Customer Service Adviser (Student Support)
Temporary Contract with The Open University
Pay Rate: £12.79 per hour
Location: Milton Keynes
Start Date: 5th May 2026 to 25th September 2026
A second intake will also commence in early June 2026 for candidates who are not available for the May start.
Training: 7-week on-site training period at MK7 6AA (with Fridays working from home).
Post-training: The role becomes primarily remote, with one day per month on site.
Office space is also available on campus for those who prefer to be office-based.
Are you looking for a job with a real purpose?
Are you?
Passionate about delivering an exceptional level of customer service
An effective communicator with sufficient IT skills that allow you to support students with a range of enquiries
A motivated self-starter who can adapt to the needs of an operation
Able to thrive in a collaborative working environment and enjoy being part of a highly experienced and supportive team
Able to bring energy to your role and always striving for excellence
Excited about the prospect of working for a highly established distanced learning organisation in which you will be able to make a difference to students lives
Change your career, change lives
The Open University is the UK's largest university, a world leader in flexible part-time education combining a mission to widen access to higher education with research excellence, transforming lives through education. Find out more about us and our mission by watching this short video (you will be taken to YouTube by clicking this link).
We have several exciting new opportunities for customer service professionals to join our frontline team in our Student Recruitment and Support Contact Centres. This is a busy and varied role, where you'll help our students - and people who are looking to study with us - make decisions about their learning.
Our Student Advisers are the first point of contact for prospective and current students seeking information about study at the OU. The team support students by ensuring they have the information they need to make the right study choices for them and are able to enrol and pay using their chosen method. The team work with colleagues across the University to support students and enquirers.
About the role
The role involves significant telephone work, both inbound and outbound, to provide support to students through their study journey. As well as email, letter, webchat and other mediums as necessary. You will need to be confident working with multiple systems, information and databases to maintain student and enquirer details.
You will ensure that prospective and current students are given accurate information, and you will work with colleagues across the University to provide support.
You will receive full training for the role from dedicated Trainers who will use high quality materials, followed by regular support, coaching and development from your manager and established team members to build your confidence and knowledge within the role.
We currently have posts available at our Manchester, Milton Keynes and Nottingham offices. Once the initial on-site training programme is complete, it is anticipated that candidates will be able to work in a hybrid style. This means that candidates should be able to work comfortably from home and their appointed OU office. Therefore, candidates will need to live within a reasonable commute to their OU office. Candidates will be supplied with a laptop to work flexibly.
Dates and key information
This position has a fixed start date, and you must be able to commence in the role on Tuesday 5th May. Full commitment to the length of the contract is required (to Friday 25th September 2026).
For the first seven weeks, this role will be based in the office so that successful candidates receive full training and support to ensure they are prepared and confident within the role. After this period, a hybrid working pattern will be in place.
This role is full time working 37 hours, paying £12.79ph and successful candidates will be required to work to a flexible working pattern which will be between the current opening hours of 8.00am - 6.30pm Monday to Friday.
Please note that leave will be restricted during the initial training period, and for the last week of August and the first two weeks of September as this is the peak operational period.
During training, you will be fully supported by a Trainer in a training group of up to 14 people. You'll be able to see and communicate with your group and will also be required to interact with group activities via a webcam, so you'll need to be comfortable with this.
On the occasions that you are required to work from home, you will need to ensure you have broadband internet speeds of at least 10Mbit/s download and 2Mbit/s upload. You can test your speeds at the below site:
(url removed)
How to apply
Please click 'Apply' and upload a copy of your most recent CV to be considered.
Make sure to click on the links in the advert to find out more about the role and test your broadband speed. If you are interested in the role or require any more information, please email (url removed) we look forward to hearing from you.
Closing date: Friday 3rd April
