Student Casual- Customer Service Advisor – Vale Village – Grade 2 – 905889

 

Post titleCustomer Service AdvisorCollege/DivisionCampus ServicesSchool/DepartmentVale VillageFull time/Part timeFull TimeStart Date29/06/2026GradeGrade 2Hourly rate£13.45 per hour plus holiday entitlementNumber of positions available4Closing Date01/06/2026 at 23:55

Please note that this vacancy may be taken down early depending on the number of applications received. We advise you to submit your application promptly.

This role takes place in the summer term and requires working full time. If you are a Masters or PHD student please be sure you are allowed to work over 20 hours a week.

Our offer to you

At the University of Birmingham, Worklink is the dedicated student employment service which helps students to find flexible, well paid part-time roles that fit around your studies. Each year, the University invests more than £2.5 million to employ 3,000 of our own students in a wide range of roles, supporting our student community into part-time work. Roles available via Worklink include a range of positions, including administrative roles, support staff such as cleaners or baristas, research roles and many more.

Jobs through Worklink help you to gain work experience, develop skills relevant for your future career, and improve your soft and hard skills in a professional setting. Enhance your CV and get valuable experience ready for graduate roles and feel connected to your university and local community.

Our jobs are flexible and can be scheduled around your academic commitments, so you can focus on your studies first. Our team are passionate about supporting students into work. Worklink are based in a central location on campus which is easily accessible for students and can also be contacted online.

Find out more about working through Worklink here or via the student intranet.

 

Job context

 In this role, you will be the first point of contact for many of our guests and our team will rely on your skills to make a good impression to our visitors. You may also be asked to assist the site assistant team in accommodation preparation tasks, included in the role summary. The positions will be split across working at the Vale Village and Selly Oak Village.

 

Job summary

In this position you will mainly be based on a reception, ensuring our customer service is at its highest level. However, you may also play a key role in the preparation of Student Accommodation for our conference groups as well as supporting the summer programme and preparation for the start of the next academic year. 

 

You will be required to take a proactive approach to work in order to ensure that our accommodation is prepared to the highest standard and all tasks are completed on time. 

 

The role may involve clearing of accommodation when residents depart, preparing study rooms and communal areas for new arrivals as well as other site tasks such as the general site upkeep. The role requires attention to detail to ensure that accurate records are maintained, and that the accommodation preparation is consistent across all sites. The individual will be dedicated, committed and have a passion for delivering excellent customer service during this very busy period for Student Accommodation.

 

Main duties

•  You will be responsible for a professional and friendly “meet and greet” first point of contact enquiry desk for all customers and visitors to your designated area. 

• Answering the telephone, transferring calls to the appropriate person in a professional and timely manner.

• Dealing with queries and taking details of the query to escalate where appropriate; this may include dealing with complaints where possible.

• Responsible for checking in and out of customers, issuing keys when appropriate.

• Maintain a clean, tidy reception desk of the highest level and surrounding areas outside of the reception desk

• Promptly report any system failures which have been reported to reception (such as IT, Door access, fire alarms, phone system) to the relevant department or supplier and advise others as appropriate.

• You will also carry out administrative duties such as photocopying, laminating, filing and data inputting.

• Accept post and sort in readiness for delivery.

• You will be expected to treat everyone with dignity and respect, supporting equality and valuing diversity.

• Any other duties as may reasonably be requested.

• Assisting the Customer Service team in the auditing of accommodation to identify maintenance and repairs etc. 

• Assist Customer Service Team in end of contract/vacation duties, for example: rubbish removal from accommodation prior to cleaning and/or refurbishment/redecoration on site

• Assist with furniture and equipment removal and replacement – a lot of heavy lifting will be involved and so you will need to have a good level of physical fitness

• Checking inventories of furniture and fittings within accommodation, ensuring accurate recording of any faults/damage

• Assisting and taking instructions from the Customer Service Team with full preparation of accommodation for occupation as necessary. This will involve cleaning duties within flats and external/communal areas on site – specific training will be provided

• Reporting any maintenance defects to the Customer Service Team

• To be fully aware of and comply with Security and Health and Safety issues at all times. You will be required to maintain contact with reception during your shift to ensure that updates on progress are recorded

• To provide a warm welcome to our new residents in September 2026

• To assist the Customer Service Team with checking in our new residents, including handing out keys and key cards to our residents

• Processing maintenance issues which are reported by our residents using the required procedures and updating our systems accurately (training will be provided)

• Dealing with general queries from our new residents

• Any other duties that may be required by the Customer Service Team in order to ensure that all of both our residents, conferencing guests and visitors receive an excellent arrival and welcome experience.

 

Required knowledge, skills, qualifications & experience

• Previous experience is not required as full training will be provided. However, an aptitude for undertaking manual tasks is desirable.
• You must be comfortable with face-to-face customer engagement 
• You must be comfortable entering flats that are occupied with our residents 
• A friendly and approachable personality and an understanding of the importance of excellent customer service. 
• A smart appearance is important
• Good communication skills are essential both verbal and written
• Attention to detail is essential to ensure that accurate records are kept and updated during this very busy period
• The ability to work as part of a team as well as using initiative when lone working in areas is required
• Self-motivated and can prioritise work, work individually and part of a team
• The ability to be proactive in the approach to work is desirable
• Excellent work ethic and a willingness to work flexible hours are very important during this busy and challenging period.

 

Further Information

• You must be available to work the following key dates: 2nd July, 11th & 12th July, 19th & 20th September 2026.
• This role involves heavy lifting, such as removing rubbish and items from student accommodation.

 

For any informal queries, please contact Jonathon Scott (j.scott@bham.ac.uk)

The University of Birmingham restricts all students to working up to 20 hours per week during term time for a maximum of 13 consecutive weeks. If your application is successful and your course does not follow the usual academic term timetable (e.g.  PGT, PGR or PhD student), you and your supervisor must formally agree vacation periods if this role exceeds 20 hours per week. In addition to this, please be aware if you are an international student you will be required to apply to the Registry for the appropriate authorised absence. 

You are only eligible to apply to this role if you are a current University of Birmingham student. If you are not a University of Birmingham student your application will not be considered.

To work you will need to carry out a right to work check. These checks will need to be completed prior to work commencing.

Regarding the use of AI in applications, we review hundreds of applications and shortlist candidates based on their unique perspective, motivations and potential. Cover letters generated through, or edited by, AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT or CoPilot) are easy to identify. They produce generic answers and will not score highly enough to progress. You may use AI tools for research, but all written content in your application must be your own work. Authenticity and originality are key to standing out in this process. 

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we’re unable to contact all applicants individually. You can check the progress of your application by logging into the Worklink jobs portal using the same email address you used to apply. If you haven’t heard back within six weeks of the closing date, please assume your application has been unsuccessful.