CLIMB UP THE HOTEL LADDER

AS we take our Get Britain Working campaign into 2021 we have tracked down more than 23,000 part-time jobs, ranging from cleaning and catering to IT and social care.

Many people looking for work during the pandemic are finding that a part-time job is the perfect way to get a foot in the door and boost confidence.

From supermarket assistants and working in fast-food takeaway restaurants to evening cleaning jobs, personal assistants and accounts posts, the opportunities are endless. And just a few hours a week can lead to a full-on career.

No one knows this better than Ann Howie, 53, who, thanks to a part-time j ob is now a hotel manager for Travelodge and has even managed to open a new branch in Elgin, east of Inverness, during the pandemic.

“After leaving school at 16 I started working i n a f actor y making ballet shoes and then, once I had my children, I worked in an egg factory part-time so I could bring in money to cover household costs,” says Ann, who has four children and seven grandchildren.

“To help ends meet, 16 years ago I also took a part-time position in the housekeeping team at Glenrothes Travelodge. It was a great job as it allowed me to work around the school run.”

Ann loved the hotel business and soon moved to reception. As the kids were growing up and becoming more independent, she started to take on extra hours.

“At that point I moved to a full-time position and as I was eager to learn everything about running a hotel, I continuously put myself forward to work in different areas. It paid off as I was soon offered a supervisor role.

“It was a dream job and one I never thought I’d do. I was responsible for managing and training the housekeeping team. I l oved it. Being a working mum I totally understood the needs of my team.”

Within the year her confidence grew and

Ann, with the backing of her manager, trained to become a hotel manager.

“My family were so proud. It was such a rarity to find a company that totally supported working parents and helped them to climb the career ladder,” adds Ann.

Since then she has cut her teeth in a variety of hotels and was also seconded to train teams in London and the North West of England. And last year she was delighted to become manager for a new hotel.

“There is no feeling like getting the keys to a brand new hotel and recruiting a new team and being the first branded hotel in a growing town like Elgin – the world-famous whisky region. We were set to open in March then the UK shut down. I had trained my team and we were mega excited so it was a huge blow.” The hotel finally opened in July. “I have never been so proud as I was that day. I cannot believe how far I’ve come from joining parttime in housekeeping so I could make ends meet. My path has been so different from the factory route I might have taken.

“My confidence has grown so much – I’m a successful working mum raising a family and have climbed the career ladder further than I could have imagined. I ’ve learned so much and most importantly I have made a difference in my colleagues’ lives and given then a lift up the career ladder too.”

PART-TIME EARNERS

At fish4jobs.co.uk we found 4,517 par t-time jobs including, in Cornwall, a school secretary in Truro (£17,286 to £18,026 pro rata), and a groundsperson in Redruth, (up to £18,933 pro rata), plus a Covid-19 support worker for lateral testing in Stoke-on-trent (£9.62 an hour) and a support worker in Derby (£8.94 to £9.39).

At gov.uk/find-a-job there are 14,523 part-time jobs, including self-employed opportunities with direct-selling companies.

Jobs range from a school driver in West Sussex (£5,000 to £9,500) and a cleaner in Keighley, West Yorks (£8.72), to a cleaner in Bath (£8.72) and a part-time receptionist in Pontefract, West Yorks, for the NHS (salary on application).

We spotted 3,414 part-time, evening and weekend jobs on Gumtree (gumtree.com) ranging from a handyman in Manchester (£25) to a cleaner in Leeds (£8.72).

Hayes Jobs (hayesjobs.co.uk) has 817 part-time roles including a care assistant in Kingston upon Thames (£8.72 to £9.50).

One of the key employers of part-time staff are supermarkets. There is often night work, job shares, school hours and even term-time only jobs picking for rapidly expanding online orders, or stacking shelves. Check in stores for vacancies or at a Jobcentre.

I can’t believe how far I have come from starting off in housekeeping

CONTACTS

To follow in Ann’s footsteps, check out travelodge.co.uk/careers/

DREAM Manager Ann at her new branch