The food retailer has committed to "reaching out to the careers department of every school in the country in 2012" to encourage British school leavers to work for us.
Pret also plans to expand the Pret apprenticeship scheme for the homeless and increase the number of apprentices to 70 this year.
The Scheme offers an opportunity to break the cycle of homelessness by providing the most valuable gift of all: a paid job in a lively social environment.
Pret made the announcement after its 2011 annual results showed its turnover for last year had reached £377.3 million, up 15% from £324.4 million in 2010.
Clive Schlee, chief executive of Pret A Manger, said: "2011 was a year of strong revenue and profit growth during which we built a record number of new stores in the UK and internationally. It was also a very important year for Pret as we celebrated our 25th anniversary.
"In 2012 we are investing heavily in future growth with a record number of shop openings and are planning to create 550 new jobs in the UK and to open more than 44 shops, of which 20 will open internationally."
The news comes only weeks after Subway announced it was to create 6,000 jobs in the UK and Republic of Ireland, this year.
