at Caffè Nero do extra work that they don't get paid for?
Sometimes. Some people do unpaid extra work.
How we know this
60% of people report that they do extra work that they don’t get paid for.Based on data from 45 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between April 2023 and April 2025.
Why this matters
Everyone should get paid for any extra work they do, even if it is outside your contracted hours. At a good job, you should be paid for all the time you spend at work.
Hours and flexibility
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Needs improving
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Less than 4 weeks notice of shifts
How much notice do assistant managers get of their shift pattern at Caffè Nero?
Most people don’t get 4 weeks notice of when they’re working.
How we know this
- 58% of people with changing schedules report getting one week notice or less.
- 35% of people with changing schedules report getting two weeks notice.
- 6% of people with changing schedules report getting three weeks notice.
- 0% of people with changing schedules report getting four weeks notice or more.
Based on data from 48 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between April 2023 and April 2025.
Why this matters
At a good job, you get plenty of notice about when you’re working.
This makes it easy for you to plan the rest of life, as well as your finances, because you know how much you’ll be working and when.
Okay
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Some people worry about their hours
Do assistant managers at Caffè Nero worry about hours?
Some people worry about getting enough hours.
How we know this
40% of people report they worry about getting enough hours.Based on data from 47 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between April 2023 and April 2025.
Why this matters
At a good job, you shouldn’t have to worry about getting enough hours each week.
A good job should guarantee you a minimum number of hours in a contract, if you want it.
This makes it easier to plan your finances, because you know how much you’ll be earning.
Okay
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Only some people get a choice of shifts
Do assistant managers at Caffè Nero get to choose the shifts they work?
Some people don’t get enough choice over which shifts they work.
How we know this
36% report that their manager doesn’t give them enough choice over which shifts they work.Based on data from 47 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between April 2023 and April 2025.
Why this matters
A good job is flexible around your personal life. This means you get a say in when you prefer to work.
Okay
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Can be hard to change shifts
How easy is it for assistant managers at Caffè Nero to change shifts?
Some people find it hard to change shifts.
How we know this
51% of people report that it’s hard to change shifts if they need to.Based on data from 37 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between April 2023 and April 2025.
Why this matters
A good job is flexible around your personal life. It should be easy to change a shift if you need to, whether that’s in an emergency or for planning ahead.
Good
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Easy to book holiday
How easy is it for assistant managers to book a holiday at Caffè Nero?
Most people find it easy to book holiday.
How we know this
80% of people report it’s easy to book holidays.Based on data from 45 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between April 2023 and April 2025.
Why this matters
A good job should let you take time off when you need it, and it shouldn’t be a nightmare to arrange.
Okay
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Shifts can get changed at short notice
Do Caffè Nero managers change assistant managers shifts at short notice?
Some managers change people’s shifts at short notice.
How we know this
48% of people say their manager changes their shifts at the last minute.Based on data from 46 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between April 2023 and April 2025.
Why this matters
If your manager is often changing your shifts at short notice that’s a sign of poor planning. At a good job you won’t be messed around at the last minute.
Okay
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Some people find it hard to take sick leave
How easy is it for assistant managers to take sick leave at Caffè Nero?
Some people find it hard to take sick leave.
How we know this
59% of people report that it’s hard to take time off if they are sick.Based on data from 44 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between April 2023 and April 2025.
Why this matters
Everyone gets sick sometimes. You should be able to take time off when you need to.
A good job should support you when you’re unwell and have systems in place that will allow you to take time off to recover when you need it.
Workplace
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Good
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Most people feel treated with respect
Do assistant managers at Caffè Nero feel treated with respect by their managers?
Most people feel treated with respect by their managers.
How we know this
67% of people say they’re treated with respect by their managers.Based on data from 43 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between April 2023 and April 2025.
Why this matters
Everyone should get treated with respect by their managers. You shouldn’t feel discriminated against or bullied, and if you have a problem you should be able to speak to someone about it.
Okay
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Only some people get proper breaks
Do assistant managers at Caffè Nero get proper breaks?
Some people don’t get proper breaks.
How we know this
53% of people report that they don’t get to take proper breaks.Based on data from 47 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between April 2023 and April 2025.
Why this matters
When you take a break it should be a proper rest. It should last the full duration and you shouldn’t get pulled off it.
Needs improving
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Most people are stressed
Is it stressful for assistant managers to work at Caffè Nero?
Most people feel stressed here.
How we know this
88% of people say they often feel stressed at work.Based on data from 48 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between April 2023 and April 2025.
Why this matters
Work isn’t always easy, but if you’re frequently feel stressed, that’s not good.
Your employer should support you with enough people and resources to get your job done without feeling overwhelmed.
Okay
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Only some people enjoy their job
Do assistant managers at Caffè Nero enjoy their jobs?
Only some people enjoy their job.
How we know this
50% of people report they don’t enjoy their job.Based on data from 40 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between April 2023 and April 2025.
Okay
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Only some people recommend their team
Do assistant managers at Caffè Nero recommend working with their team?
Only some people recommend working with their team.
How we know this
63% of people report that they wouldn’t recommend working with their immediate team to a friend.Based on data from 48 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between April 2023 and April 2025.
Why this matters
A good job means enjoying the place where you work.
The people you work with every day really matter. They can be the difference between a terrible day and a great one.
If you’d recommend your team to a friend, this shows that something’s going right.
Good
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Most people get enough training
Do assistant managers get enough training when they start at Caffè Nero?
Most people got enough training when they started.
How we know this
69% of people report they got enough training when they started working here.Based on data from 45 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between April 2023 and April 2025.
Why this matters
A good job should give you good training when you start, not just drop you in at the deep end.
This means that you’ll be happier and more productive from day one and shows that your employer values you.
It’s also very important if your job involves anything that could be dangerous. Good training from the outset keeps you and your team safe.
Okay
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Only some people get support to progress
Are assistant managers given support to progress at Caffè Nero?
Only some people are given support to progress here.
How we know this
In the last year, 42% of people report not being given an opportunity to get better at their job, learn a new skill, learn to manage a team or get more responsibility in their role.Based on data from 45 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between April 2023 and April 2025.
Why this matters
A good job should help you progress at work, if you want to. That might be supporting you to get better at the job you currently have, learn something new, manage a team or take on more responsibilities.
This means you’ll be able to build on your skills and experience, and earn more money.
Needs improving
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Head office doesn’t understand what’s happening
Do assistant managers think Caffè Nero head office understands what's happening where they work?
Most people think head office doesn’t understand what’s happening where they work.
How we know this
80% of people think that this employer’s head office or owners don’t have a good understanding of what’s really happening where they work.Based on data from 46 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between April 2023 and April 2025.
Why this matters
At a good job, the role of head office should be to support the people on the frontline serving customers.
To do that properly, the company’s owners or head office need to have a good understanding of what’s really happening on the frontline. This is especially important when a company owns multiple locations.
Okay
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Only some people feel well informed by head office
Do assistant managers feel well informed about how Caffè Nero is doing?
Only some people feel well informed about how the company is doing.
How we know this
45% of people feel that they aren’t kept well informed about how the company is doing as a whole.Based on data from 42 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between April 2023 and April 2025.
Why this matters
At a good job, there should be a supportive relationship between the people working on the frontline serving customers and the people who own the company or work in head office.
You should be kept informed about how the company is doing as a whole, both in good times and when things get tough for the business.
What Caffè Nero employees say about their job
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Best thing
You learn how to make good coffee.
Worst thing
You get 20 minutes for an unpaid break, no break room so you sit in isolation waiting to return to work. This is too short to go somewhere else to buy food so you'll spend your wage in the store you work.
Sometimes you're asked to go home an hour early by the manager to save the store money when it's not busy. They're taking your wage when you do that.
Managers are rude, poorly trained and don't live in the real world. The shout at people for not doing more jobs at once, don't think about looking at a blender as it bends the customers drink.
The Trafford centre store is too hot.
You only get 30 minutes to clean and close the whole store, this is not enough time. If you go over you won't be paid.
Morale is poor because you're working short shifts and having to come in all week.
Days off are random and not together.
Why is a coffee shop open til 10pm anyway?
The store averages £5k sales a day, we know because it's written on the blackboard. This rubs it in the face of everyone working who is always told to up sell to make more money for the store. There is zero commission.
The space to prepare coffee is far too small. It's an accident waiting to happen.
No parking.
I could go on but I won't. Don't work there.
Shift leader at Caffè Nero, December 2024
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Best thing
Free coffee?? That's probably it
Worst thing
Everything else, everyone on the team hates it here and the manager treats us like dirt and doesn't train people, and if you ask for help you get "I'm not here to baby you" even if you're new
Assistant manager at Caffè Nero, December 2024
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