Working for Oxfam

[kirsty.ecc]

So i applied this morning to volunteer for Oxfam at glastonbury this year and i am so excited! however there is quite a small amount of information on the website and was wondering if anyone can provide any info they think is important, such as any equipment i might need and how long/ how many shifts i would be working.

I am nervous as it will be my fifth glasto but my first working or alone! Thanks

[Rose-Colored Boy]

You'll do three shifts of eight hours and 15 minutes each

Not sure what you mean by 'equipment' - you need to wear a tabbard which they'll give you when you register on the Monday or Tuesday tho.

Edited March 17, 2015 by Zac Quinn

[DeadAmos]

Take good walking boots with you (not wellies) as sometimes the only thing that seems further away

than the gate your working on is lands end

[helen-8]

The only things I would take in addition to your normal camping gear is a mug because the lovely folk at Oxfam will bring you tea/coffee when you're on shift & warm clothes & maybe a hat for your night shift.

(Maybe some shower stuff too if you're bothered about a shower!)

[Rose-Colored Boy]

Yeah the showers are communal so bring either body confidence or a swimming costume.

[The Placid Casual]

Take good walking boots with you (not wellies) as sometimes the only thing that seems further away

than the gate your working on is lands end

I was put on Worthy View gate last year, which was as far away as you could get.

It's all worth it though.

[DeadAmos]

I was put on Worthy View gate last year, which was as far away as you could get.

It's all worth it though.

The last few years I have been on VG4 and thats much further away than worthy view

[The Placid Casual]

The last few years I have been on VG4 and thats much further away than worthy view

Oxfam lied to me then in saying Worthy View is the furthest

[glasto-worker]

So i applied this morning to volunteer for Oxfam at glastonbury this year and i am so excited! however there is quite a small amount of information on the website and was wondering if anyone can provide any info they think is important, such as any equipment i might need and how long/ how many shifts i would be working.

I am nervous as it will be my fifth glasto but my first working or alone! Thanks

There is pages and pages of info at http://www.oxfam.org.uk/stewarding/faqs

if I was going to be a Oxfam Volunteer I would have read all that months ago.

there will be tons of you who are new hence why they do the training.

as long as you are prepared to do the work its a good opportunity to see things from the other side.

I have been a volunteer 26 years { but not with Oxfam } and I would never go as a ticket holder again.

[Lad]

I'd never go and work again but each to their own.

[mandolin]

You say you've applied, you've not said you've been offered a position. You do know they are different things and that you might be getting too excited too early don't you?

[The Placid Casual]

You say you've applied, you've not said you've been offered a position. You do know they are different things and that you might be getting too excited too early don't you?

Well unless she's applied to the waiting list, it's highly likely she's got in.

[glasto-worker]

So i applied this morning to volunteer for Oxfam at glastonbury this year and i am so excited! however there is quite a small amount of information on the website and was wondering if anyone can provide any info they think is important, such as any equipment i might need and how long/ how many shifts i would be working.

I am nervous as it will be my fifth glasto but my first working or alone! Thanks

You say you've applied, you've not said you've been offered a position. You do know they are different things and that you might be getting too excited too early don't you?

that is a good point.

I have seen posts yesterday on urban75.net with people claiming they have a Oxfam place but I have no clue if they are returning volunteers or new people and even if they claim they have a place that may be subject to certain conditions such as if they require a DBS check or referee's being checked etc etc.

I know that if I posts I have a WBC Place it means that unless I drop down dead I have a place as all the red tape is done before the application process starts but it is true that other volunteer Groups do things in a slightly different way

it should all be spelled out on the offer e-mail

kirsty.ecc should follow this if they are unsure

from http://www.oxfam.org.uk/stewarding/faqs/application-process

You can easily check whether your application to steward and deposit payment was received by logging in to the volunteer login screen with the username and password you created in your application form. (If you cannot remember your username and password, you can reset this from the Volunteer Log in page).

If on logging in you can see we have received your application to steward at the festivals you applied for and your deposit is being processed, then you can be reassured that your application is OK.

If on logging back in you find your deposit payment did not go through then you can log back into the application form and add the festival again. if one or more of the festivals that you wanted to steward at are still available, and pay the deposit again. If the festivals that you wanted to apply to have filled up before your payment was processed, then I'm afraid there is nothing we can do, we suggest that you add yourself to the waiting list.

[jonodillieono]

I was put on Worthy View gate last year, which was as far away as you could get.

It's all worth it though.

My friend was on that gate, does Iga ring a bell? Edited March 18, 2015 by jonodillieono

[Pinhead]

I've worked Worthy View Gate in 2011. The arse end of the site that is.....

I recommend that everyone do check that their applications have gone through. The Oxfam application system is not infallible...! I'm a bit confused that were any places left for Glasto anyway, as when I looked at the applications list on Monday before public applications were opened on Tuesday, Glasto and Glasto Arcadia were both showing as full and had gone to waiting list. Perhaps this was just full in the context of priority applicants and they reserve a proportion of places for public applications (which is fair).

[The Placid Casual]

My friend was on that gate, does Iga ring a bell?

Unfortunately not. We were probably on different shift patterns (though I am terrible with names anyway).

[DeadAmos]

Yes Pinhead they closed it so there would be places for new stewards

Congrats to all who got them

[mike46]

I've worked Worthy View Gate in 2011. The arse end of the site that is.....

I recommend that everyone do check that their applications have gone through. The Oxfam application system is not infallible...! I'm a bit confused that were any places left for Glasto anyway, as when I looked at the applications list on Monday before public applications were opened on Tuesday, Glasto and Glasto Arcadia were both showing as full and had gone to waiting list. Perhaps this was just full in the context of priority applicants and they reserve a proportion of places for public applications (which is fair).

Yep as the above poster said, they closed priority and had around 200 (might have been more but that's what I saw) standard places open at 10am yesterday.

If you applied in time, paid the deposit and had a reference sorted you'll have got an email confirming your 'successful application'!

[Pinhead]

Cheers. 200 still sounds like quite a low proportion of the overall allocation for Glasto though. Isn't it something like 2000 in total?

[Rose-Colored Boy]

Cheers. 200 still sounds like quite a low proportion of the overall allocation for Glasto though. Isn't it something like 2000 in total?

yep

[mike46]

They did say when I registered last year that as Glasto is the most popular you have to be quick as they give most places to people who have worked for them last year

[wedgie]

Got my place with oxfam yesterday and I can't wait! Just wondering how many shifts am I likely to do whilst the music is on?

[Rose-Colored Boy]

Got my place with oxfam yesterday and I can't wait! Just wondering how many shifts am I likely to do whilst the music is on?

Most people get one 6am-2pm shift, one 2pm-10pm shift and one 10pm-6am shift, if you're lucky you'll get the afternoon shift out of the way on the Wednesday/Thursday but don't bank on it.

[wedgie]

What about the Monday after the festival?

[Rose-Colored Boy]

What about the Monday after the festival?

Did you tick that you're free to do it during your application? Even if you did, AFAIK there's only a morning shift on the Monday so you'd still have to do your 2-10pm shift on Weds/Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun. Edited March 18, 2015 by Zac Quinn