JD Wetherspoon was founded by Tim Martin who set up his first pub in 1979. The company now owns over 900 pubs (plus several hotels and Lloyd's No.1 bars) throughout England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland and Tim Martin remains within the company as Chairman. The company aims to be a highly regarded employer; we employ over 34,000 employees within our pubs and Head Office through its investment in training, policies on equality, a competitive remuneration package and our award winning training programme. Wetherspoons has been named Britain's Top Employer 2015, an award which is only given to 73 companies across the UK and which we have won consecutively over the last 13 years. People are our greatest asset — and we are very proud of the recognition which we have received from those independent bodies awarding us in this area. Let's be blunt: without the best people, we can't offer the best service — and its great service which customers want, above all else. We seek to develop staff through effective and award-winning training and development, through a positive working environment and, of course, by means of a decent pay packet. Every year, thousands of staff complete one or more training courses, not only preparing them to work safely and to the best of their ability, but also inspiring them to pursue positive career development. We developed the Advanced Diploma in Leisure Retail Management, for pub and area managers, allowing all of our pub managers to gain a university qualification which sits just below degree level. A course designed by Wetherspoon in conjunction with Leeds Beckett University. We offer excellent training and support at all levels within Wetherspoon. As soon as you start, you'll be assigned packages to support you throughout your career with us here!