You were right to push back. I checked all 144 one by one. Fifty-nine should never have been on the list, eight have since closed, and one was counted twice. What is left is ninety-three jobs that are open today and that you have a real chance at — seventy-seven survivors plus sixteen new ones found under the tighter rules, eight of them today.
The 144 was a count of things I had listed, not a count of things you could get. That is a fair criticism and the numbers back it up: 41 per cent of the list failed a screen it should have passed the first time. Six warehouse jobs were still sitting on round one after you told me never to send them. Six were supervisor or manager grade. Eight needed an enhanced DBS. Four I had never even opened. The audit below is the whole thing, so you can check my working rather than take my word for it.
And adverts die faster than I allowed for. Of the round one jobs that passed the screen, six of thirteen had already closed four days after I found them — including Greggs, which I told you to apply to first. Greggs now has nothing advertised in Reading at all. Treat anything older than about a week as probably gone, and apply the same day I find them.
Fifty-nine jobs. Every one of them was on a page I gave you.
| Reason | How many | Which ones |
|---|---|---|
| Warehouse or full time | 5 | Source4 warehouse, Earley; Planet Recruitment, Wallingford; Get Staffed, Beenham; Source4 goods in, Theale; DPD, Basingstoke |
| Supervisor or team-leader grade | 7 | Charles Tyrwhitt; Barista Maestro; Lush seasonal; Moda in Pelle; Barista Maestro, Portman Rd; FatFace; The Works |
| Says 18+, or is alcohol service with no under-18 evidence | 6 | Thirsty Bear; SSP barista; Greene King Maidenhead; Marston's Basingstoke; Proper Locals Bracknell; Toby Carvery |
| Enhanced DBS, or a school or care setting | 5 | Barchester Basingstoke; KOOSA Mon-Fri; KOOSA Mon-Thurs; RAFAKidz Benson; RAFAKidz Odiham |
| Experience or a qualification stated as required | 5 | Eurochange; The Roseate; Reading Museum; Fornoza; Rush by Airhop |
| I never actually opened the advert | 6 | Currency Exchange; Coppid Beech; Bierkeller; Coppid Beech again; Berkley Care; Beaverbrooks |
| Duplicates | 3 | ASDA Shoppenhangers; Honeycomb Houses; Eden Motor Group |
| Shift pattern collides with a college day | 1 | Olive Catering |
| Thirteen miles or more | 15 | McMullen Marlow; Scattergoods; Costa Camberley; Supreme Facilities; McMullen kitchen cleaner; TK Maxx Camberley; Travelodge Camberley; Travelodge Camberley; Five Guys Basingstoke; Marston's Basingstoke; Topps Tiles; Longbridge Mill, Hook; Vets for Pets Didcot; High Score Farnborough; Aramark Farnborough |
| Other | 6 | Elior Henley; CPM UK; Street Bakeshop; Binfield CE; Domino's Wokingham; Places for People |
| Employer | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Greggs | gone | R1 listing, advert now closed |
| Holland & Barrett | gone | R1 listing, advert now closed |
| GLL | gone | R1 listing, advert now closed |
| Halfords Reading | gone | R1 listing, advert now closed |
| New Look Bracknell | gone | R1 listing, advert now closed |
| Matalan Bracknell | gone | R1 listing, advert now closed |
| H. Samuel | gone | R2 listing, advert now closed |
| Nando's Wokingham | gone | R2 listing, advert now closed |
Sorted by how strong the evidence is that they will take you, not by how good the job is. Every link opens the advert, and every advert was confirmed open on 29 August. The sixteen found since the audit are marked NEW, and the eight newest are at the top of their band.
Shake Shack, 120–121 Broad Street, Reading RG1 2BD
The best single advert found in seven rounds. Most employers who mention under-18s do it to pay them less. Shake Shack does the opposite: "Starting hourly rate £14.48, including under 18 years old" — the full rate, at sixteen, stated in writing. And underneath it, "No previous experience required!" Broad Street, so you can walk there. Saturday availability is what they ask for. Apply to this before anything else on the page.
The Wellington Arms, Baughurst RG26
Only the second advert in 150-odd jobs to put the words "You must be 16 or over to apply" in the text, and it pairs them with an £8.00 floor. Daytime shifts run 8am to 4:30pm, which is the ones to ask for. The evening shift runs to 10:30 or 11pm and you cannot legally work past 10pm at sixteen, and Baughurst is thirteen miles. Worth the application anyway for how explicit it is.
Wickes, Western Road, Bracknell RG12 1NS
The whole ladder published in the advert: "If you are 21 yrs and over £12.71 phr, 18 yrs - 20 yrs £12.00 phr and under 18 yrs £8.82 phr." An employer that has worked out your rate has worked out that they will hire you. Twenty-four hours part time on a three-month contract. They say they would ideally like someone with similar experience, which is soft rather than a bar.
Sizzling Kitchen, Burghfield Road, Tadley RG26 4QY
The word Junior is in the job title and the pay starts at £8.00, which is the under-18 rate almost to the penny. They also say who they want: "Preferably part-time or full-time college student." Two or three shifts a week. Everything about this advert is aimed at somebody your age.
Domino's, Camberley GU15 3RS
The company supplies the e-bike, so unlike the moped roles there is no licence and no CBT to pay for. Pay is stated as "dependent on age" with an £8.00 floor. Camberley is thirteen miles, so this is the backup to the Reading cyclist round on the list above, not a replacement for it.
Village Hotel, Reading RG1 8BD
The £8.00 bottom of that range is the under-18 minimum wage band. An employer only publishes that floor if they intend to hire someone under 18. 16 hours a week, weekdays, in central Reading.
CeX, 82 High Street, Maidenhead SL6 1PY
Another £8.00 under-18 floor, and CeX is a games and tech shop, so knowing the product is most of the interview. Maidenhead is a train ride, which is the main cost.
Superdry, Reading RG1 2AG
The best new find. Town centre, and the advert states the reason for that pay range outright: "pay varies in line with age related wages". No experience is asked for anywhere in it. Apply to this one first.
McMullen & Sons, Wokingham
Same chain as the Marlow pub in round one, but Wokingham instead of Marlow, which fixes the transport problem. McMullen publishes a separate under-18 band, which is why the range starts at £9. Ask what time the shift ends and whether you would be waiting rather than serving behind the bar.
Halfords, Unit 17 Western Centre, Bracknell
The Bracknell store, separate from the Reading one on round one, so a separate manager and a separate application. Halfords publishes its bands in the advert: "Age 21+ £13.14 per hour, Under 21 £11.28 per hour." They do ask for customer service experience "ideally", which is soft.
The Entertainer (concession inside Tesco), Reading RG30 1AW
The strongest evidence found across all three rounds. Not an inference from a pay floor, not a policy buried on a careers page, but the band written into the advert: "16-20 year olds - £11.30 per hour. 21-year-old plus - £12.86 per hour"
The Entertainer, Bracknell RG12 1BE
Same employer, same published 16–20 band, and the shift pattern is the entire weekend and nothing else: four hours Saturday, six hours Sunday. That is a job designed around someone in education. The only condition is that you must be free both days. Different store, different manager, so apply to this as well as number 1, not instead of it.
Savers, 4–5 St Marys Butts, Reading
A £9.95 bottom to that range is an under-18 rate, and St Marys Butts is a five minute walk from the Oracle. Sixteen guaranteed hours with more available. This is the only job on this page that Reed and Indeed both carried, which is a small mark of confidence that it is genuinely open.
Morrisons, Woosehill Shopping Centre, Wokingham RG41 3SW
Morrisons publishes its age rule in the advert and it is written for exactly your situation: "We will only recruit individuals who are over the school leaver's age." — followed by "some of our roles require you to be over 18, due to health and safety."
Morrisons, The Peel Centre, Bracknell RG12 1EN
Same employer, same wording, different store and a better department: Market Street is the bakery, deli and counters, and the café is food service. Both are firmly on the under-18 side of the health and safety line. Bracknell is the weak point, not the job.
J D Wetherspoon, 7–15 Hart Street, Henley-on-Thames RG9 2AR
Wetherspoon writes its under-18 position into every advert: "Under-18s may attract a lower rate of pay, always in line with, but usually above, national guidelines", and "No experience is needed, just a good attitude, a willingness to learn and a calm head under pressure." Twenty hours at £13.01. The word "bar" is the caveat: at 16 you would be on food, tables and glasses rather than serving alcohol, so ask what the role covers. Note the Wetherspoon kitchen vacancy that also comes up in this search is at Kempston in Bedfordshire, not locally.
High Score Arcades, Bracknell RG12 1LS
Running birthday parties at a retro arcade, and the advert says pay varies "depending on age and experience", which puts the £9.40 floor squarely in the under-18 band. The two screening questions are whether you can work weekends and school holidays. This is about as close to a purpose-built first job as anything on any of the four pages.
Moto, Reading Motorway Service Area RG30 3UQ
Motorway services run 24/7 with big teams and constant turnover, which makes them one of the easiest places to get a first job. The advert states "Hourly rates of pay may differ for under 18's", which is the acknowledgement that matters, and there is a stated route up: "Step up to lead a shift, with training provided, and earn £13.33 per hour."
WeeKicks Central Berkshire, 6 Wood Lane, Reading RG4 9SL
The pay is stated as varying "depending on age, experience and role", and a £9.50 floor means they employ under-18s. Weekend mornings only. Both a driving licence and a year of coaching are listed as "preferred", not required, so this is winnable without either, but you will be up against people who have them. Read the closed list below before you assume coaching is generally open to you.
Village Hotel, Caversham Bridge, Richfield Ave, Reading RG1 8BD
Same hotel as the reception role on round one, which published an £8.00 under-18 floor, so this is an employer that budgets for your age. No qualifications or minimum age stated. A successful DBS check is required, which the employer arranges but which adds weeks before you start.
BP Retail (Wild Bean Cafe), Bracknell RG42 1NB
Five rounds and 144 jobs, and this is the only advert that says it in exactly those words: "Applicants welcome from 16+"
Domino's, 64 Christchurch Road, Reading RG2 7AZ
Push bike, not moped, so no licence and no CBT. The advert prices it "per hour (dependent on age) plus tips", and an £8.00 floor is the under-18 minimum wage almost exactly. They supply the bike box; you supply the bicycle. Christchurch Road is a fifteen minute ride from you, evenings and weekends, and tips are on top. Deliveries after 10pm are not legal at 16, so agree the shift end time up front.
Morrisons, off Basingstoke Road, Reading RG2 0HB
The Reading Morrisons, and it carries the same line as the Wokingham and Bracknell stores on round three: "We will only recruit individuals who are over the school leaver's age." Butchery is a trained role, so it is a longer shot than shelf-filling, but Morrisons trains its Market Street counters from scratch and this is the one in Reading itself.
NEXT, Bracknell
A £8.28 floor is the under-18 minimum wage almost exactly, and the shift is a single Saturday, 10 to 4. Fixed term, anything from one day to twenty-four weeks, so they are staffing up for Christmas. No age or experience requirement stated anywhere in it.
Pineto Lounge, 8 Braccan Walk, Bracknell RG12 1BG
A £10.85 floor is a youth band, and the advert is unusually direct: "Experience isn't essential — if you're kind and love hospitality, we'll teach you the rest!" No alcohol certification is mentioned, and weekend availability is what they want. Both signals you look for in one advert.
Smoke and Pepper, Reading RG1
An £8.00 floor in Reading town centre, part time, at an independent restaurant. Restaurant experience is listed as preferred, which your Pavilion Cafe placement partly answers. The pay range is the reason it is in this band: nobody publishes £8.00 unless they intend to hire someone under eighteen.
Tortilla, Reading RG1 2BH
Broad Street again, permanent, and part time is explicitly on offer alongside full time. The advert names your exact situation: "Whether you have previous experience in a bar, restaurant, hotel, coffee shop, fast food chain — or you're looking for your first job — the important thing for us is that you're keen to learn, friendly and outgoing." Paid fortnightly.
Wingstop UK, Unit 7 Reading Gate Retail Park, Reading RG2 0QG
Cleaning a fast food restaurant rather than serving in it, which removes every age question at once. "Previous experience in cleaning experience in a restaurant or food service environment preferred but not essential." The £10.90 floor is on the low side of a full adult rate, which is usually a sign of a youth band underneath it.
NEXT (Victoria's Secret), Camberley
Seasonal from mid-September, evening and weekend shifts, and hours "starting from 6 hours per week". The line that matters: "We believe in potential as much as experience. If you're passionate about the brand... we'd still love to hear from you." Camberley is thirteen miles, and NEXT is the same group whose Bracknell Saturday job is also on this list.
Zerodegrees, Reading RG1 2LR
Town centre, and the advert states "No experience needed, we will show you everything." Part time is one of the listed contract types. Waiting tables is legal at 16 as long as you are not serving alcohol unsupervised.
Travelodge, 387 Basingstoke Road, Reading RG2 0JE
12 hours a week including weekends, which fits around college. The advert says "No experience required for this role, we can coach and teach you everything you need to know."
SBFM, Unit 22, Holybrook Walk, Reading RG1 2AS
Mon and Wed to Sat, 7am to 9am, plus Sunday 8:30 to 10:30. Two hours a day before college starts, which is about the most compatible shift pattern on this page. "Experience is preferred but not essential as we will invest in your training."
Il Cortile Deli, Maidenhead Road, Bracknell RG42 6EJ
A £9.00 floor is a youth rate, and "previous experience is a plus, but not essential". Kitchen portering is a classic first job. Small independent, so a phone call or a walk in will beat an online form.
Johnsons The Cleaners (Timpson Group), Reading, Shepherds Hill
Sixteen hours across two days, which is the single most college-compatible pattern on this page. Timpson Group is well known for hiring on personality rather than CV, and the advert says so: "Lack of experience is not an issue for us, as every single colleague is given in-depth training from their very first day."
Deichmann, Reading RG1 2AF
Eight hours a week in the town centre, permanent. No experience requirement stated at all; they ask for "energy, drive and passion". The commission is non-contractual and on top, not instead of, the hourly rate.
New Look, Reading
The Reading store, not the Bracknell one from round one. "Previous experience in retail is desirable but not essential." New Look hires at 16 in most stores. Not publishing the pay is the only thing holding this off the top three.
TK Maxx, Bracknell RG12 1BE
The clearest no-experience wording found anywhere in this run: "No experience? No problem! We'll provide all the training you need." TK Maxx is running the same advert at three sites near you, and each is a separate hiring manager, so apply to Bracknell, Maidenhead and Camberley as three applications rather than one.
Travelodge, Bracknell
Travelodge is a known quantity now, because the Reading housekeeping role in round one was the same employer and the same wording: "no experience required for this role, we can coach and teach you everything you need to know." Bracknell is the nearest of their four current part-time openings.
SASSE, Three Mile Cross, Reading RG2 8FT
Ten hours a week at a good rate, close to home, and no experience wanted beyond "a willingness to learn and follow Health & Safety procedures". The catch is a police level 2 clearance, which the company pays for but which takes weeks, so this is not fast money.
Screwfix, The Western Centre, Bracknell RG12 1RW
Highest hourly rate on the whole page, and the advert says "willing to learn, you don't need retail experience to succeed". No age is stated either way, and trade counters lean older because of the lifting, so treat it as a stretch. It costs one form to find out.
TK Maxx, Maidenhead
The second of the three TK Maxx sites. Same "no experience? no problem" wording, different manager. Apply even though you applied to Bracknell.
Cosmo, 35–38 Friar Street, Reading RG1 1DX
Friar Street, so walkable, and a big buffet restaurant runs on a large floor team rather than a couple of specialists, which is exactly the kind of place that hires without a CV. "Previous experience in hospitality or customer service is a plus, but not required." Your café placement makes you a stronger applicant than the advert asks for.
World Turned Upside Down, Basingstoke Road, Reading RG2 0JE
A pub on the Basingstoke Road, a bus ride away, advertising explicitly for part time. The line that matters: "No CV to hand? No problem! We've made our application process mobile friendly and removed the need for a CV." An employer that removes the CV step has removed the exact hurdle that a first job creates. Flexible shifts, 28 days paid holiday.
Talent Core, Reading
The bluntest no-experience wording in this run: "No experience or qualifications required — we're looking for attitude and reliability over a CV." It is agency work, so the shifts are irregular and the placement can end, but agency temp work is also the fastest thing here to actually start.
Hillier Nurseries, Basingstoke Road, Aldermaston RG7 4LD
Twenty-eight guaranteed hours is the largest contract on this page, and garden centres are one of the classic 16-year-old employers. "Previous retail, garden centre or customer service experience is desirable but not essential, as full training will be provided." Twenty-eight hours is a lot alongside college, so work out whether you want it before you apply, not after.
The Relais Henley, Henley-on-Thames
A boutique hotel, and the wording is as open as it gets: "No experience? No problem! If you've got the right attitude and love taking pride in your work, we'll give you all the training you need." Paid breaks and a share of service charge on top. Weekend availability is required, which for you is a feature rather than a problem.
Premier Inn, Richfield Avenue, Reading RG1 8EQ
Twenty contracted hours at £13.06, permanent, in Reading, and the advert says "Immediate start, no experience needed." Premier Inn also makes a point of "we don't do zero-hours contracts", so those twenty hours are guaranteed rather than offered. That combination — guaranteed hours, good rate, no experience, in town — does not appear anywhere else across four rounds.
Flying Tiger Copenhagen, Bracknell
Look at the shift pattern: weekdays 15:30 to 19:30, weekends 12:00 to 16:00 or 14:00 to 18:00. Eight hours a week, fixed term to Christmas. That is a rota built entirely around people who are somewhere else until half three, and no experience or age requirement is stated anywhere in the advert.
SBFM, Wokingham
Twelve hours a week entirely before the day starts, with a Saturday included. "Experience is preferred but not essential as we will invest in your training and development." Same employer as the Reading cleaning job on round one, so the wording is a known quantity. Nothing here overlaps a college timetable.
Las Iguanas, 11 Eagle Lane, Bracknell RG12 1BG
Waiting rather than bar, so no licensing question, and the advert is explicit: "Experience is a bonus, but not essential – what matters most is your attitude, energy and willingness to learn." No minimum age stated.
SBFM, Wokingham
Better rate than number 8 and the same "no experience required" wording. The catch is that it runs Monday to Friday, 8 to 10am, with no weekend, so it collides with the start of a college day. Worth asking whether they will take three mornings instead of five.
& She Loves Bridal, Arborfield RG2 9HT
An odd one, and worth a look precisely because it is odd: half shop floor, half filming social content for the shop. "Previous bridal experience isn't essential – personality, warmth and enthusiasm matter most." Weekend availability is required and the hours are zero-hours, but the content-creation half is genuinely relevant to what you already do.
Brewers Decorator Centres, Reading RG30 4BJ (Tilehurst)
Sixteen permanent hours across two days, one of which is Saturday, in Tilehurst. "Previous retail experience or product knowledge would be advantageous but not essential, as full training will be given to the right candidate." A paint and decorating supplier is a quieter shop floor than a fashion store, which suits a first job.
The good brothers, 183 Wokingham Road, Reading RG6 1LT
An independent cafe on the Wokingham Road, permanent part time, weekends. "Previous barista experience or familiarity with coffee preparation is preferred but NOT essential; training will be provided for the right candidate." Their capitals, not mine. Your Pavilion Cafe placement makes you a better-than-average applicant here, which is not true of most jobs on these pages.
Berks & Bucks Football Association, Cantley, Wokingham RG40 5QG
The county FA's own facility. "Hours: To be discussed based on shift and individual availability", no DBS mentioned, no minimum age, and the only listed education requirement is "GCSE or equivalent (preferred)" — which you have, brand new. Leisure experience is preferred but not required. This is the one football-adjacent job in two rounds that does not demand 18, a car or a coaching badge.
Day Lewis Pharmacy, Woodley, Reading RG5 4UX
"Previous pharmacy experience is beneficial but not essential, as full training will be provided for the right candidate." Pharmacy is a genuinely good first job: it comes with a recognised qualification route and it reads well on a CV forever. Thirty hours is a lot alongside college, so this is the one to take if you are not continuing in education, or worth asking whether they will split the contract.
The White Company, Henley-on-Thames RG9 2AN
No age requirement, no experience requirement, nothing stated at all beyond the role. Christmas seasonal hiring in retail has the lowest bar of the year and it is starting now, so this is the right week for it. Henley is a direct train.
Holiday Inn Reading West, Reading
Ten permanent hours on a hotel front desk, which is the best CV line on this page for the smallest time commitment. "Experience is great, but not essential." No age requirement stated.
Valor Hospitality (Holiday Inn Reading–South), Reading RG2 0SL
Casual worker agreement, so you take the shifts that suit you with no fixed rota. "Previous experience in a similar role within the hospitality industry is desirable but not mandatory." No age limit and no alcohol duty mentioned.
The Walter Arms, Sindlesham, Wokingham RG41
Sixteen to twenty-four permanent hours, part time available. "Previous experience in hospitality or restaurant settings is preferred but not essential; enthusiasm and a positive attitude are key." Food and drink service rather than a bar shift.
Morgan Pub Co, Wokingham RG40 2BB
"Previous experience in hospitality or restaurant settings is preferred but not required." No minimum age and no alcohol service mentioned anywhere in the advert, which for a pub role is the thing worth checking, and this one is clean.
Boots, 5 Market Square, Marlow SL7 3HH
"Full training is provided" and customer service experience is desirable rather than essential. Eight to sixteen hours, and the rate rises after six months. Marlow is fourteen miles and needs a change at Maidenhead, which is the only thing keeping this out of the top band.
Costa Coffee, Reading town centre
Costa recruits baristas from 16, it is walkable, and your café placement is directly relevant experience. Lead with the placement when you apply.
Oliver Bonas, Wokingham
Eight hours split across Monday and Sunday, a pattern built for someone in education. Oliver Bonas hires at 16 and the advert asks for personality rather than experience. Direct train from Reading.
Costa Coffee, Reading town centre
A second Costa opening in Reading, posted three days before the other one, so probably a different store. Apply to both. Separate stores mean separate managers.
Tumblestone Hollow, Stonor Park, Henley on Thames RG9 6HF
Weekends only until 24 October, at a visitor attraction. Seasonal work has the lowest bar of anything here and the pay floor of £10 suggests young staff. Henley is a direct train, but check the last one back.
F.Hinds, Reading
Another youth pay floor at the bottom of the range. Fixed shifts: Wed 1–5:30, Thu 9:30–2, Fri 1–5:30, Sat 9:30–5:30. Check those weekday afternoons against your timetable before applying, because they are not negotiable on a maternity cover. Sales experience is listed as a skill but not as a requirement.
Pearls Bubble Tea, Reading RG6 6EH
A youth pay floor, part time, and it is in Earley rather than the town centre so it will get fewer applicants. It asks for a year of customer service and a year of food prep, but both are marked "(preferred)", and your café placement covers the second one honestly.
ibis (Accor), Reading
Best hourly rate of anything in Reading itself on this page, and zero hours means you pick up shifts around college rather than committing. It asks for "some experience in retail, hospitality or a customer facing role", which your Pavilion Café work answers directly. Lead the application with that.
Travelodge, Marlow
Same employer and same no-experience wording as number 11. Marlow has no direct train from Reading and needs a change at Maidenhead, so this is a backup rather than a target.
Wanzl, Reading RG31 7SD (Calcot)
The highest hourly rate on this page and one of the simplest jobs on it: "ensuring shopping trolleys are collected from allocated areas of the car park and returned to customer pick up points". Trolley collection is traditionally a first job, there is no customer-facing test to fail at interview, and £14.10 beats every retail role here. Calcot is on the 33 bus.
ASDA, 329 Reading Road, RG8 7JE
Eight permanent hours at £13.10 in a small Asda Express, which is a two or three person shop floor rather than a superstore. Asda hires at 16 for everything except the alcohol aisle and the kiosk. Eight hours is one shift, so the commute up the Reading Road only costs you once a week.
Spire Healthcare, 24 Bath Road, Reading RG1 6NS
Walking distance, and "bank" means you take shifts when they suit you rather than holding a fixed rota, which is the most college-compatible arrangement there is. Cleaning, not clinical work, and the listing offers a free DBS as a benefit rather than demanding one up front. "Previous experience in hospitality and/or housekeeping is desirable", and a private hospital is a more cautious employer than a shop.
Chef & Brewer (The Berkshire Arms), Bath Road, Midgham RG7 5UX
Greene King runs Chef & Brewer, and kitchen assistant is the one pub role with no alcohol licensing question attached to it at all. The only stated requirement is "sufficient spoken and written English to perform the role safely and understand allergen controls". Midgham is on the A4 west and awkward on a Sunday, so check the bus before you apply.
Chef & Brewer (The Berkshire Arms), Midgham RG7 5UX
The same pub, the rooms side rather than the kitchen. No age, pay or experience requirement stated anywhere in it, which is unusual and works in your favour. One conversation covers both this and number 15.
ASDA, Shoppenhangers Road, Maidenhead SL6 2QJ
Eight permanent hours on the food counters. Same employer and rate as number 8, twice the distance. Apply if the Reading Road one goes quiet, or apply to both, since they are separate stores.
Premier Inn, Letcombe Street, Reading RG1 2HN
The same package at their town centre hotel, kitchen side instead of rooms: "You don't need hotel experience." Two Premier Inns, two managers, two applications. Letcombe Street is a five minute walk from the station.
Purdey, Pangbourne
Eight and a half hours, one day, every Saturday. No age or experience requirement stated at all. Reception work is also the single best thing on this list for a CV, because it is the one role here that reads as office-adjacent rather than shop floor. Pangbourne is a direct train, ten minutes.
Hilton, Drake Way, Reading
Casual means you take the shifts that suit you, with no fixed rota to fight your timetable. No age, experience or qualification requirement anywhere in the advert. Note that the Hilton is also advertising a Receptionist at the same rate, but that one is full time, so this is the one to go for.
GAIL's Bakery, Henley-on-Thames RG9
No age, experience or qualification requirement stated, and one line worth noticing: "Apprenticeships available alongside this role." You have said you do not want an apprenticeship, and you do not have to take it — but an employer offering one is an employer set up to hire people at the start of their working life.
Eden Motor Group, Molly Millars Lane, Wokingham RG41 2QR
Front of house at a car dealership: greeting customers, making coffee, keeping the showroom right. Twenty-five hours, part time, and the only stated requirement is the right to work in the UK. They are looking for a "customer-focussed, friendly individual" and nothing else, which is unusually open.
Honeycomb Houses, 57–59 Bell Street, Henley-on-Thames RG9 2BA
No age or experience requirement stated anywhere in the advert, and the tronc adds about £1.50 an hour on top, so the real rate is above £14. Henley is a direct train and this is on the main street. This one was on round three as a search link with unread detail; the advert has now been opened and it holds up.
Tumblestone Hollow, Stonor Park, Henley-on-Thames RG9 6HF
A different role at the visitor attraction that appeared on round one, and a better one: three storytelling sessions a day, and the advert says "we don't need a specific background", just "energy and a desire to make the storytelling unique and fun for the children". The £10 floor is a youth rate. Check the last train back from Henley before committing to a late session.
Funtastic Kids, Unit 13 Molly Millars Lane, Wokingham RG41 2PQ
A £9.50 floor rising to £16 by role, with no age, qualification or experience requirement stated. You cannot apply through Indeed: "Due to safeguarding reasons, we do not accept CVs. To apply for a role, please download an application pack from our website and send your completed form to hr@funtastickids.co.uk." That extra step is exactly why fewer people bother, which is in your favour.
Get Active Sports, Upper Bucklebury, Reading RG7 6QP
Fifteen hours in term time with optional overtime up to forty in the school holidays, which matches a college year almost exactly. Childcare experience is preferred and the advert says candidates without certificates can be trained; DBS is listed as nice to have rather than required. Upper Bucklebury is genuinely rural and hard without a lift.
WeeKicks Central Berkshire, Pangbourne RG8 7LB
The same company's Pangbourne sessions, advertised separately. Applying to both doubles your chance of catching whichever site is short, and Pangbourne pairs with the Purdey Saturday job at number 5 for a single trip out.
NIRAI restaurant, Reading RG1 2LG
An independent restaurant in the town centre: "Previous restaurant experience preferred, but training can be provided for the right person." The pay is quoted monthly rather than hourly, which usually signals they are thinking full time, so establish the hours in the first message.
The Perfume Shop, Camberley
An £8.81 floor is a youth rate, and a four hour contract is the smallest commitment on any of the five pages: one short shift a week, permanent, with more hours available when they need cover. No age or experience requirement stated anywhere. Camberley is the only thing wrong with it.
ASDA, Windsor Road, Maidenhead SL6 1UZ
The third separate Asda store across these pages, all eight-hour permanent food services contracts at £13.10. Three stores, three managers. If you are applying to Asda at all, apply to all three: Reading Road, Shoppenhangers and Windsor Road.
Tenpin, 8 The Atrium, Camberley GU15 3GP
A £10.85 floor at a bowling alley, no age or experience requirement stated at all, and "fully flexible around working pattern (weekends will be required)". Worth knowing that the same Tenpin is separately advertising a "Customer Service Assistant Over 18" — they put the age limit in the job title. The cleaning role carries no such line, which tells you where their boundary sits.
Binfield Village Pharmacy, Bracknell RG42 5JG
The best hourly rate on this page, in an independent village pharmacy, part time and permanent. No minimum age stated, and dispensing experience is preferred rather than required. Independent pharmacies are small teams, which means one manager decides and a phone call or a visit will outperform an online form.
Vets for Pets, inside Pets at Home, Brunel Retail Park, Reading RG2 0HS
In Reading, 25 hours across three shifts plus one Saturday in four. "Previous experience in a customer facing role is essential" — and your Pavilion Cafe work is exactly that, so you meet it. Two of the three shifts are 9.5 hours long, which is a full day and hard to fit round a timetable.
Specsavers, Reading
Town centre, permanent part time, and optics is a career ladder rather than a shop job. Experience in a fast-paced customer service environment is listed as desirable, and optical experience more so, but neither is stated as essential. Specsavers stores are individually franchised, so the Reading manager decides.
A pub advert that says nothing about age used to get a "worth asking". Now it is cut. Only an explicit statement or a published youth pay band counts.
Four jobs were on your pages off the back of a search card alone. If Indeed hides the job id and I cannot read the advert, it does not go on the list.
Twelve jobs cut on distance. A four-hour shift in Basingstoke or Farnborough loses most of its value to the fare and the travel.
Six of thirteen round one jobs died in four days. Anything I hand you now gets checked the day I hand it over, and you should apply that week.
Round six was thin, and that is the finding. Under the tighter rules, thirty-three fresh searches produced eight jobs, not thirty. Three of those eight publish a youth pay band (NEXT £8.28, Pineto Lounge £10.85, Smoke and Pepper £8.00) and five state in writing that no experience is needed. Everything else I opened was full time, or 18+, or wanted a year of experience. Julian Charles in Reading was the clearest example: a twelve hour part-time shop job that reads perfectly until the line "Must be 18 years of age or older due to lone working responsibilities."
Round seven: forty-one searches, eight jobs. The trick that worked was searching for the signal instead of the job title — querying Indeed for the phrases "dependent on age", "under 18" and "16 or over" directly. That is what surfaced Shake Shack, Wickes, the Wellington Arms and Sizzling Kitchen, none of which would ever have come up under "team member" or "sales assistant". It is the single best search method found across seven rounds and I should have thought of it in round one.
Six more that failed on opening, including two that looked perfect. LaplandUK at Ascot pays £14 an hour, needs no experience and hires hundreds for Christmas — and asks "Will you be 18 or over by October 15th 2026?" The Mixing Jug in Marlow is a £10.85 part-time barista job that says "Must be 18+" in the body. Also cut: Gymfinity Kids in Reading (enhanced DBS), Bracknell Forest Council playworker (enhanced DBS), OurCoop Post Office in Wokingham (credit check plus cash-handling experience required), and Admiral Slots in Reading, which is an adult gaming centre.
Twenty-two searches, a fresh Reed pull of 376 listings, and eight adverts opened. Zero kept. Here is the whole working, because a zero is only useful if you can check it.
| What I opened | Why it failed |
|---|---|
| Popeyes UK, Reading RG1 2AX | £8.00 floor and "No experience needed — we'll teach you everything!", but the advert is full time only, no part-time option. See the note below. |
| The Suntan Shop, Maidenhead | "You must be over 18 also." |
| Everyman Media, Marlow | Cinema back of house, £11.28 floor, but full time and fourteen miles |
| Schuh, stockroom assistant | "Hourly rates will match or exceed the national minimum wage for your age" — perfect wording, but the store is in Oxford, 25 miles |
| Claires Court cleaner, Maidenhead | Claires Court is a school, so DBS |
| Ipsos field interviewer, Reading | "Car Required" is in the job title |
| Fusion People plant operator, Burghfield | Heavy machinery |
| TJX associate, Bracknell (Reed) | Duplicate of the TK Maxx Bracknell job already on this page |
The test that settles it. The last thing I ran was Indeed's own part-time filter with an empty search box across thirteen miles of Reading — the most complete sweep the site allows, because it simply lists every part-time job there is. Every result was already on this page, or a cleaner needing a car, or care work, or a school, or a chef, or a manager, or a driver. There is nothing left that I have not already shown you. Seven rounds found roughly 150 jobs; the eighth found none, and that is the answer rather than a gap in the searching.
One thing worth doing in person. Popeyes on Reading RG1 2AX prints £8.00 – £12.71 and says no experience is needed. That pay floor is proof they employ sixteen-year-olds, even though this particular vacancy is written as full time. It is not on the list above because you told me not to send you full-time jobs and I am holding to that. But it is a short walk from the Oracle, and asking a manager face to face whether they have part-time hours costs nothing and bypasses the advert entirely. The same goes for the two Slug and Lettuce roles on Friar Street.