Most kitchen, cleaning, warehouse and care jobs in the UK are settled on one phone call. It lasts a minute and turns on the same ten questions. Each one is below, with what the employer is really asking, a short answer, and the two questions you should ask back. At the end there is one sentence to use when you cannot follow — that sentence is what saves the call.
Do you have the right to work in the UK?
This is usually the first question, and the employer has to check it — they can be fined heavily if they do not. Answer honestly. A lie here does not get you a job; it gets you found out at the check, which every employer does before the first shift.
You say:
Yes — I can bring my documents / share code with me.
Say this only if it is true. If it is not, this is the wrong job to chase, and the article linked at the bottom explains what your actual position is.
Can I take your name?
What is your name?
You say:
My name is … Shall I spell it for you?
Offering to spell it saves confusion later, when your name is on a rota.
Have you done this kind of work before?
Do you have experience?
You say:
Yes, two years — kitchen work, mostly evenings.
Give a number and one detail. Vague answers sound invented; a detail sounds real.
When can you start?
When are you available?
You say:
I can start straight away.
If you cannot, say the real date. Turning up late on day one costs more than saying “Monday”.
Whereabouts are you? How would you get here?
They are checking you can actually reach the site, especially for early or late shifts.
You say:
I’m in … It’s about thirty minutes by bus.
Check the journey before the call if you can. Do not guess.
Are you available weekends and evenings?
Shift availability — often the real reason someone gets picked.
You say:
Yes, weekends are fine. I can do evenings from …
Only promise hours you can actually work every week.
How many hours are you looking for?
Full time or part time?
You ask back:
How many hours a week are you offering? Is it a fixed rota or zero hours?
Worth asking. “Zero hours” means no guaranteed hours at all, and that changes what the job is worth to you.
What’s the hourly rate?
Ask this on the call, every time, before you agree to anything. It is much harder to ask on day three.
Then ask:
Is anything taken off for accommodation, uniform or transport?
Deductions can quietly take your real pay below the legal minimum. Ask before, not after.
Can you come in for a trial shift?
A short shift to see how you work.
You say:
Yes. What time, and is the trial shift paid?
Ask plainly whether it is paid. Asking is normal, and the answer tells you a lot about the employer.
Could you text me the address and the start time?
Always ask for this. One message with the address, the time and the rate puts the whole agreement in writing, and writing is what you will need later.
The one sentence that saves the call
When you lose the thread, do not hang up and do not guess. Say this:
Sorry, could you say that again a bit more slowly, please?
Asking someone to repeat themselves does not lose you the job. Agreeing to something you did not understand does.
Common mistakes
- Not asking the hourly rate on the call.
- Not asking whether deductions come off it.
- Agreeing to a time and place you did not write down.
- Not getting anything in writing. One text message beats a long friendly conversation.
- Saying yes to “right to work” when the answer is no. The check happens before your first shift, always.
