How to get a job at M&S

M&S hires mainly customer assistants for its food and clothing and home stores, plus managers, visual merchandisers and a smaller number of office and supply chain staff. You apply online, take a short online assessment, then have an interview or group assessment in a store. Pay for customer assistants is £13.41 an hour across the UK and £14.74 in London, according to M&S's own pay announcement.

This guide explains the jobs M&S hires for, what it pays, the benefits, and each step of applying. Every figure says where it came from and when we checked it.

What jobs does M&S hire for?

Most M&S vacancies are in stores. The careers site splits store work into three groups: customer assistants, retail management and visual merchandising.

Customer assistants

This is the biggest group of jobs. Customer assistants serve shoppers, fill shelves, help people find products and suggest things to buy. You might work in a food hall, in clothing and home, or across both.

When we checked in September 2026, one part-time food advert in Bury listed four shifts a week, including a Sunday afternoon and a Saturday evening. It asked for people who stay calm when the store is busy and are happy to use digital tools such as the Sparks app. Shift patterns vary from store to store, so always read the advert.

Managers and visual merchandisers

Retail management roles run teams and whole stores. Visual merchandisers keep displays fresh and make sure products are laid out the way M&S wants. Check each advert for the experience it asks for.

Other routes into M&S

The careers site also lists jobs in food, digital and tech, fashion, home and beauty, international, support functions, and supply chain and logistics. There are far fewer of these than store roles.

M&S also points people to partner businesses that run some sites alongside it, such as Ocado, SSP, WHSmith and moto. These jobs are with the partner, not with M&S, so the pay and benefits can be different.

For school and college leavers and graduates, M&S runs a Retail Leaders Degree Apprenticeship and a Retail Leaders Graduate Programme. The early careers page describes both as routes into store leadership. Our guide to what shop and supermarket jobs pay shows how M&S compares with other retailers.

How much does M&S pay?

M&S publishes its hourly rate for customer assistants. In March 2026 it announced a 6.4% rise from 1 April 2026, which it said covered about 55,000 UK store staff.

The Bury advert we checked in September 2026 matched the £13.41 rate. M&S also says its pay and benefits together "could be worth up to" £16.33 an hour. That is M&S's own estimate. It adds the value of the discount, share scheme and pension to your pay, so it is not what lands in your bank account.

Manager and office pay is set per job. Look at the salary on each advert before you apply.

How does that compare with the legal minimum?

The law sets the lowest rate you can be paid, and it depends on your age. From April 2026, GOV.UK lists £12.71 an hour at 21 and over, £10.85 at 18 to 20 and £8.00 under 18. The M&S rate for customer assistants is above all of these.

What benefits and staff discount do M&S colleagues get?

M&S staff get a 20% colleague discount once they pass probation. The careers site says this applies only to contracts of more than 12 weeks, so short Christmas contracts may not qualify.

The discount covers M&S products and many third-party brands sold by M&S. The March 2026 press release describes it as uncapped on M&S-branded food and on fashion, home and beauty. The careers site and adverts say you can share it with one member of your household.

Other benefits listed on the M&S careers site include:

• Holiday. Paid holiday, with the option to buy extra days.
• Pension and shares. A Pension Savings Plan, plus Share Buy and Sharesave schemes. The press release says pension contributions can reach 12%.
• Life assurance. Cover worth twice your salary, up to age 70.
• Health and wellbeing. A wellbeing hub that includes a free virtual GP service.
• Everyday savings. Discounts on everyday costs, Cycle to Work and interest-free finance on tech.
• Family leave. Maternity, paternity, adoption and neonatal policies that M&S calls industry-leading.

Some benefits, such as bonuses, are discretionary. That means M&S decides each year whether to pay them.

How does the M&S application process work?

Applying for a store job at M&S has four main steps: an online form, an online assessment, an in-person interview or group session, and then a decision. Each step is described on the M&S "How we hire" page and in its store adverts.

Step 1: The online form

You find a job on the M&S careers site and press apply. You then sign in or create an account and answer questions about yourself. For its Christmas roles, M&S says the form takes about 45 minutes. It asks for your National Insurance number and details of your right to work in the UK, so have them ready before you start.

Some roles, mostly in offices and management, also ask for a CV and cover letter. If you need one, our guide to writing a retail CV walks you through it.

Step 2: The online assessment

For customer assistant jobs, M&S uses an interactive assessment built on everyday store situations. It takes about 20 minutes and must be done in one go. M&S suggests a laptop, tablet or desktop rather than a phone.

The assessment looks at four things:

• Attention to detail, with short tasks that test how carefully you check things.
• Customer service, such as how you would help a shopper.
• Teamwork, such as how you would support a colleague.
• Sales and stocking, such as how you would keep shelves full while serving people.

Our advice: pick the answer that puts the customer first, keeps the store safe and tidy, and involves your team when you need help.

Step 3: Interview or group assessment

If you pass, you are invited to a one-to-one interview or a group assessment. These happen in person, usually in a store. A hiring manager scores you on the M&S behaviours and on what the role needs.

For Christmas roles, M&S says you book an interview slot yourself after the assessment. It also says it cannot interview everyone, and it adds new slots over time, so check back if none are free.

Step 4: The decision and your first days

M&S sends the result by email, and sometimes phones as well. If you accept an offer, you finish the last checks and get your induction details through a system called MyWelcome.

You will be asked during the application whether you need any reasonable adjustments. M&S asks you to share as much information as you can so it can support you.

What questions do M&S interviews ask?

M&S says it judges candidates on its behaviours and on the skills the role needs. For a customer assistant, that means questions about customers, teamwork, care and working at pace. For more practice, see our list of 30 common retail interview questions.

Use the STAR method to answer: the Situation, the Task you had, the Action you took and the Result. The outlines below are our own examples, not questions M&S has published.

"Tell me about a time you gave great customer service."

• Situation: Say where you were, such as a Saturday job, volunteering or helping at a school event.
• Task: Someone needed help that went beyond the usual.
• Action: Explain what you did step by step, and why.
• Result: Say how the person reacted, and what you learned.

"Tell me about a time you worked well in a team."

• Situation: A busy moment when the team had a lot to do.
• Task: Your part in getting it done.
• Action: How you helped others, shared the work or asked for help.
• Result: What the team achieved together.

"Tell me about a time you spotted a mistake."

This links to the attention to detail M&S tests in its assessment.

• Situation: Something was wrong, such as a wrong price or a mixed-up order.
• Task: You needed to put it right without fuss.
• Action: What you checked, who you told and how you fixed it.
• Result: What happened next, and how you avoid the same mistake now.

"How would you handle a busy shift?"

M&S adverts ask for people who stay calm under pressure. Talk about keeping calm, putting customers first, and telling a manager if a queue builds up. A real example from school, sport or a past job makes your answer stronger.

Questions you might be asked about M&S

Expect a question about why you want to work at M&S. Say something real, such as a product you like, how staff helped you in a store, or what you noticed on a visit.

You may also be asked when you can work. Be honest and clear. It is better to offer fewer hours you can keep than more hours you will have to drop.

How can you stand out?

The best way to stand out at M&S is to show you know its stores and care about detail. Here are a few ways to do that.

• Visit a store first. M&S itself suggests this. Notice how the food hall is laid out, how staff greet people and what is on offer. Mention one thing in your interview.
• Take the assessment somewhere quiet. Use a laptop or tablet, give yourself 30 minutes, and do not stop halfway.
• Prepare three or four stories. One about helping a customer, one about teamwork, one about a mistake you fixed and one about a busy day. Most questions can be answered with one of these.
• Be flexible where you can. Many store jobs include weekend and evening shifts. Say which ones you can work.
• Show you are happy with tech. M&S adverts mention digital tools like the Sparks app. If you use apps confidently, say so.
• Ask a good question at the end. For example, ask what a new starter does in their first week, or what makes someone do well in that store.

Your everyday skills count too. Our blog post on retail skills for your CV explains how to describe them.

Does M&S hire for Christmas?

Yes. M&S takes on extra customer assistants for Christmas, and in October 2024 it said it was hiring over 11,000. It has a Christmas page on its careers site for 2026, but when we checked it did not give a number of roles or a start date.

The Christmas page sets clear rules on availability. You must be able to work full time in the final two weeks before Christmas, and be free on 22, 23 and 24 December. Only apply if you can do this.

Remember that the 20% discount is only for contracts longer than 12 weeks, so a short Christmas contract may not include it. Read our guide to Christmas retail jobs to see what other retailers are offering this year.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to hear back from M&S?

M&S does not publish a set time. It sends results by email, so check your inbox, your junk folder and your candidate account. If you have waited a long time, the Christmas page gives the email RetailRecruitment@marks-and-spencer.com for questions about your application.

Can I apply for more than one M&S job?

Yes. The Christmas page says you can apply for a different role and your application details will be saved. If you want more than one role at the same store, you do not need to apply twice. Just mention it at your interview.

How old do I need to be to work at M&S?

M&S does not state one minimum age on the careers pages we checked. Look at the advert for each job. If you are under 18, check that the advert says the job is open to your age.

Do I need experience for an M&S customer assistant job?

Usually not. The assessment and interview focus on how you treat customers, work in a team and pay attention to detail. You can show these with examples from school, sport, volunteering or home.

Do I have to do the online assessment on a computer?

M&S recommends a laptop, tablet or desktop computer. It takes about 20 minutes and you need to finish it in one sitting.

Is the M&S discount available straight away?

No. The 20% discount starts after you pass probation, and only on contracts of more than 12 weeks.

Find M&S jobs near you

We collect retail jobs from retailers' careers sites and job boards so you can search them in one place. See the latest M&S jobs on UK Retail Jobs, and apply early, because store jobs can close quickly. Our membership adds job alerts and a tracker for your applications.

Sources and further reading

• M&S invests in colleagues with inflation-beating 6.4 per cent pay increase — Marks & Spencer, checked 28 September 2026
• How we hire — M&S Careers, checked 28 September 2026
• In store jobs — M&S Careers, checked 28 September 2026
• Life at M&S — M&S Careers, checked 28 September 2026
• Customer Assistant - Foods, Bury the Rock — M&S Careers, checked 28 September 2026
• Retail early careers — M&S Careers, checked 28 September 2026
• M&S Christmas — M&S Careers, checked 28 September 2026
• M&S launches festive recruitment drive to fill over 11,000 Christmas roles — Marks & Spencer, checked 28 September 2026
• National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates — GOV.UK, checked 28 September 2026

_This is general information, not legal or careers advice. Check the retailer's advert and the official source before you act._