A huge festive recruitment drive has been launched by Tesco ahead of the busy holiday period this year.

And that should be good news for job-hunting students and also families looking to offset increasing bills or anyone wanting to return to the workforce.

This year Tesco is recruiting 30,000 temporary Colleagues across the UK to help customers during the busy Christmas period.

The jobs will mainly involve working in Tesco’s Superstores and Extra stores for either early morning, day or evening shifts, so that prospective applicants can find an opportunity that fits around them.

James Goodman, Tesco People Director said: “This is a great opportunity for anyone looking to boost their earnings over the festive period or who needs to find a route back into the workplace. We’re looking for people who enjoy working as part of a team and are prepared to go that extra mile in order to help our customers."

“Our festive roles are a fantastic way to become part of the Tesco team, with roles working on checkouts to picking orders for home delivery or replenishing the store. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to meet great people, learn new skills and be part of a diverse team where everyone is welcome."

“We had a great response for festive roles last year and we would love to hear from anyone who worked with us then. With part-time, temporary roles available across the UK, there are a variety of different shift patterns on offer, making sure these roles fit around different individual needs and lifestyles.”

The new colleagues will help the supermarket meet high demand as customers look to make Christmas savings – especially as Tesco has just locked low prices on more than 1000 products until 2024 – as well as helping shoppers get exclusive deals on Clubcard Prices at the checkout.

Once the seasonal period comes to an end, there may be opportunities for Christmas colleagues to apply for any permanent roles available in Tesco stores.

One person who did that last year is Kenzy Talbot, 28, who joined Tesco last November as a festive colleague and worked in the fresh food sales area.

Kenzy said: “I am a working mum with a young child, as you can imagine trying to fit work around school times in the past was very difficult. Tesco has been amazing and with their flexibility this has meant that I have been able to fit my working hours around my family commitments."

“I was delighted to become a permanent member of the team in January 2023. I have progressed and learnt other areas of the store, currently working most of my hours on groceries along with picking up extra shifts on other areas such as checkouts and fresh areas.”

Anyone interested in a festive job at Tesco should apply via their website here