Student Jobs at Woolworths

Woolworths Job Application for Students

Due to its size and industry, Woolworths has a constant need for casual, temporary and part-time workers. As such it is one of the biggest employers of students in the country.

Woolworths employer info

• Size: Australia's largest supermarket chain ($39 billion turnover in 2019.)
• Number of locations: 1024 shopfronts (981 supermarkets and 43 convenience stores) as of August 2019.
• Number of employees: ~128,000.

What casual positions do Woolworths offer?

1. Checkout Operator

As a Woolworths checkout operator you'll be the face of the company, tasked with making customers feel warm and welcome. You'll also be dealing with cash and electronic transactions, and will need to learn and enforce rules around selling age-restricted goods. Customer-facing experience is a plus, but not a must.

2. Nightfill Team Member

A favourite role of anyone who is otherwise engaged during the day time, nightfill team members are tasked with cleaning, organising and restocking shelves after hours, ready for customers the next morning. No experience is necessary, but a willingness to work late is a must.

3. Deli Assistant

Working behind the in-store deli counter, deli assistants must serve and advise customers, keep the deli stocked, and strictly adhere to food safety rules. You must be comfortable with handling fresh meat, be happy to work on your feet, and should enjoy interacting with customers.

4. Dispatch Team Member/Online Personal Shopper

Sometimes two distinct roles, but more often a combined role, this team member will be tasked with picking the freshest produce for Woolworths online shoppers, and ensuring it is dispatched in good time. No experience is required, but an eye for detail is a valuable trait.

5. Stocktake Team Member

An entry-level role for early risers, stocktake team members begin at 6am every day manually counting stock before entering it into a handheld PDA. This work often stretches across stores and regions, meaning some workers may be asked to travel away from home from time to time. Accuracy and good mathematical ability are musts.

6. Delivery Driver

Drivers are tasked with delivering orders to the homes of online shoppers. While many Woolworths delivery trucks are rated to 4.5t or lower, and therefore don't require a heavy vehicle licence to be driven, such a licence does prove that you can handle large vehicles.

How do I get a job at Woolworths?

Woolworths prefers to use its own careers site, WOW Careers, to advertise open roles. Here you can search by job title, location, employment type, expertise and many other fields. This is where you'll find the most up-to-date collection of open positions.

Supermarkets are a consistent business, so Woolworths doesn't have notable peak hiring periods, although its reliance on student workers can mean the demand for jobs rises slightly at the beginning of a school year, or when international students leave at the end of a university year. Demand for workers obviously increases when a new store opens.

With almost 130,000 team members, it's estimated that Woolworths brings on board as many as 80 new workers every day.

What is the average pay for a Woolworths casual worker?

According to PayScale, the average hourly pay at Woolworths is $21.25 an hour.

Woolworths generally pays the government award rate, which fluctuates depending on a worker's age, role and working hours. As of June 2020 the award rate for a 15-year-old cashier was $12.04 per hour, while the rate for a 21-year-old assistant baker was $26.76. You can calculate your award rate using the Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay Calculator.

The perks of working at Woolworths

There are a number of perks that Woolworths offer its employees. Depending on your store and your role, you may be offered:

1. Full on-site training
2. Career progression opportunities
3. A store discount card 
4. Online shopping delivery discounts
5. Gym and insurance discounts

How old do you have to be to work at Woolworths?

Generally, Woolworths will employ staff from the age of 15. However, check with the official Woolworths website for their latest employment guidelines and hiring age.