Seasonal work advice
Businesses often need extra help during busy times like Christmas, wedding season and summer holidays.
Although it’s only for a short time, you can find many part time and full time work opportunities during these busy seasons.
Benefits of seasonal work
Any seasonal job you do might help you:
- learn new skills you can use all year round
- get work experience to build your CV
- work out if you like a certain job or sector
- try a different part of a company you currently work for
- decide if you’re ready to go back to work after time off
- earn some extra money
If you're interested in working for a specific company, you could get a temporary job to take a first step towards that goal. You'll be able to meet people that work there, get to know the company culture and show that you're interested. This could lead to a full time role when one becomes available.
Common seasonal jobs
Some of the most common seasonal jobs include:
You’ll find lots of seasonal jobs in the retail, delivery and hospitality industries to support more social events and Christmas shopping.
Best time to apply for seasonal jobs
It’s best to apply for seasonal work a few months in advance. For example, you should try to apply for Christmas jobs in October.
Many businesses may still advertise roles closer to the time, so do not worry if you’ve not applied early. You’re still likely to find many opportunities.
Search for seasonal jobs
If you're interested in finding seasonal work, you can use the government's ‘find a job’ service to search and apply for jobs.
Large companies often advertise their seasonal jobs on their own websites and on job websites. You can also check the websites of smaller businesses near where you live.
If you’re looking for Christmas work, try searching for ‘Christmas’, ‘seasonal’ or ‘temporary’ on a job website.
Tips for finding seasonal jobs
When searching for jobs, make sure you look both online and in person.
You might find it useful to:
- check job websites regularly as businesses might only advertise jobs for a short time
- look at your local shopping centre and garden centre websites as they often advertise Christmas grotto, customer service and security positions
- search for opportunities on local community social media groups, or post that you're searching for a job
- look out for job adverts in local shop windows and drop in your CV
If you’re struggling to find a seasonal job, you can read our advice about searching for jobs.
Help getting hired
If you’ve found some seasonal jobs you’d like to apply for, it might help to look at our advice on:
Related content
Identifying and improving your skills
Chat to an adviser
If you're not sure whether seasonal work is right for you, you can chat to a qualified careers adviser.