Benefits and rewards at Lancaster University

Three people walking along a path in the grounds at Lancaster, with trees and autumn leaves falling.

Personal

Our benefits that help you make the most of your personal and professional life.

Flexible and hybrid working

We understand that everyone’s lifestyle and personal commitments are not the same so, where possible, we support our staff to find the best solution for a happy employee who can deliver great work.

Annual leave

Our employees receive 39 days off a year which includes University closure days at Easter and Christmas and bank holidays. Leave entitlements are pro-rated for part-time employees. You can also request to buy an additional two weeks’ holiday each year. As a compassionate employer, we also offer paid special leave to help you cope with family emergencies.

Be yourself!

Enjoy being part of an employee community of over 4,000 people from different backgrounds, interests, faiths and lifestyles. We have numerous staff networks, events and facilities to help you find friends and settle in. There is no formal dress code so you can feel comfortable. Workwear is provided for some roles, like grounds-people and lab technicians.

Career development

With a wide range of jobs at all levels and collaborations with partners in our global community, there are lots of opportunities for you to develop your career with us. Our performance and career development programmes will help you to make the most of your skills, qualifications and contacts. We have a well-established academic promotions system.

Make a difference

Be part of a team that wants to make a positive impact in the world, from the wellbeing of our students and local community to the future of our planet. We believe everyone at Lancaster University has a part to play in delivering positive change. Explore our website to find out more about our award-winning sustainability actions.

Financial

Alongside a competitive salary, we offer more financial benefits.

Financial benefits

Most our employees are paid on a nationally agreed and annually reviewed pay scale. Plus, we make a generous employer contribution - up to seven times more than other employers* - if you join one of our excellent pension schemes to help you plan for your future. We also offer continuing NHSPS membership for Clinical Academics. *Based on the UK’s legal minimum employer pension contribution percentage of 3%.

Discounts and perks

As an employee, you can take advantage of our sports centre membership deal on campus, retail discounts in Lancaster city and 300+ brands online, home technology, childcare, medical and dental insurance, free streaming services, loans towards professional development and membership fees and free and confidential emergency, wellbeing, financial, legal and counselling support for you and your family.

Rewarding great work

Any staff member, whatever their role, can be recognised and rewarded for making an outstanding contribution to the University’s work with our staff awards, long service awards and pay progression.

Location

Lancaster is not only an incredible environment in which to work, it's a great place to live and explore the city, coast and countryside.

A student secures her bike in a bike rack — Ease of travel

To encourage more environmentally-friendly transport to work, you can receive a 71% discount off bus transport or a free bus pass for all employees in positions grade 1-4. We also offer discounts and opportunities to purchase bicycles or electric/hybrid cars, and season ticket loans to spread the cost of commuting.

A family runs through the woods on campus — A great place to work

It’s a perfect place for employee wellbeing; away from a large city centre, our accessible Lancaster campus has many places to enjoy the health and wellbeing benefits of being around nature, even indoors. We have fantastic campus facilities like cafés, social clubs, shops, award-winning library, sports, doctor, nursery and culture making it a perfect place to work and meet up with friends and colleagues.

An adapted package of benefits may apply to employees not based in the UK.

We are a family-friendly employer

As well as all the financial and wellbeing benefits above, we also have great facilities, activities, networks and policies to support our staff with parenting and caring responsibilities.

Family-friendly Lancaster

A family playing in the park, on campus.

Things to consider

There are important things for you to consider when deciding whether to apply for a new job with us.

Your financial wellbeing

We believe that our combination of salary, employer pension contribution, annual leave, travel discounts and flexible working provides a generous financial package, better than you would get in many private sector organisations. Also, if you’re thinking of relocating for a job with us it’s good to know that Lancaster and the surrounding area have a lower cost of living than major cities and south-east England.

Your wellbeing and support

To help you settle in, we can match you with a buddy to offer you informal, friendly support. Soon you’ll get to know lots of people through teamwork, social activities and college and staff networks like Young Staff, Parents and Carers and LGBT+ and special interest groups like yoga, sustainability action, cycling and many more.

Our Lancaster campus is set in 360 acres of parkland and we are close to the Lake District and the coast. With less pollution and traffic congestion than large cities and lots of opportunities to enjoy being in nature, you can look after your physical, mental and professional wellbeing at Lancaster.

Your future

As a leading learning institution, we want our employees' skills and careers to grow with us, so we encourage you to take advantage of the thousands of free training courses provided by our LinkedIn learning schemes and in-house training. You will have 24-hour access to our award-winning library resources. Our managers are trained to support you to make the most of the university’s wide range of career opportunities.

Phill Dixon, Director of People and Organisational Effectiveness

Phill talks about how he came to work at Lancaster University, what it’s like and what you can do to make the most of your career opportunities.

Hannah Rosbrook-Brown, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisor

Hannah explains how she shaped her career to fit her values, what the people are like at Lancaster University and encourages you to follow your aspirations.