Role: Customer Contact Receptionist
Location: Bedford College – Cauldwell Street Campus
Salary/Benefits: Salary up to £25,849 per annum (Pro-Rata) DOE and Qualifications, 27 days annual leave plus Bank holidays, People’s pension, Retail and Leisure Discounts, excellent professional and personal development opportunities, accessing college courses.
Hours/Weeks: 20 hours per week - 13.00 to 17.00 Monday to Thursday, and 12.30 to 16.30 on Fridays
Contract Type: Permanent – Part Time
About the role:
We are currently seeking a Customer Contact Receptionist to join our Customer Services department at The Bedford College Group.
As a Customer Contact Receptionist, you play an important role in the success of our students through:
1. Customer Service Excellence – Provide a warm, professional, and friendly welcome to all visitors, students, and staff, ensuring high standards in line with the College’s customer service charter.
2. Reception Management – Oversee the front desk operations, including maintaining a tidy reception area, managing visitor systems, answering calls, and handling lost property and post.
3. Student & Visitor Support – Assist students with directions and services like parking permits and ID photos, and ensure all visitor procedures comply with health, safety, safeguarding, and GDPR regulations.
4. Administrative Assistance – Support the Advice & Admissions team with tasks such as preparing course welcome packs, conducting stock checks, and updating CRM records and email enquiries.
5. Team Collaboration & Events – Work closely with the Strategy & External Affairs Directorate and participate in recruitment events like Open Days and Enrolment, contributing to the College’s outreach efforts.
About you:
6. Essential Qualifications & Experience – GCSEs in English and Maths (A*-C/9-4) or equivalent, with experience in customer service, email communication, and handling challenging situations effectively.
7. Customer-Focused Skills – Friendly, welcoming, and helpful attitude with a polite telephone manner; able to create a positive environment and go the extra mile for customers.
8. Organisational & Technical Abilities – Skilled in maintaining records, managing busy workloads, prioritising tasks, and working efficiently in open-plan, high-traffic environments.
9. Professionalism & Teamwork – Strong communication skills, professional appearance, and behaviour; committed to teamwork, respecting others, and upholding the College’s values and reputation.
10. Safeguarding & Flexibility – Aware of safeguarding responsibilities, health and safety, and willing to work flexible hours, travel between campuses, and continuously update skills and knowledge.
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: 19 June 2025
Successful candidates must also be able to demonstrate alignment to our organisational VISION values:
11. 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.
12. Improving Continuously - We challenge ourselves to always do better by trying new things, sharing knowledge, reflecting on practice and learning from others.
13. 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.
14. Inclusive - We celebrate differences and diversity, recognising that we can learn from each other.
15. 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.
16. 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.