Help needed. Any parents with kids in Liverpool uni?

[Lilifer]

Posting here for traffic as got no response in Chat.

Wondering if anyone can help me, if you have a kid studying in Liverpool. My son is in first year in John Moore's Liverpool and is looking for a job to help him with his living expenses. He hasn't had much luck and wondering if he's looking in wrong places. His students union don't seem to be of much help in directing him to places that employ students, have any of you any suggestions or tips or advice you can give me to pass on to him? TIA

Get him to have a look at Student Ambassador roles, open days and ADDs are coming up so there’ll be good money there.
Also look at Aintree Racecourse jobs, Grand National is coming up, and LFC/EFC hospitality.
Bar jobs are always plentiful, has he walked down Seel Street popping in each bar and asking for vacancies?

Both my kids at Uni cannot find jobs. As soon as employers find out they are students they don't want to know. My dd tried to keep it quiet at an interview this week but was asked outright. My ds's gf is at Liverpool and has a job in a convenience store on campus.

Have they tried the likes of McDonalds? Absolutely loads of bars in Liverpool, get him to ring the bars and ask if there's any work.

Supermarket? There's plenty about and the asda on smithdown Rd/tesco on mather Ave is on a reliable bus route.

When my son was at uni, in the middle of a recession he actually came home every weekend to work in Tesco petrol station Saturday and Sunday. No work in Middlesbrough at the time. He was better off working 12 hours a week at Tesco and paying his return 1.5 hour train journey than he was being unemployed and in the holidays he took whatever shifts they offered working nearly full time and saving. Tesco were a great employer to him. He also brought his dirty washing home each weekend

How far from home is your DS, could this work for him?

Catering\Events Agency's will take students. Pick and choose your own shifts.
Chester Race Company (Chester Races mainly, but also events and hotel work in L'pool)
Verve catering and HAP events are others I am aware of\have worked
with.
I'm sure there are loads of others with a google.

Tesco on Mather avenue does employ students and 6th formers (mine was there in 6th form and for a few years afterwards in uni vacs), but he needed another employee’s name and staff number to get the job in the first place. He should find out where other students are working and see if anyone can recommend him.

And as pp says, Tesco was a great employer. Good pay and fixed shifts while at school (he did 8 hours then) and plenty of Christmas and summer shifts when at uni.

On the other hand I had students who couldn’t believe what my son was earning at 17 - considerably more than some of them at 20. Low paying jobs were clothes shops, phone shops etc.

Can I ask how that works? My daughter has recently got a job at another supermarket and she will ask them but I was just wondering what they do with students. Do they keep them on a contract but just for holidays or are they re -employed every holiday? Also wondering if I’ll get to keep her staff discount!

She does 12 hours a week while at sixth form but planning on going to uni later this year. I’m also half hoping she might be able to transfer to a branch near her uni if at all possible.

How is he trying to find a job? There are always bars and shops looking for part time staff but you won't find them advertising. You go down the street and ask the manager of each one until you find one that needs staff.

My daughter is first year John Moores also and in the same situation. Loads of independent coffee shops so I suggested her popping in to ask if any vacancies.
When we visited for open day last year, a lot of current students said they were working at the clothing stores part time and mainly in hospitality…..

DS worked in M n S simply food at railway station had to work every Saturday/Sunday early morning shifts but he’s not a big drinker so never a problem
DD worked in local supermarket
All the costas and Nero’s near me seem to have a lot of students

I worked at one of the shops in the local airport when I was at university. Worked well as they offered 8-15 hours/week contracts during term time but during the summer holidays I could sign up for as much overtime as I liked, and basically worked full time as it was such a busy period. 80% of people I worked with were students, and that also seemed to be the case at the other airport shops/cafes/restaurants.

SSP are the main company who own catering outlets at airports: https://careers.foodtravelexperts.com/search/?searchby=location&createNewAlert=false&q=&locationsearch=Liverpool&geolocation=&optionsFacetsDD_department=&optionsFacetsDD_shifttype=&optionsFacetsDD_country=

for the shops (I.e Travelex, WHSmith, Boots, Duty Free) you would need to check their job websites directly.

Can your DS swim? My DD got a job easily as a lifeguard. It does however take a week to qualify and the course (NPLQ) costs about £300. There is a national shortage of lifeguards. Might be worth checking with a leisure centre to see if they are recruiting. If they are, he can consider doing the NPLQ in the holidays.

Not in Liverpool, but DD was a student in Sheffield and worked in Tesco. They were brilliant to her (she's was a student nurse and did awkward shifts, but Tesco accommodated her).

When my son was at Liverpool Uni he did shifts at Madre, a Mexican restaurant at Albert Dock. I think they employ quite a few students as at first he didn't get many shifts, but once they knew him he had quite a few!

My sons first year at John moores. He's working at McDonald's. Full time 30 hours. Only has uni 2 days a week.

I would try matchday hospitality at Liverpool and Everton football clubs. Maybe Tranmere too.

This. My DC worked on match days and occasionally at music events at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, enough for some pocket money.

Unfortunately no as we are in Northern Ireland

Brilliant thank you all, loads of great suggestions there I will pass on to him! 🙌🏻🙌🏻

I second the footie clubs. My daughter went to the Anfield tour and said they always take on students.
She’s only just applying as she wanted to ensure her management of her uni work in her first year, before taking on a job as she wanted to feel she could manage both, she’s dyslexic so takes longer with study projects. Good luck 🤞🏻

Daughter at John Moores - she/flatmates/friends have various jobs including at Wetherspoons and the Liverpool Hilton, but did take a bit of perseverance to find things. She says Unitemps was quite a good site (run by LJMU?) 🙂

I interviewed last year at Waitrose for a part-time, non-holiday job. Interviewed with 2 other lovely candidates - both at school in the local area. The aim of the interview was to see how we all cooperated on various tasks, so we had all chatted politely for ages. The 1st school age student came a-cropper as when completing hours paperwork they had failed to state that they were off to uni and therefore wouldnt be around during term-time. The recruiting manager interviewed them but was quite annoyed. ( I was also quite annoyed as I had to get back to work - if they weren't going to be hired that week-ish why not interview them last!!). It didnt sound as if transfer could be on the cards - which I would say is what the student was hoping for. The manager said they should have applied for a holiday position - but clearly that is holiday in the home area, not the student area.

Sainsbury used to be a lot more flexible re moves (neighbour's child experience) but perhaps that has changed.

As someone that works at two universities I find it incredibly unlikely that the uni careers service cannot find students roles to fit round their studies.

That's literally what they are there for - Every Uni preaches work experience whilst studying as employers need to see that working ethic, drive and initiative.

Your sons department/ faculty will have an employability advisor he can speak with, as well as a careers service he can walk into.

Knowing what I know, I would be raising an eyebrow pretty high if my child said they couldn't find a job and that University couldn't help them either.

LSJ careers support offer:

https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/studentfutures