The Complete Student Jobs Guide

Updated 20 July 2020

Summary

Are you a student looking for a school holiday job, or a part-time job while studying?
This page provides a complete list of New Zealand employers actively hiring students. We update it regularly.
If you're a student in a main city, we estimate that a student could comfortably find 2-5 relevant student jobs to apply for.
While we don't advocate fast food in general, positions with Restaurant Brands (KFC) and McDonald's offer some of the best on-the-job training for school-aged students. We also promote supermarkets and retail part-time work, given the learning and development potential.
Some external pages we link to may not be active given recruitment opens up seasonally. We have no control over this but suggest users make a note of the job opening date and register their interest with such companies.

How To Use This Guide

Firstly, click on your intended employer below and see the jobs available.
We suggest making a shortlist of 2-5 companies that you would like to work for.
Before making any application, consult our guides to:

We believe in transparency

Without the use of a curated guide, we believe hunting for student jobs could be overwhelming given the number of third party website such as Seek and Trade Me Jobs.
Rather than go to websites used by job-seeking adults, we've put together a list of 50+ companies offering job opportunities year-round to students. We have also listed specific student and seasonal work directories.

Our Student Jobs Guide Covers:

Where to look for student jobs (Specific Student Job Websites, Companies who Directly Recruit Students and Find an unlisted job by using Google)
Scripts and ideas for approaching businesses via social media and in-person
Student Job FAQs and knowing your rights at work

Top Tip - Keep Focused, and Pick the Most Suitable Student Jobs

We know you're probably time-poor right now, so we've made this resource easy to use.
To get the best results, we recommend saving the links of 2-5 jobs as a starting point. This will give you some idea of the requirements without being overwhelmed.
Our student guides are updated regularly to ensure relevance and reliability given the number of students who trust them every week.
If you are unsure about any aspect of looking for a student job, we suggest talking to your school's Careers Counselor.

Where to look for student jobs

To help outline the opportunities available, we have grouped the directories and companies by industry. This will help you register your interest with jobs more efficiently and let you laser-target precisely where you want to be working.

Generally, during the peak Christmas trading period, many retailers take on a lot of students to help them manage the demand. The tourism season also peaks, and we suggest looking at Backpackerboard.co.nz if you're interested in working away from home during the school holidays.

Specific Student Job Websites

We have analysed the list below and determine these websites to be active. All are free to use.

Student Job Search - the ultimate student directory, with jobs around the country available year-round. Register for free and shortlist based on what interests you.
Backpackerboard.co.nz - this is a useful list for summer jobs, where the tourism and fruit harvesting seasons peak and businesses are desperate for staff.
Trademe.co.nz Part-Time Jobs - Trade Me is best used with a filter. You can search for jobs by sector, with 'Retail' likely to be the most useful.
Neighbourly.co.nz - depending on where you live, there are usually listings for both wanted and jobs available. It's useful if you want to advertise your services, such as lawn mowing, baby sitting or dog walking etc.
Babysits - this is a growing network where you can register, build a profile and set your availability and rates

Companies who Directly Recruit Students

We have grouped major nationwide retailers into specific categories and linked to their job application portals. We cover all major supermarkets, fashion retailers, fast food chains and cinemas.

Supermarket Student Jobs

Food & Beverage Student Jobs

Merchandise and Chain Store Student Jobs

Retail Fashion Jobs

Barkers
CUE
Country Road (select 'New Zealand' on the filter)
Decjuba
Dotti
Ezibuy
Glassons
Hallensteins
Lush Cosmetics
Max
Postie

Entertainment Jobs

Event Cinemas
Hoyts Cinemas

Companies hiring students who don't offer online applications

Nike
Starbucks
Muffin Break

Email companies directly to ask if they are hiring

If you're interested in working at a particular business but don't know if they offer jobs to students, it's easy to find out. We suggest:

Visiting the company's website and looking for a section titled Jobs or Careers.
If no such section exists, Google the website and 'jobs'. For example, 'New World Jobs' leads you to foodstuffs.careercentre.net.nz, which wouldn't be so apparent without hunting around.
If you don't get any results, you can write directly to the company using the contact details provided. You will need to use a friendly and professional script to introduce yourself. You can edit our sample script below:

Company: Garden Centre, Auckland

To: <insert email of company>
Subject: Student Job Opportunities

Hi there

I’m Christopher, a Year 13 student from North Auckland High School and am looking for part-time work. I have long been a customer at your garden centre and would love to know if you're hiring part-time or for the school holiday period?

I’m available weekends, which I anticipate is your really busy period, and can start as early as needed. I’m a reliable, fast-learning, hard-working and trustworthy 17-year-old.

If you would like to meet me, I’m available immediately – my number/Whatsapp is 021 511 001. I look forward to your response.

Kind regards,
Christopher Walsh

Special Thanks: MoneyHub would like to thank Kay Wallace, HOD Careers at Western Springs College in Auckland for her generous contributions. If you're a teacher, recruiter, hiring manager or student with tips to share, please contact us - we value every contribution we receive.

Social Media job hunting (and doing it right)

Reach out on Facebook to local cafes, restaurants and shops. The message function is the best way to do this, rather than a post on a business page. A suggested script covers the basics:

Hi Little Rock Café team. I’m Christopher, and I’m a student from North Auckland High School and am looking for part-time work. I’m available weekends, which I anticipate is your really busy period, and can start as early as needed. I’m a reliable, fast-learning, hard-working and trustworthy 17-year-old. If you would like to meet me, I’m available immediately – my number/Whatsapp is 021 511 001, or you can message me back with any questions. I look forward to your response. Kind regards, Christopher Walsh.

Before sending out anything via Facebook, make sure you have edited your public profile. Here is our suggested checklist:

Edit your social media – remove any photos of you looking like dogs, cats or other Snapchat animals. Keep it professional.
Secure your privacy – these Facebook settings outline ways to make sure ONLY your ‘friends’ see your photos and what you have posted or commented on.

Student Job FAQs and Knowing Your Rights at Work

What is the national minimum wage in New Zealand?

There is no minimum wage for employees under the age of 16.
Young employees aged 16 to 19 years can be paid a different minimum wage than adult workers.
The current minimum wage rates are outlined here.

What hours am I expected to work?

Young people aged less than 16 years cannot work during school hours or after 10pm or before 6am on school nights.
Young people can, however, work any hours at the weekends or during school holidays and, during weekdays, can work before or after school.

How many hours is part-time?

Employment legislation doesn’t define what full-time or part-time work is, but full-time work is often considered to be around 35 to 40 hours a week.

How much tax will I pay?

You will likely pay the lowest tax rate, which is 10.5%. Your employer will deduct this from your wages (gross pay) and pay you the remainder (net pay).
For example, if you earn $1,000 in gross wages, you will receive around $895 in your bank account.

What are my legal rights at work?

New Zealand law provides every employee minimum rights of employees concerning minimum pay, break entitlements, sick leave, public holidays and union membership. To know more, the government offers a useful know your rights at work module.

More details:

Employment.govt.nz

Related Guides

Student Money Saving Guides