Being a temp in hospitality: 8 reasons you should give it a go this summer
It’s the beginning of May — you’re coming to the end of your university year and you’re already planning all of the things you want to do this summer, right? Festivals. Nights out. City breaks. Road trips…
You’ve probably also checked your bank balance and realised that your student loan on it’s own isn’t going to cover the cost of everything you’d like to do. Before you start to cross things off and prioritise your fun, there’s a solution to getting some quick cash to help you out — temporary work.
More specifically, temporary work in hospitality. There are loads of bars, pubs, restaurants, hotels, event spaces (even festivals) who employ temporary staff on a short-term basis all year round — with summer being one of the key times.
Sounds good? If the idea of a short term cash fix hasn’t sold you already, let’s have a look at some more reasons why you should consider being a temp.
1. You can be a temp for as long as you need or want
The best way to get started is to sign up to a temporary recruitment agency (there are loads) so they can get you ready for work and start matching you with available jobs. You can be ‘on their books’ for as long as you want to be and in most cases you’re not committed to working for them for any defined period of time. Quick summer cash or a year of work experience before a full time job, either way works.
2. You can work locally or far away, whichever you prefer
You could choose a job close to where you live for convenience, or you could go for something a little further afield and spread your wings. If travelling was on your summer wish list, you could incorporate work into your travel plans and earn as you go. When you’re looking for an agency to work for make sure you check out whereabouts they cover — while most agencies are national some are regional and might not offer positions further afield.
3. You can choose the hours you work
The shifts themselves will be set by the venue who need staff — but as a temporary worker you’ll be able to choose the days and types of shifts you work. If you’re just looking for weekend work, or short evening shifts, it won’t be a problem to find you a job to fit around your current schedule and commitments. Open, honest and transparent is the way to go here.
4. You don’t need lots of experience
Most jobs in hospitality require three key things as a starting point: common sense, a smile and basic customer service skills. Hospitality is a first-job for many people for that reason. With online and on-the-job training you can learn the ropes fairly quickly.
5. You will learn lots of new skills
You could be working at a different venue each time, so with all the places you work at and the skills you learn on the job you’ll be able to build up a portfolio of experience. You’ll also build up confidence and people skills which are transferable into any role you do later in life; hospitality related or not.
6. You usually get paid quicker than a 9–5 job
When you work for a temp agency they usually pay workers on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. They’ll pay you straight into your bank and any fees will be deducted first — so no headaches for you, just cash.
7. You will make new friends
Working in a completely new place with strangers can sound daunting at first, but don’t worry — you’ll get to know the other people fairly quickly and even form friendships. If you work at the likes of Reading and Leeds Festival (or similar) you’ll usually find that a lot of the same workers go back year after year to work at the same event.
8. You will have more options for full-time work if you want it
When you’ve worked in a variety of places you’ll hopefully build up a positive reputation and lots of venue managers will know you. If you decide you really enjoyed one of the venues or a specific job, you’ll have lots of connections to help you get into a full-time role if you wanted it.
Have you tried temporary work? What was your experience like? Let us know!
