January and February can be the busiest months for job hunters. With resolutions made and determination bolstered, the new year offers a clean slate to make a change. So why not get ahead of the crowds and start your search before Christmas?
This winter, there are plenty of age-diverse employers hiring across the UK for a range of roles. So whether you’re in the market for an entry-level opening or a senior position, there’s hopefully something among the thousands of jobs posted on our website.
To give you some inspiration, we’ve pulled together some of our favourite age-diverse employers hiring this winter…
1. Compass Group UK & Ireland
Are you passionate about good food? Or would you like to work at some of the country’s most important institutions – such as hospitals and universities? If so, you might want to check out the opportunities Compass Group has to offer.
Compass Group is the UK and Ireland’s top contract catering, hospitality, and business support services provider. They work to deliver tasty and nutritional food and drink in a wide variety of settings – from serving up school lunches and fuelling the armed forces to catering at some of the most iconic sports stadiums.
There’s a wide range of roles available at Compass Group all over the UK, each offering unique shift patterns, opportunities, and experiences. So whether you’re a seasoned chef looking for your next challenge or searching for a job that doesn’t require any previous experience (such as a general catering assistant), hopefully, there’s something for you.
2. Co-op
You might know the Co-op as the friendly grocery shop on your corner, but they do more than just sell food. From funeral care and insurance to legal services and logistics, Co-op offers all kinds of products and services, so they’re always looking for people to join their teams.
On our website, you’ll find vacancies that need specific experience (like embalmers and solicitors) alongside roles you can jump right into and learn on the job (such as funeral arrangers). So whether you’d like to work as a customer assistant in one of their shops or help ceremonies run smoothly as a funeral service crew member, there are plenty of opportunities for an entirely new career.
What makes the Co-op different from other employers is that they’re owned by 4.5 million members, rather than a group of wealthy shareholders. As a result, it’s a company that focuses on the needs of the many, not the few – running a variety of social initiatives to support the communities around them, focusing on sustainability, and offering excellent employee benefits.
3. TIB Services
Are you interested in a rewarding, flexible role that lets you work with your hands? If so, a career as a school caretaker could be for you.
School caretakers make sure that buildings and grounds are clean and secure, and that everything is in proper working order. The role includes a range of responsibilities – including making repairs and doing landscape work – so it’s perfect for practical people who like to solve problems and spend time outside.
TIB Services are currently looking for friendly and proactive people to provide temporary relief for school caretakers all over the UK. Working for an agency like TIB means you can choose which jobs you’d like to take on – whether that be full-time assignments or part-time opportunities. So it’s a great choice if you’re looking for a flexible career in later life.
All you need to apply to become a school caretaker with TIB Services is a solid knowledge of DIY. So, if you know your way around a toolbox, why not see what’s available?
To find out more about becoming a school caretaker, you can take a look at our career change guide. And to hear from a couple of TIB Services employees, why not read Jackie and Dave’s story?
4. G4S
G4S is a world-leading security company that manages prisons, secure training centres, and other facilities in the UK. Their mission is to help rehabilitate offenders and equip them with the skills and knowledge needed to reintegrate back into society.
Achieving this requires a diverse and multi-skilled team, so G4S currently has a wide selection of jobs on offer. From English teachers who work hard to inspire and mould the minds of young offenders to security officers who look after the safety of staff and prisoners.
Working for G4S may appeal to anyone looking to make a difference in people’s lives for the better.
5. Balfour Beatty
For over 110 years, Balfour Beatty has been building infrastructure that helps to keep our society moving – from bridges and tunnels to health and education facilities. So, if you’re interested in engineering and would like to work on some of the most exciting new projects around, why not see what jobs they currently have on offer?
Working for a company that builds tangible, useful things can be endlessly rewarding. Not only will you be able to go to work knowing that you’re making a better future, but think how satisfying it would be to point at something and say, “I helped build that”.
Whether you’re looking for a behind-the-scenes job in HR, a more practical position doing things like construction or driving multi-purpose vehicles, or a managerial role, there’s hopefully something that interests you in Balfour Beatty’s wide range of roles.
6. J D Wetherspoon
With over 850 pubs and hotels across Britain and Northern Ireland, J D Wetherspoon is always looking for enthusiastic employees to join their teams. Many of their roles offer full on-the-job training, so you don’t need any previous experience to apply.
While many people perceive hospitality roles as just for the younger generations, they can make great later life careers. Working in pubs and hotels can give you the chance to connect with your community and build social connections. Plus, many roles are flexible when it comes to shift patterns, helping you find an opportunity to suit your lifestyle.
Working in hospitality can also be very rewarding – whether that’s putting a smile on someone’s face by serving them good-quality food or working to make sure a birthday party or special occasion is the best it can be. So, if you’re passionate about food, why not apply for one of J D Wetherspoons’ kitchen roles or, if you’re sociable, perhaps you’d like to work at the bar?
7. Vocational Training Charitable Trust
The Vocational Training Charitable Trust (or VTCT) is an awarding and end-point assessment organisation for the personal services and wellbeing sector. In other words, they’re a charity that delivers assessments for people hoping to gain qualifications in fields like sports therapy, fitness, and hair and beauty.
So, if you’re passionate about education and would like to help people unlock their futures, why not see what roles are on offer?
While some of VTCT’s vacancies require specific qualifications, others – such as their end-point assessor roles – allow you to use previous career experience to conduct assessments for people looking to follow in your footsteps. For example, you could manage warehouse operations assessments if you have experience working in a warehouse.
Take a look at the range of opportunities VTCT has on our website…
8. Lidl
Another high-street staple, supermarket chain Lidl is hiring for various positions this winter.
Like many businesses, what you see is only the tip of the iceberg, so as well as forward-facing staff like in-store customer service assistants, they’re also looking for driven employees to join their team in behind-the-scenes roles – from warehouse operatives and cleaning staff to data scientists and IT analysts.
Considering the economic hardship that many communities in the UK have faced recently, Lidl’s mission to bring the highest quality products at the lowest price is as important as ever. So, it can be satisfying and rewarding to help make good food and other essentials accessible.
Plus, every year since 2015, Lidl has adopted The Real Living Wage Foundation rates of pay, so they’re one of the highest-paying supermarket chains.
9. 24x7 Group
Do you enjoy driving and want to help people on a day-to-day basis? Then, a role with 24×7 Group might be the right fit for you.
24×7 Group provides transport for children with special educational needs, taking them to and from school. They’re currently looking for people to drive cars, eight-seat people carriers, and larger, wheelchair-accessible vehicles on a part-time basis.
As well as holding a valid UK driving licence and being able to pass enhanced criminal records checks, drivers must be friendly and polite, have a positive attitude, and enjoy working with children. After all, as well as getting your passengers from A to B, it’ll be your responsibility to make sure that they have as enjoyable and comfortable an experience as possible.
Previous professional driving experience is a bonus but not essential – however, you’ll need to be confident in your abilities behind the wheel. So, if you like the sound of a road-based role, you can start your application today!
And if driving isn’t your thing, you could check out 24/7’s passenger assistant roles, which involve helping people in and out of the vehicles, supporting them mentally and emotionally, and making sure they have a safe trip.
10. NHS
Another company to consider this winter if you want to make a positive impact on people’s lives is the NHS.
Over a million strong, the NHS workforce are the real superheroes of our society. They work each day to help keep us healthy, whether it’s by giving us routine treatment or making life-saving decisions in emergencies.
But you don’t have to be a doctor or nurse to help make the world a better place with the NHS. From specialist, frontline jobs like mental health practitioners and midwives to behind-the-scenes roles you can apply for today – such as cleaners or receptionists – there are plenty of career pathways with the NHS.
11. Civil Service
A career in the Civil Service – helping the government put its policies into practice and delivering essential public services – can be meaningful, purposeful, and highly rewarding.
From advising politicians and running employment services to helping to keep our wild spaces safe with the Forestry Commission, opportunities with the Civil Service are endlessly diverse. So whether you’re looking to take the next step in your career or switch up what you’re doing entirely, hopefully, you’ll find something among the thousands of Civil Service jobs on our website.
Plus, the Civil Service offers plenty of great benefits. As well as flexible working and mentoring to help you build your career, you could also enjoy perks like gym and smartphone discounts.
12. Royal Mail
Even in this digital age, the postal service remains a key pillar of our society, helping businesses run smoothly and making sure people get the things they need. Beyond this, it allows us to keep in touch with loved ones, whether it’s by sending postcards from exotic locations or sharing festive gifts at Christmas.
So, if you’re looking for a purposeful role that really delivers, why not consider joining Royal Mail?
As well as posties and delivery drivers – which are great roles for friendly faces who like to get out and about – Royal Mail is currently hiring for behind-the-scenes jobs like warehouse staff and sorters. They’ll also be taking on seasonal staff in the run-up to Christmas.
Final thoughts…
Whether you’d like to embark on a culinary career with Compass Group or J D Wetherspoons, or you’d prefer to help keep the UK moving along in a job with Balfour Beatty, we hope some of the employees listed here have inspired your winter job search.
For more job ideas, check out our careers section, where you’ll find articles such as 10 seasonal jobs to land this Christmas and 11 things to avoid when you’re searching for a job. And, to search for vacancies on our website, just use the button below!
Do you like the sound of any of these employers? Are you looking for a different type of career? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.