Why Unite Students
It’s about being driven to achieve
We are driven by our values, culture and a commitment to developing diverse and inclusive teams
Why Unite Students?
Unite Students is a unique organisation filled with positive energy and new ideas
Watch this video to find out what makes US different.
Who are we?
We're a dedicated team, driven by a passion for helping people be the best they can be.
Founded in 1991, Unite Students is a FTSE 100 business and the UK`s leading provider of purpose-built student accommodation. You can find us in 25 leading university towns and cities, with 74,000 students calling US home! We are driven by our values, culture, and a commitment to develop diverse and inclusive teams, filled with positive energy and new ideas.
Instinctive inclusion. We know that to create and maintain a happy healthy organisation, we have to work hard to ensure inclusion isn’t just what we do but who we are.
People make Unite Students. Employees, students, neighbours all contribute to building environments where we can all thrive.
It's our shared purpose and we call it a Home for Success.
We've been doing this for over 30 years, which means we're not only the UK's largest provider of student accommodation but also the most experienced. No-one knows students better.
We use this insight to create homes designed around what matters most to students. We use it to deliver a best-in-class service, specifically designed to help students make the transition to university as quickly, as smoothly and as painlessly as possible and, after that, to be there when they need us.
We're also a business which takes its responsibilities seriously. We want to make a positive contribution to society and the communities where we work.
To do all this we need exceptional people. People who constantly want to make things better, who always finish what they start and are not afraid to make their voice heard when something's not right. We need people who know that great teams are more than the sum of their parts and who take pride in doing things well. Is that you?
Values
Creating Room for Everyone
Keeping uS Safe
Doing What's Right
Raising the Bar Together
We're a values-driven organisation. That means we don't just care about what you do, we care about how you do it. Our values aren't just some words on the wall, they're what helps us stay ahead of our competitors and deliver a Home for Success.
Working for Unite Students
Doing what's right for our students starts with doing what's right for our people.
Balance
We advocate a healthy work-life balance, which is why we offer flexible and hybrid working and wellbeing initiatives.
Growth
Not only do we nurture the growth and development of our students, but that of our employees too. Our focus from day one is to facilitate learning and development that supports both your role and your aspirations, so that you can be the best you can be.
Reward
We value our employees' commitment, so we make sure everyone is rewarded fairly and on merit with a wide range of benefits that can be tailored to meet your individual needs.
Benefits of working with US
We're dedicated to making Unite Students a fantastic place to work for everyone. Since your hard work is what makes our business successful, we want to reward our people with a variety of competitive incentives.
We are proud to pay a Real Living Wage. We recognise the value of having a happy and motivated team who is compensated fairly for their efforts. We were the first in our sector to earn accreditation in 2015, and we remain dedicated to paying our employees the Real Living Wage in the future.
We are delighted to provide a discretionary annual bonus scheme that recognises your contributions to our success.
Our enhanced pension scheme allows you to save for retirement and as an employer we’ll always match your contribution and pay an additional 1% (up to 11% subject to employee contribution).
We give you a competitive holiday entitlement starting at 25 days, which increases with your duration of service.
We understand how important employee health and happiness are to the continued success of US. That is why, through our health cash plan, we provide a health benefit to all of our workers. This plan will help enable you to access high quality healthcare for smaller health issues when you need it.
Unite Students respects the importance of family friendly initiatives; building a Home for Success for our employees means we must support them as they transition into their new family dynamics, and new relationship with their work-life balance. After one year, working for US means you could be entitled to enhanced Family Leave, support through IVF and adoption and surrogacy, and a support in the event that your baby is premature or hospitalised from birth. You can read our family leave policy here.
We care deeply about your health and wellbeing, and we understand that life may be difficult at times. We've established an Employee Assistance Programme to give discreet help and support for both personal and work-related difficulties when you need it.
Plus, some of the other benefits we offer...
My role within Unite Students is extremely rewarding. It allows me to learn a variety of different skills from sales to student welfare and safety training. The business rewards our hard work, which motivates me to push further and be the best I can be.
Rose Barrow Student Experience Team Leader
My role within Unite Students is extremely rewarding. It allows me to learn a variety of different skills from sales to student welfare and safety training. The business rewards our hard work, which motivates me to push further and be the best I can be. I’m always encouraged to share new ideas, so it has allowed me to embrace my creativity and I love that these efforts never go unnoticed.
Unite Students as a company has supported me from the get-go to progress in my role. The training provided in the first few weeks was extremely beneficial and allowed me to meet my new, friendly colleagues. This has been the best job I’ve had to date; I love how different my role can be from day to day. Despite the different departments, we all come together as one team which makes me feel supported.
Being a welcoming face for our students allows me to get to know them throughout their stay with uS – I love hearing the students’ great feedback, especially when they want to book again for another year.
Our purpose ‘Home for Success’ is so impactful, it’s a privilege to work for a business that’s progressive, curious and focused on influencing our next generation.
Tom Ellis Deputy Chief Financial Officer
With responsibility across a range of subjects and teams, I am fortunate to have a role which brings something new every day, with the opportunity to grow and influence in our vibrant sector.
Who you work with is so important and I personally really appreciate the energy and enthusiasm of our people.
Our purpose ‘Home for Success’ is so impactful, it’s a privilege to work for a business that’s progressive, curious and focused on influencing our next generation.
I enjoy the wide variety of interesting work. There are so many diverse challenges and problems to solve that keep me constantly engaged. I love coming up with innovative ideas and solutions, and as a team, we are given the space and freedom to do this.
Geoff Meston UX & Design Manager
I enjoy the wide variety of interesting work. There are so many diverse challenges and problems to solve that keep me constantly engaged. I love coming up with innovative ideas and solutions, and as a team, we are given the space and freedom to do this.
My role relies on our customers’ insight. I admire their willingness to help us improve. It is refreshing to work somewhere with such great access to understand and build relationships with our customers.
The culture at Unite Students is friendly, collaborative, and supportive. We work hard but also have fun!
Up to uS
Our Sustainability Commitments are built on five pillars that will have a significant impact on how we function as a business. They are as follows:
Net Zero Carbon - Becoming net zero carbon for both operations and developments by 2030
Resource Efficient - Creating resilient and resource efficient assets and operations, improving energy and water efficiency, and helping students adopt sustainable living habits
Health & Wellbeing - Enhancing the health and wellbeing of our employees and students, improving our service model, physical assets and employee support
Opportunities for All - Providing an environment where all can succeed, whatever their background, gender or ethnicity
Raising Standards - Leading the student housing sector for governance, safety and transparency
Unite Foundation
In 2012 we launched the Unite Foundation, an independent charity that provides accommodation scholarships for care leavers and estranged young people. Since then, we have awarded 514 scholarships, and 185 Unite Foundation graduates are pursuing their dreams!
Culture Matters
Our new employee forum provides a two-way communication process between the senior leadership team and the wider business, giving each employee the opportunity to share their voice and have an effect on the way we move forward together. The forum is not only a discussion, it has been designed to empower decision making and take action too.
Positive Impact
We pride ourselves on being the first purpose-built student accommodation provider to sign up for the NUS ‘Green Impact’ programme.
We are in our 8th year of running our Positive Impact scheme alongside the NUS ‘Green Impact’ strategy. It's a change-and-engagement programme that teaches people about sustainability and social responsibility, shows them what they can do to make a difference and encourages them to take effective action.
Volunteering
At Unite Students, we believe in doing business responsibly
Up to uS, is our strategy for achieving this
Our history
We’re the largest manager and developer of purpose-built student accommodation. But how did we get to this point?
Find out moreRoom for Everyone
We’re proud to be an employer that embraces individuality, and we’re passionate about building inclusive teams. We focus on creating a collaborative culture where you can be you, where your voice is heard, and where you can truly belong. We take great pride in being rated Gold Investors in People and are constantly striving to provide the highest standard of learning and development opportunities and professional pathways for our people.
Building a home for success, for both our employees and students, requires exceptional people with a passion for creating room for everyone, doing what’s right, keeping US safe, and raising the bar. Join us as we build better experiences for students that live with us.
We are US.