Assistant Shift jobs in Whitley Bay

Facilities Assistant, Newcastle

Hourly Rate: £13.45

Contract: Permanent, part-time, 21 hours per week

Required Days of Work: 3x shifts per week between Monday - Friday

Working Hours: 10am-5:30pm. Typically 3x 7hour day shifts, Flexibility required

Where Ambition Lives

At Vita Student, we create more than premium student accommodation; we create unforgettable experiences for a global community of ambitious students.

From industry-leading spaces and first-class services to vibrant communities and exceptional support, everything we do is designed to help our residents thrive. Our residences are home to students from around the world, and we're proud to provide an environment where they can live without limits and focus on achieving their ambitions.

The Role

Our students come to Vita Student to chase big ambitions. Your job is to make sure nothing in the building gets in their way.

This is a hands-on caretaker and handyperson role. If a shower won’t drain, a light has gone, a door won’t shut or a wall has picked up a scuff, that’s yours to sort. You’ll spend your day on your feet with your tool bag, moving around the building, not sat behind a desk.

A Typical Day

No two days are exactly the same, but most follow a simple rhythm:

First thing: the building walk. Walk the building with the site management team and spot anything in the communal spaces that isn’t up to Vita standard: a chipped wall, a patch that needs painting, a light that’s out, a broken chair or a kitchen appliance that’s stopped working. Write the list, then work through it.

Plant room check. A daily walk round the plant room, looking for leaks or anything that doesn’t look or sound right, and reporting it straight away.

Building Management System (BMS) check. A quick look at the BMS for alarms or anything showing as offline. If something needs a specialist, you flag it and we bring in an engineer. You’re the eyes and ears, not the engineer, and we’ll train you.

Weekly and monthly safety checks. Test the fire bell and a call point every week, carry out emergency lighting flick tests and sprinkler flow switch checks, and complete any other routine safety system tests you’ve been trained on. Record everything in the right log. Simple, important, and fully trained.

The rest of the day: student tickets. This is the heart of the job. Students report problems in their studios through our ticketing system, and you’ll work through your tickets every day, keeping your own list moving without anyone needing to chase you.

In between: inside and outside upkeep. Painting, the bin store, jet washing and keeping the grounds tidy, planned around your tickets.

The Jobs You’ll Do Most

Nothing too technical, just the everyday fixes that make a big difference to a student’s day:

• Help keep bathrooms in great shape by clearing blocked showers and sinks, fixing dripping taps, stopping running toilets, and refreshing worn sealant or grout.

• Keep spaces bright and welcoming by replacing failed or flickering lightbulbs, passing more complex electrical issues to a qualified electrician.

• Sort out everyday niggles like sticking doors, loose handles, or door locks that need fresh batteries.

• Take a look at appliances that aren't working as they should, from fridges and ovens to microwaves, hobs, washing machines and extractor fans, arranging repairs or replacements where needed.

• Put things right when furniture needs attention, whether that's a wobbly desk chair, a broken drawer, curtains off their track, or new furniture to assemble.

• Freshen up living spaces by filling and painting scuffed walls and securing loose floor trims.

• Investigate heating and window issues, such as cold radiators or windows that won't close properly, and bring in specialist contractors when required.

Inside and Out

Looking after the building means the outside too. These jobs aren’t the glamorous part, but they shape a student’s first impression of home, and they’re all part of the role:

• Keeping bin stores clean, tidy and under control, including washing them down.

• Jet washing entrances, paths, courtyards and bin areas.

• Weeding, litter picking and keeping planters, borders and outdoor spaces looking sharp, including grass cutting and hedge trimming where the building has them.

• Painting and decorating, from quick touch-ups to repainting walls, doors and woodwork in studios, corridors and communal areas.

Looking After Our Students

At Vita Student, service is everything. To a student, a quick, friendly response matters as much as the fix itself, so you’ll:

• Respond to every ticket within our response times, so no student is left wondering whether anyone has seen it.

• Get it right first time wherever you can. If you can’t, let the student know what happens next and when.

• Only close a ticket when the job is genuinely done, and leave the studio as tidy as you found it.

• Treat every studio as someone’s home. Many of our students are living away from home for the first time, and many have travelled from the other side of the world to be here.

What This Role Is, and Isn’t

We’d rather be honest now than surprise you later. Everything on this page is part of the job, from fixing a studio shower to washing down the bin store or weeding the front entrance.

This is a practical, on-the-tools role looking after one building and the students who live in it. It isn’t a technical engineering role, a supervisory role or a training scheme. You won’t be servicing fire systems, plant or building services; our specialist engineers and contractors handle that. You’ll get full training for everything the job involves, and if another role at Vita Student catches your eye down the line, you’re welcome to apply. Day to day, though, this job is about doing the basics brilliantly.

Who We’re Looking For

Someone with energy, a can-do attitude and plenty of common sense. You don’t need years of experience or a long list of qualifications. We care far more about how you work than what’s on your CV.

Experience and Skills

• Some hands-on experience, such as a trade or college course, an apprenticeship, handyperson or DIY work, or a caretaking or maintenance job. No student accommodation experience needed.

• Happy using basic hand and power tools safely.

• Confident using a smartphone or tablet to pick up and update jobs (we’ll train you on our systems).

• Willing to learn and follow health and safety procedures.

Personal Qualities

• Brings plenty of energy and enjoys being on the go throughout the day.

• Takes initiative and doesn't wait to be asked, spotting problems and taking action to put them right.

• Stays organised, manages priorities effectively and keeps jobs moving from start to finish.

• Takes real pride in delivering high-quality work and helping maintain a building that looks its very best.

• Builds positive relationships with everyone, treating colleagues, residents and contractors with warmth, respect and professionalism.

This role involves extended periods of standing and walking, working outdoors in all weathers, using ladders, kneeling, lifting and repetitive physical tasks. We are happy to discuss reasonable adjustments at any stage of the process.

Who This Role Would Suit

This role is perfect for someone at the start of their working life, or anyone who loves practical work and wants a steady, active job with daytime hours, Monday to Friday. Maybe you’ve done some handyperson or caretaking work, or you’ve just finished a trade course and want to get stuck in.

It isn’t the right fit if you’re after a qualified engineering role or a fast track into management.

Why Join the Vita Student Team?

We believe great experiences start with great people. Join a friendly building team that takes pride in looking after students from all over the world, with Monday to Friday daytime hours, full training and the benefits below.

Annual Bonus: Calculated & rewarded subject to achieving targets set against Key Performance Indicators (KPI's).

Perkbox – All employees are given access to a Perkbox account, enabling them to choose lifestyle perks that matter by giving points to spend on a wide range of products, services & experiences, such as; cinema tickets, supermarket savings, discounted days out, a daily coffee or a summer holiday – there’s something to suit everyone!

Parties & Events – We expect high standards from our people and like to reward demanding work by hosting parties and events each year, encouraging colleagues to let their hair down, have a great time and celebrate success together.

Recognition Programmes – We recognise and celebrate our people via numerous recognition schemes, such as employee of the month vouchers, community champion, experience awards, golden buzzer awards, work anniversaries etc.

24/7 Employee Assistance – The wellbeing of our colleagues is of vital importance to Vita Group. All employees have access to a confidential service; offering support and guidance for personal or work-related issues that may be impacting wellbeing.

Royal London Pension – We care about our people and their future. Vita Group contribute a financial value of 3% of salary to your pension pot in addition to 5% employee contribution to help prepare for the future.

Holidays – Holidays are paid on a pro-rata basis which is reflective of hours worked. Our team receive 28 days paid holiday including England & Wales Bank Holidays, pro-rata.