At the University of Reading, all accommodation offered by the university is operated by UPP. There are 4,982 rooms at the Whiteknights Campus, managed by a site team who are committed to offering students a warm welcome and ensuring the halls feel like a home away from home.
UPP offers a variety of job opportunities to students at the Whiteknights Campus that can be undertaken alongside their university studies. These part-time opportunities offer flexible working hours that can be tailored to fit around students’ university schedules, allowing them to earn money without compromising their academic commitments.
To provide an insight into studying and working at UPP, we’ve spoken to student employees about their experiences.
Will, senior student representative
Will is a third year BSc Real Estate student and joined the student engagement team at Reading in 2023. As a student representative, he’s responsible for hosting student events and helps advertise these socials on the Home at Halls app.
As a student rep, the role is flexible, and work is often in the evenings. This works perfectly with my studies and ensures that I have time to prioritise my assignments. Also, it’s great to see friendships blossom at the events and see first years settle into university life.
Will
As a current Reading student, I can understand and relate to students, whether it’s about exam season or an upcoming deadline. This helps students feel comfortable to speak to us at events and helps build a positive community in halls.
Ally, accommodation officer
In 2019, Ally was a first-year BSc Psychology student when she joined UPP Reading as a summer assistant and call centre advisor. Since then, Ally has been a postal assistant, marketing assistant and front of house supervisor. Then in July 2022, Ally became an accommodation officer and is now responsible for room allocations at the University of Reading.
Being a former student, I can draw on my own experiences to better understand and support students as they navigate this new chapter in their lives. My experience has made me more effective in my role and more empathetic to the various challenges that students face at university.
Ally
Intake weekend at Reading is full of energy, the campus is busy with new students and everyone on site is keen to work together to make it a success.
Georgia and Phoebe, postal assistants
Georgia and Phoebe became postal assistants at UPP Reading in September 2023, following their previous experience as summer assistants- three years for Georgia and two years for Phoebe. Georgia holds a recent MChem Chemistry degree, while Phoebe is in her third year pursuing a BSc in Biomedical Sciences.
The atmosphere at Park reception is always good, colleagues are friendly and I’m always excited to go to work. Also, it’s great that we’re trusted as students to be independent, but colleagues are willing to give support if needed.
Phoebe
At UPP, I’ve been given the opportunity to experience a variety of roles and I’ve gained so much from one job for my CV. I’ve gained transferable skills in customer service and data management, which will be invaluable post university.
Georgia
Hristina, helpdesk supervisor
Hristina joined the team in 2018 as a summer assistant while pursuing her BSc in Psychology. Over the years, she has taken on various roles, including postal assistant, senior student representative, helpdesk customer support representative, and maintenance administrator. Since 2022, Hristina has been the helpdesk supervisor, responsible for responding to inquiries from students living in halls.
While in my undergraduate studies, I saw a poster in park lounge, advertising the summer assistant role. At the time, I was working for Domino’s on minimum wage, struggling to balance my studies and work. After being successful for this position, I haven’t looked back since! To be paid the living wage as a student was great, the summer assistant role was interesting and every day looked different. After this, I became a postal assistant, this was a game-changer for me, a flexible position which ensured I could focus on my course too. It’s great that UPP were so understanding about my studies.
Hristina
Deputy Residence Director Justin Milward says that “having Reading students join us for the summer is incredibly helpful, especially during the busy intake and outtake period. They value the flexible work arrangements, and we’re pleased to offer them experiences that enhance their CVs. It’s always a pleasure to welcome them back year after year. Our student postal assistants, who stay with us throughout the year, are a fantastic addition to our team and often started as summer assistants before transitioning into this permanent role.”
