As our name suggests, we’re the authority on all things Oxford summer jobs, having helped hundreds of candidates secure their ideal summer jobs across the past three years.
Along the way, we learned that certain questions are often at the top of list for those putting together their summer schedules, and we are pleased to share the answers to five of those common questions here!
At this time of year, you’ll probably have noticed that lots of Oxford’s leading summer employers have started advertising for a myriad of different roles and opportunities. We know it can be difficult to know where to start – so if you’re looking for some free advice, we’d be delighted to help you. You can get started by filling in our home page form, here.
#1. What are the main types of Oxford summer job?
As anyone who’s been in the city during the summer will know, Oxford’s popularity as a tourist destination is huge. According to Oxford City Council, approximately 7 million tourists visit the city every year, and with demand for international travel continuing to be strong, it’s a trend we can all expect to continue.
Tourism is therefore a vital part of Oxford’s economy – to support so many visitors, there are a vast array of Oxford summer jobs in sectors including hospitality, transport and retail.
But perhaps the best opportunities for temporary employment are in the private education sector. The University of Oxford is a magnet for educational tourists, and there are many private enterprises who operate short courses in the city. These companies need a range of staff to operate successfully – the most obvious of those is teaching staff, but there are also requirements for temporary administrative staff, activity leaders and student help staff, customer service operatives, creative skills, and more. Click on the links or contact us to read a little more about each of these different types of Oxford summer job!
#2. What are the hours, and the rates of pay?
At Oxford Summer Jobs, we work with Oxford’s leading summer schools to help them find the talent they need for the summer. Through our work, we’ve come to learn that there are a variety of combinations of hours and pay, depending on the role, your experience and the hiring organisation.
Typically, teaching roles are the best paid, and depending on the organisation can range from 5 hours a week up to 30 hours a week.
Administrative roles are lower paid, but typically tend to see more hours, with 40+ available.
For undergraduates, the best role is often as a student helper. These will pay just over minimum wage, but good candidates will receive long contract offers and the prospect of 40+ hours per week, plus overtime.
We’ve written some factfiles about different types of Oxford summer job, summarising hours, rates of pay and other information in a handy guide – click the link to access it!
#3. When do summer jobs start and when do I need to be available?
The busiest period for the leading summer schools in Oxford begins at the end of June, and runs through until the end of July (although some run until August, too!).
Candidates who can work throughout July – without commitments on holidays and festivals – are therefore in high demand (the odd day for a graduation or similar shouldn’t be an issue!).
There are some roles that start earlier than this, though. So if you’re available to work in the spring, and looking to maximise the amount of time you’re in work, we’d recommend getting in touch and we can connect you with organisations and roles that we think will be a good fit for you!
#4. What are the application deadlines?
The leading Oxford summer jobs will be looking to lock in their key teams for the summer as early as possible – so deadlines are typically advertised as being in April and May.
If you’re looking at this after those months, though, don’t despair! The sector is incredibly dynamic, and relies on lots of individual people many of whom have unavoidable changes of plan and need to relinquish their agreed role.
Of course, the earlier you get organised, the more likely you are to gain one of the best roles – however, it’s never too late to get started!
#5. How can I find the best Oxford summer job for me?
There are a number of ways to start looking for the Oxford summer job which will allow you to make the most out of this summer!
Google is, for many, the obvious place to begin – a search for “Oxford summer jobs” will bring back lots of matches, including job posts from boards such as Glassdoor and Indeed. However, the amount of roles, hiring organisations and job descriptions you’ll have to trawl through will be substantial!
You can also take a look at the websites of the leading summer schools in Oxford. The best will keep their systems and websites up to date; however, as that’s often a manual process they can easily slip out of date. In addition, looking across all of the main providers can be a time-consuming job.
And that’s why Oxford Summer Jobs exists! We’re here to simplify job searches, making it easier for candidates to find the right roles for them, and for businesses to find the right talent for the roles they have available. We would be absolutely delighted to talk to you about your experience and your goals for the summer, and to recommend you for particular roles and/or companies that match what you’d like to achieve. And the best part is, it’s completely free for candidates!
To get started, please Register with us, and one of our team will send you an email straight away!
Summary
We hope that you’ve found this batch of Frequently Asked Questions useful! Our mission is to make the process of finding a summer job in Oxford much more efficient than the traditional methods of trawling the web and job boards!
We’re the authority on Oxford summer jobs, so if you have a burning question that isn’t covered in the above, please let us know via our Contact form!
And stay tuned for part 3 of our FAQs, which we’ll be posting in the next few weeks!
Oxford Summer Jobs 