Manchester is soon to become home to a bustling community of new and returning students this month as the next academic year begins.
And plenty of those students will be looking to work alongside their studies.
As anyone who is or has ever been a student will tell you, university is as much about getting to enjoy the full experience of living in a new city and everything that city has to offer, as it is walking away with a degree at the end of it of your time there – but this generally comes at a price.
The cost of student life doesn’t tend to be cheap, and, like everything else at the moment, it’s sadly only on the rise, which is why so many students are keen to get themselves a part-time or flexible job that can slot around their studies in an environment where they are respected and have the freedom to earn the money they want.
Striking the right balance between finding time for work and studies can be tricky, but one local recruitment company is making this easier than ever before.
Based in the heart of Manchester and operating across the whole of the city-region, Easy Staffing is a unique solution to your employment needs that offers you complete flexibility of where and when you work within the hospitality sector.
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Easy Staffing is a unique solution to your employment needs / Credit: Easy Staffing
Founded by business owner and director Reece Deignon with the mission to “make the industry’s best matches”, he used his many years of experience working within all sides of the recruitment industry – both traditional agencies and app-based agencies – to combine the best of these strategies and create his own vision.
“Easy Staffing was created on the foundations of wanting to make a difference,” Mr Deignon explains.
“Our passion is to see both clients and members succeed.”
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What makes Easy Staffing different to other recruitment apps?
Easy Staffing offers a “light-touch approach” compared to the traditional agencies, as Mr Deignon explains, and this allows those that use the custom-built platform to “get on with their life” and pick-up shifts that work best for them and suit their needs.
The company places top Manchester-based talent in roles within the hospitality industry – including bar service, event staff and supervisors, festival staff, kitchen staff, chefs, waiters, kitchen porters, and more.
It prides itself on great communication, flexibility, and diverse opportunities for members.
The app offers complete flexibility of where and when you work within the hospitality sector / Credit: Easy Staffing
How does it work?
Easy Staffing’s main aim is to gain long-lasting relationships with its members through “outstanding communication and respect”, and this all starts with the recruitment process.
All you’ll need to do is download the app and follow these three simple steps:
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Instantly choose your desired shifts suited to your lifestyle, with all work paid above the normal market rate.
All shift information is easily accessible through the app, including pay rates, job descriptions, locations, and reviews of the venue.
Your hours will be instantly confirmed after your shift, and you will be paid the following week.
What are other saying about it?
There’s no better way to learn about how Easy Staffing works than to hear from people who have used the platform in the past.
“I joined Easy Staffing after a number of years out of the hospitality industry,” one user explains.
“The application process and subsequent interview was really efficient and fair. Using the app to get shifts is so easy and the flexibility is great for me as I work full-time too. The clients and customers that we deal with are always grateful and treat you like a member of the team.
“The team that supports us are always supportive and understanding, as sometimes things change in life.
“There’s always plenty of work opportunities.”
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The Manchester-based company is on a mission to “make the industry’s best matches” / Credit: Unsplash | Easy Staffing
I’m a student in Manchester, where can I sign-up?
Keen to take the hassle out of your job search, and work in a flexible environment where you are valued and respected?
Easy Staffing is here to help all students returning to Manchester find the best job suited to their requirements and needs, so whether it’s a part-time job or full-time work you’re after, the company makes sure to put “the happiness of our members at the forefront of everything we do”.
You can find out more about Easy Staffing and sign-up to the app here, or send any previous experience over to [email protected]
A huge free careers festival geared towards young creatives is coming to Manchester this week
Daisy Jackson
The Catch22 TikTok Creative Academy and Factory International are hosting a careers festival in Manchester this week, designed to empower young creatives.
The huge free event on Thursday 3 April will take over Aviva Studios, offering everything from speed mentoring to CV clinics to expert talks.
Attendees will be able to have a free headshot taken, meet employers and like-minded creatives, and generally get a feel for how to build a career in the creative industry.
The Career Festival will boost Manchester’s creative future by supporting the next generation of creators, investing in their skills and confidence.
It’s all geared towards young people aged between 16 and 24 who face challenges in finding sustainable careers within the creative industries.
On the day, attendees will be able to receive one-on-one career advice from top industry professionals in speed mentoring sessions, learning from experts in marketing, media, production and more.
They’ll also be able to network with organisations, training providers and employers including Crew gal, Walk the Plank, and Gate Films.
Expert talks will give advice on how to break into the industry, while a CV clinic will help to hone CVs into a stand-out that’ll get a foot straight in the door, along with free headshot portraits.
The Catch22 TikTok Creative Academy and Factory International careers festival. Credit: Mark Crayden Photography
And the whole time attendees will be surrounded by other creatives, building a network that could launch them towards their next big opportunity.
The TikTok Creative Academy, delivered by Catch22 and funded by TikTok, is a free employment program designed to provide vital support to young people aged 16-24 seeking to enter the creative industries.
It’s been specifically targeted towards young people who experience barriers to employment, whether that’s because of challenges like mental health and limited educational attainment, or involvement with the criminal justice system.
The programme itself has a free employment course, offers targeted supports, and opens the door to the industry, fostering networking and career development.
The Catch22 TikTok Creative Academy and Factory International careers festival. Credit: Supplied
It also offers practical skills development and emphasises creative abilities to help young people thrive.
Quote from TikTok Creative Academy Senior Service Manager, Hilda Dotsey: “At Catch22, we are acutely aware of the challenges that young creatives face when it comes to finding sustainable employment in the creative industries and we are about to mark the 1000th person supported into work, training or further education through TikTok Creative Academy.
“With lack of industry insight and experience cited as one of the key barriers to quality creative careers, it is fantastic to be partnering with Factory International once more.
“This event, which celebrates our third year of delivering the programme, will open up pathways for Manchester youth, linking up the next generation of creative talent with industry experts and Manchester’s top creative voices.”
The Catch22 TikTok Creative Academy and Factory International: Career Festival will take place at Aviva Studios from 1pm to 4pm on Thursday 3 April.
You can find out more about Catch22 and the services available HERE.
Inside The Black Friar as Salford pub unveils incredible floral display
Daisy Jackson
Spring has really sprung in Salford – legendary pub The Black Friar has just revealed a sensational makeover, with gigantic flowers sprawled across its frontage and a new seasonal menu to go with it.
The historic pub is celebrating the changing of the seasons with both a striking floral installation and a menu that celebrates spring and Salford in equal measure.
Most Mancs will by now have spotted the 4,000 flower-strong installation that now adorns the front of The Black Friar, with bright pink, yellow and purple flowers spilling from a gigantic pink tap.
And all those florals continue inside, with the pub’s Tavern – previously a cosy winter hideaway – now filled with trailing blooms and woodland installations, just off their award-winning garden.
Cheshire-based artist Kelly Louise Chapman is the woman behind this sensational transformation of the much-loved gastropub.
As for the pub’s kitchen, they’ve crafted a new very seasonal and very British menu, with plenty of nods to Black Friar’s Salford roots.
There are dishes like a Boddingtons braised ox cheek (the pub still proudly displays its Boddingtons sign outside), aged beef tartare, butternut squash and ricotta tortellini, and pan-roasted cod fillet.
Spring small plates at The Black Friar pubDelicious spring drinksInside The Tavern at The Black Friar
A popular item from the Valentine’s Day menu – the Cornish crab vol-au-vent – will be sticking around on the spring menu, along with an enhanced grill section that includes a lamb Barnsley chop cooked over coals.
Then for desserts, you’ll be spoilt with a banoffee knickerbocker glory, and passionfruit panna cotta.
And for drinks (because this is a pub, after all), The Black Friar has put together a range of seasonal drinks like a rose sangria sharer, and non-alcoholic sodas like kaffir lime and coconut.
Ben Chaplin, head chef at The Black Friar, said: “This new menu is all about celebrating the best of spring produce.
“We’ve carefully crafted each dish to highlight fresh, seasonal ingredients and bold flavours, adding new depth to our offerings while still delivering the comfort that will always be associated with The Black Friar.
“My top recommendation and personal favourite dish is the Slow-Cooked Boddingtons Braised Ox Cheek.”
Neil Burke, owner of The Black Friar, commented: “We wanted to bring a taste of spring to The Black Friar, inside and out. This floral installation will transform the space and bring sunshine and smiles, whatever the weather!
“My top recommendation on the new menu is the Cumbrian Spiced Lamb Scotch Egg. It’s EXCEPTIONAL.”
To find out more about The Black Friar and to book a table, visit HERE.