Plenty of big high street names need extra staff right now
December is always a drain on our wallets – but if we’re out of work and looking to start earning it could also be a great time to land a new job.
Lots of high street chains are hiring now to get staff in place to cover Christmas. Here are a few of employers on the hunt for workers, and how much they’re paying.
Argos needs sales staff, stock assistants and delivery drivers and as well as a pay rate of £9.50-£10.50 an hour, they also offer 10 per cent off not just instore but also in Sainsbury’s and Habitat.
If we fancy shop work but don’t have any experience, Card Factory could be a good place to get our foot in the door. They’re looking for sales and stock assistants, they don’t need us to have worked in retail before and they offer a staff discount.
One of the bigger payers in retail is John Lewis/Waitrose. They pay £9.26-£13.23 an hour depending on our age and the role and they’re filling lots of different jobs this Christmas, including sales assistants, stock assistants, catering staff and supermarket workers.
There are also free meals for staff during their shifts and we can register on their site for email alerts about temporary roles.
One of the biggest Christmas employers is Marks & Spencer, who have a wide range of jobs on offer including sales staff and cafe workers.
They pay between £9.20 and £10.25 an hour and give staff 20 per cent discount – but it’s a good idea to get in quickly as some of the positions will close shortly.
Superdrug’s probably going to be shifting plenty of perfume over the next few weeks so they’re looking for extra sales staff over Christmas. They’re offering £9.05 an hour and 30 per cent discount, which we can also share with one friend or family member.
Parents of young children might have the toy expertise to work for The Entertainer. Not only do they pay two-weekly but they offer 20 per cent staff discount and give staff Sundays off.
They’re going to be pretty busy being Santa in the run up to Christmas so need extra sales staff and pay up to £9.31 an hour, depending on age and location.
All the major supermarkets will also need seasonal staff to help with the Christmas rush, so we could always pop into our local store and ask about how to apply. And although they’re not hiring as many people as last Christmas, Royal Mail still needs thousands of temporary delivery and sorting staff this year.
The minimum wage across all employers is still £8.91 an hour if we’re over 23. The government has said it’s going to rise to £9.50 next April – but not in time for Christmas, sadly.
Read our tips for moving into employment here, or take the Are You Job Ready? quiz.
