Volunteer With Us

Welcome to Agora Café! We welcome students of all faculties, experience, and ability to come learn and grow with us. Whether you’re experienced in the service industry or new to cooking we welcome anyone who is passionate about helping provide sustainable, affordable food for our campus community.

Volunteering at Agora is a fun and serious commitment. We are a fully operational cafe and as such we expect all volunteers to punctually attend all of their shifts, regardless of what period during the term it is.

Why Volunteer?

Joining the Agora community can extend a range of professional and social benefits:

Extend your group-working skills
Gain leadership and organizational skills
Learn how to prepare nutritionally adequate and sustainable meals while exhibiting food safety practices
Polish (or maybe develop) your knife, baking, and cooking skills
Begin to understand the philosophy of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems and explore the food system
Meet other students in many faculties and hear the experiences of senior students
Make friends!!!

Volunteer Position Descriptions

General Volunteer

These are the friendly faces that our customers see every day when they come in for a cup of coffee or lunch. They work in the cafe as cashiers, cooks, bakers, and dishwashers to keep our cafe running.

Time commitment: 1 recurring 2-3 hour shift/week

Attributes:

Be committed, responsible, and willing to learn
Enjoy interacting with fellow volunteers and the public
Have an interest in baking, cooking, or hospitality
Have at least 2 hours of availability Mon-Fri 9 am – 3 pm, Mon/Thurs 3 – 8 pm, or Sunday 11 am – 3pm
Holding a Food Safe Level 1 Certificate is an asset but not required

Responsibilities and Tasks:

Attend the mandatory Volunteer Training each semester
Have an understanding of Agora’s mission statement and philosophy
Arrive on time for shifts
Communicate with Shift Leaders or Human Resources Manager regarding scheduling conflicts or absences (min. 24 hours’ notice)
Prepare menu items, serve customers, and maintain a clean work space
Rotate roles with other shift members to learn all procedures at Agora Café
Adhere to Food Safe standards
Work respectively with other volunteers and with Shift Leaders to maintain cafe operations

Shift Leader

These volunteers take on a greater role and greater responsibility in the cafe by helping manage the cafe and the volunteers on their shift. They are good leaders and problem solvers, delegating tasks to general volunteers and keeping the cafe running smoothly during the day. They maintain open communication with the executive team regarding updates and issues.

Time commitment: 1 recurring 2-3 hr shift/week

Attributes:

Be committed, responsible, and willing to learn
Enjoy interacting with fellow volunteers and the public
Be able to adapt and respond to unexpected problems and situations
Have strong leadership and communication skills
Have at least 2 hours of availability Mon-Fri 9 am – 3 pm, Mon/Thurs 3 – 8 pm, or Sunday 11 am – 3pm
Have, or be willing to obtain, a Food Safe Level 1 Certificate
Experience working in Agora or in the food service industry is an asset

Responsibilities and Tasks:

Understand and uphold the general workings of Agora, its mission statement, and philosophy
Delegate volunteers to different tasks and ensure recipe production in accordance with weekly schedule and available ingredients
Be able to educate volunteers on how to operate different Agora appliances like the cash register, dishwasher, and food processor
Be able to manage or delegate customer inquiries/complaints to the executive team as needed
Update attendance and temperature logs

Sunday Shift Volunteers and Shift Leads

Sunday shifts are responsible for prepping the vegetables for weekly entrees and preparing baked goods. If you love blasting music while preparing food, this is the shift for you.

Time commitment: 1 recurring 2-hour shift

Responsibilities and Tasks:

Understand the general workings of Agora, its mission statement, and philosophy
Be able to learn and operate the different appliances in Agora, like the dishwasher, scales, and food processors
Prepare sufficient ingredients according to weekly recipes
Adhere to Food Safe standards

Catering Volunteer

Time commitment: varies week-to-week

These volunteers work with the catering execs to fulfill our catering orders, making large batches of cookies, granola bars, or other cafe menu items. Shifts will vary depending on the intake of catering orders and volunteer availability. Any volunteers interested in being a catering volunteer are advised to put another position as their first choice, but can indicate their interest in working as a catering volunteer.

Attributes:

Have an interest in baking and food preparation
Be committed, responsible, and willing to learn
Enjoy interacting with fellow volunteers
Have, or be willing to complete, the Food Safe Level 1 Certificate
Baking experience an asset

Volunteer Availability

We require volunteers to be available for at least one shift per week for 2 hours.
Shifts are filled on a first-come-first-served basis. To ensure that you are placed with your first choice, please submit your application as soon as possible. Make sure to follow us on Instagram for updates.
Refer to the shift times when indicating your shift preferences in your online application. Your shift time is not the one next to your manager’s name (that is theirs), please look at the times on the left.

DATES TO NOTE

All volunteers will receive an email from the HR manager regarding their scheduled shift(s)
Volunteers must attend one of our mandatory Volunteer Training Days

Cafe volunteer and shift leader applications open before the beginning of each term,

Apply to Join

Stay up to date by following @agoracafeubc on Instagram. Applications, when available, can be found on our Linktree.

Volunteers and Shift Leads

Applications for January 2027 will open in December 2026

Volunteer applications open before the beginning of each semester. We often receive more applications than we have positions for but all applicants are added to a waitlist. Volunteers often drop out during the term so even if you do not initially receive a shift you may be contacted later if there is an opening that works with your schedule.

Catering Team

Applications are open

Catering team applications open roughly one month into each semester.

Executive Team

We are not currently accepting applications.

Executive team positions are typically filled in April and/or December as positions become available. Strong preference given to individuals with prior experience at Agora Cafe.