Receptionist

Bedford College Group; Dunstable; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 27,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

23–27 days leave

People's Pension

Retail and Leisure Discounts

Professional development

Job summary

The Bedford College Group in Dunstable is seeking a Receptionist to join the Customer Contact and Admissions team. You will be the first point of contact for students, staff and visitors, delivering a professional, friendly welcome and handling enquiries at the front desk.

The role involves managing the reception area, sign-ins, CRM records, incoming calls and supporting events and open days while upholding safeguarding and GDPR standards; evening or occasional Saturday duties and inter-campus

Qualifications

• GCSE/Level 2 English and Maths or equivalent, with safeguarding and equality training.
• Customer-facing reception/front-of-house experience.
• Strong written, face-to-face and telephone communication; ability to prioritise workloads.
• Friendly, inclusive, professional with team ethic and commitment to excellent service.
• Confident using digital systems and CRM; willing to travel between campuses and occasional evenings.

Responsibilities

• Provide professional front-of-house service to students, staff, visitors and customers.
• Manage reception area, sign-ins, telephone enquiries, post, and opening/closing duties.
• Handle student enquiries and direct to appropriate services.
• Maintain CRM and payment records; support Advice & Admissions team.
• Support events such as Open Days and Enrolment; uphold safeguarding and GDPR standards.

Skills

Customer Service

Communication

Organisation

IT skills

Education

GCSE/Level 2 English and Maths

Tools

CRM

Job description

Role: Receptionist

Location: Dunstable

Salary/Benefits: Salary is between £24,522 and £26,754 per annum (Pro-Rata) DOE and Qualifications, 27 days annual leave (Pro-Rata) plus Bank holidays, People's Pension, Retail and Leisure Discounts, excellent professional and personal development opportunities, accessing college courses.

Hours/Weeks: 27.2 Hours / 52 Weeks during term time and 19.5 hours per week during non term time

Contract Type: Permanent - Part time

This is a UK based contract, and you are required to have the Right to Work in the UK. Unfortunately, we're unable to offer sponsorship and any offer of employment will be subject to evidence of your Right to Work in the UK.

About the role:

We are currently seeking a Receptionist to join our Customer Contact and Admissions department at The Bedford College Group.

• Customer Service & Front of House – Provide a professional, friendly and welcoming first point of contact for students, staff, visitors and customers, ensuring an exceptional customer experience and maintaining the College's reputation.
• Reception & Visitor Management – Manage the day-to-day reception area, including visitor bookings, sign-in procedures, telephone enquiries, ID cards, parking permits, post, lost property and opening and closing duties.
• Student Enquiries & Support – Provide front-line assistance to students, responding to enquiries, directing them to appropriate services and classrooms, and supporting new and returning students with relevant information.
• Administration & Systems – Maintain accurate CRM and payment records, manage email enquiries and inboxes, prepare welcome packs, undertake stock checks and provide wider administrative support to the Advice & Admissions team.
• College Events, Compliance & Teamwork – Work collaboratively across the Directorate, support events including Open Days, Discovery Days and Enrolment, and uphold responsibilities for safeguarding, EDI, health and safety, GDPR and ongoing training and development.

About you:

• Qualifications & Training – GCSE/Level 2 English and Maths or equivalent, with relevant safeguarding and equality and diversity training.
• Customer Service Experience – Experience in a customer-facing, reception or front-of-house environment, confidently providing advice in person and by telephone and handling challenging situations positively.
• Communication & Organisation – Strong written, face-to-face and telephone communication skills, with the ability to prioritise workloads, remain calm during busy periods and maintain accurate computerised and manual records.
• Professional & Inclusive Approach – Friendly, welcoming and professional, with a strong team ethic, commitment to excellent customer service and the ability to work effectively with people from diverse backgrounds in line with College values.
• IT, Flexibility & Safeguarding – Confident using digital systems, ideally including CRM and student recruitment systems, with a commitment to safeguarding, professional boundaries and continuous development, plus flexibility to work evenings or occasional Saturdays and travel between College campuses.

For a more detailed breakdown of the job role and the requirements, please see the Job Description attached to this vacancy.

Interviews to be held: to be confirmed

Successful candidates must also be able to demonstrate alignment to our organisational VISION values:

• Valuing Teamwork – We are one team who by working together can achieve great things, respecting the opinion and valuing the contribution each of us makes.
• Improving Continuously – We challenge ourselves to always do better by trying new things, sharing knowledge, reflecting on practice and learning from others.
• Student Centred – At our heart is always doing what is best for our students. We consider students in all of our decision making to create positive outcomes and memorable experiences for every student.
• Inclusive – We celebrate differences and diversity, recognising that we can learn from each other.
• Open and Caring – We care about the wellbeing of our staff, our students, our community and wider society, creating an environment built on trust where we listen, engage with and support each other.
• Nurturing Education Excellence – We promote educational excellence by delivering programmes that challenge our students to achieve their ambitions.

About The Bedford College Group

The Bedford College Group was formed in 2017 following the merger of Bedford College and Tresham College and is now the largest provider of education in the South East Midlands, with over 15,000 students passing through our doors each year.

Today, the Group is made up of a family of colleges across Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire: Bedford College, Central Bedfordshire College and Tresham College in the towns of Bedford, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough; Shuttleworth College, a specialist land-based college; The Bedford Sixth Form, (the only dedicated sixth form in Bedford); The Corby Sixth Form, (opened in September 2023); and the National College for Motorsport alongside Silverstone race circuit. To widen accessibility to education and training, the Group also has community-based Learning Centres in Bedford, Corby and Kettering which offer IT training.

Safeguarding our Students

The Bedford College Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to thorough vetting process which includes, an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide. The Bedford College Group's policy on Employment of Ex-Offenders is attached to this vacancy.

Candidates who are barred from working with children are reminded it is a criminal offence to apply for this post.