Dining Services Summer Worker

We invite you to explore summer employment opportunities within the Dining Services team. Bennington College welcomes applications for several Summer Worker positions in the dining hall, including Prep Cooks and Utility/Dishroom positions. Summer employment opportunities with Dining Services are temporary, full-time, starting on/around the first week of June through August 14, 2026. We recognize that summer hires may have school or other commitments that require them to end their assignments earlier.

Available schedules/placement for the Dining Services Summer Worker positions are as follows:

Summer Worker, Prep Cook - 2 full-time schedules available (40 hours/week):

• Sunday through Thursday, 11:30 am - 8:00 pm
• Saturday through Wednesday, 12:30 pm - 9:00 pm

The hourly rate of pay for the Prep Cook position starts at $18.84, and after thirty (30) days of employment, the hourly rate will increase to $20.93.

Summer Worker, Utility/Dishroom - 2 full-time schedules available (40 hours/week):

• Wednesday through Sunday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
• Sunday through Thursday, 11:00 am - 7:30 pm

The hourly rate of pay for the Utility/Dishroom position starts at $17.67, and after thirty (30) days of employment, the hourly rate will increase to $19.63.

Working in collaboration with experienced Dining Services staff, Summer Workers are responsible for following established safety rules and regulations, maintaining a safe and clean work environment, and promoting a positive and congenial atmosphere and working relationship with students, employees, supervisors, and other individuals with whom these positions may come in contact. These jobs require the use of proper judgment in work assignments daily, effectively managing their time, and being proactive and self-motivated.

Qualifications:

• Prep Cook: High School graduate and/or GED equivalent required; must be 18 years of age; one year of relevant culinary experience required, preferably in a large scale institutional setting; knowledge of current principles, practices, equipment, materials and methods used in large-scale food production.
• Utility/Dishroom: High School graduate and/or GED equivalent required; previous experience and knowledge of current principles, practices, equipment, materials and methods used in large-scale food production preferred.
• Successful completion of annual Hazardous Communication Training Program, and Food Sanitation (ServSafe) course as required. Ability to understand proper use of chemicals used in the performance of position duties and maintain familiarity with the chemical’s material safety data sheets. Required attendance and successful completion/passing of College-sponsored classes and seminars determined by employer.
• Good personal cleanliness and hygiene.
• Exceptional customer service skills; demonstrated experience interacting and developing relationships with internal customers. Demonstrated ability to multi-task, respond to requests with a sense of urgency, and complete work orders in a timely manner.
• Language Skills: Ability to comprehend and follow oral and written instructions, procedures, correspondence, and memos. Ability to write correspondence. Ability to give full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate.
• Math Skills: Ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide in all units of measure and inventory, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals to solve problems.
• Reasoning Ability: Ability to use logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems; considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions and discussing ideas with supervisor. Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Good organizational skills.

Bennington College requires successful completion and acceptable results of a background check.

Bennington serves a diverse student population inclusive of members of ethnically/racially minoritized, international, LGBTQIA , and disability communities as well as diverse gender identities, socioeconomic backgrounds, religions, and political beliefs. Our staff and faculty also reflect diverse and intersecting backgrounds and identities. All employees are expected to be respectful and responsive to these differences in the service of building community that promotes student and employee success and community cohesiveness. Each individual (faculty, staff and students) will be accountable for upholding these values. The College’s approach to pluralism and inclusivity—both as fields of inquiry and practice—is to prioritize flexible thought, and to invite the examination of access, value, power, and privilege through its institutional policies and areas of study. We encourage applicants from diverse realms of interest, backgrounds, experience, and accomplishment to apply.

The College

The College offers a competitive hourly wage, and employees have use of our on-site facilities, including a fitness/recreation center, tennis courts, and campus library. Spend your summer on our vibrant and exciting college campus!

Bennington College is a laboratory for innovation in higher education. At Bennington, learning and making—on campus and in the field—are inseparable, and its graduates are noted for their outsized impact on the world’s stage. This campus celebrates the ongoing making of work—shared on walls, in shows and performances, in lectures and readings, and in conversations—and believes that equity, diversity, and inclusivity are vital to a collaborative community. This position captures, contributes to, and reflects the ethos of this creative community.

Nestled at the foot of the Green Mountains in Vermont, the campus consists of approximately 370 acres. The College was named one of ten with the best architecture by Architectural Digest. From campus, it is a short drive to the cultural offerings of the northern Berkshires in Massachusetts, Albany, New York, and many of Vermont’s top recreational centers. New York City, Boston, and Burlington, Vermont are all within three and a half hours by car.