Seasonal And Part Time Warehouse Jobs - A Guide For Students And School Leavers

Student life can often involve juggling studies and socialising whilst working part time to help fund your way through university. There are different routes you can take for earning that much needed extra cash - and one of those routes is by doing seasonal work in places that are particularly busy at certain times of year.

One of these types of roles is warehouse jobs. Warehouses and distribution centres operate year round, often 24 hours a day. And that means entry level opportunities for students and young people could present themselves at any time.

Depending on the nature of the industry, warehouse work can suit students because, as well as evening and weekend work, seasonal warehouse jobs can also be available. Christmas, for example, is a hugely busy period in lots of sectors and warehouse and distribution centres will often recruit seasonal staff to cover these periods.

Unless you are doing work experience arranged by your school, warehouse jobs cannot be carried out by anyone who is below MSLA (minimum school leaving age).

However, for many part time warehouse jobs, you will be required to be at least 18 years old. This is because you could be working shifts involving night shifts.

Some types of warehouse jobs, even entry level roles where you are working as a warehouse operative, will also require you to operate machinery and use equipment to aid your role. You will need to be at least 18 years of age to operate this equipment and machinery.

If you are a student or young person looking for entry level warehouse jobs, you will likely be employed as a warehouse operative.

If you are enjoying your job as a warehouse operative and you want to stay in the warehouse and distribution sector, it is possible to build a career by doing Warehouse Apprenticeships. From here, you can take on more responsibility and learn specific roles such as forklift truck driver jobs and team leader roles.

Some part time or seasonal warehouse operative jobs for students are also known as picker or packer jobs.

So, if you get student warehouse jobs as a warehouse operative, what are you likely to be doing on each shift?

Obviously, the goods you will be dealing with are dependent on the types of companies your warehouse or distribution is centre is working with. However, there are general duties for all types of warehouse operatives. When you take on a warehouse operative role, you may be required to do one or all of these duties:

• Loading and unloading vehicles - depending on the nature of the goods and the amount, this might be an individual duty or you could be part of a team.
• Warehouse picker/packer - as a warehouse operative, picker and packer jobs involve you working from an order sheet and going around the warehouse to ‘pick’ the relevant goods from the list. You will then ‘pack’ these goods so that they are ready for delivery to other areas around the country.
• Stacking shelves and storage areas safely and in the correct order according to company procedure.
• Working within the warehouse health and safety guidelines to keep yourself and other warehouse workers safe.
• Using IT and company software to keep track of stock levels and orders.

Warehouse operative jobs are not for everybody so it is a good idea to look at job descriptions closely when you apply for roles so that you can decide if the role is for you. Because there are certainly people out there who are ideally suited to warehouse operative jobs. And there are people out there who aren’t suited to warehouse work at all.

Let’s take a look to see if warehouse work is for you.

Good warehouse operative skills and personality traits are:

• Being willing to do shift work.
• Being able to work under your own initiative and as part of a team to meet the targets set.
• Because you will often be working to targets, you need to be someone who can thrive when working to a tight deadline.
• You need to be organised and efficient so that tasks can be completed safely and on time. Self-motivation is key in warehouse operative jobs.
• Many warehouses cover vast areas and will require you to lift and carry goods so you also need to be physically fit and enjoy being on the go all the time.
• Being willing and able to work in controlled environments, using and wearing the appropriate safety gear and clothing. Hard hats, high-visibility clothing, specialist clothing for cold environments or hot and humid environments could all be a part of your daily routine.
• You should enjoy working in a fast moving environment. Huge warehouses often have hundreds of other warehouse operatives and staff all carrying out their duties at the same time. If you can thrive in this type of environment rather than feeling overwhelmed by it all, part time and temporary warehouse operative jobs could be ideal for you.
• Having good numeracy and literacy skills. Warehouse operative jobs will require you to work under your own initiative doing stock control, reading order lists and dealing with them accordingly.
• Being able to get to work. One of the things you need to take into account with any type of warehouse jobs is the location of the warehouse. Most warehouses and distribution centres are situated out of town. You will find that lots of warehouse jobs are not accessible by public transport so you might need your own transport for some positions.

As a warehouse operative, you will be paid at least the National Minimum Wage. Your wage could be higher if you have previous warehouse work experience; especially if you have any previous skills from working with specialist machinery.

You could also be paid a higher wage for working different shift patterns. If you are doing temporary warehouse jobs, it is likely you are in the role to cover a particularly busy time for the company. If you have the time - and energy - on your hands, there could be opportunities to boost your wage by working overtime.

Does warehouse work sound like it could be a good option for you? Student warehouse jobs can be ideal because the environment lends itself to both flexible hours and temporary work.

Likely busy times for lots of types of warehouses and distribution centres are Christmas and summer. These are the times when you could land yourself a perfect seasonal role.

Alternatively, if you want to work year round, some companies will employ students and other part time staff to do weekend warehouse jobs.

Not only do you get to replenish your bank account but you also get the opportunity to experience the workplace and also gain some valuable transferable skills to take with you into your future career.

Take a look at what warehouse vacancies are up for grabs in your area now!