The Volunteering thread 2019

[deebeedoobee]

In case anyone is interested 

Glastonbury working positions.

I have be asked to let anyone still looking for a working position at the festival know that Wonder Productions are looking for staff.

These are paid positions and you will be expected to work 12 hours a day every day mostly nights. These are traffic stewards/marshal positions. These are on site not on the roads. So I would imagine they will be based in the car parks. 

If anyone is interested please contact Wonder Production direct.  
work@wonderproductions.co.uk

[vintagelaureate]

On 5/7/2019 at 11:24 AM, lucyginger said:

Got one this morning!! WOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I'm a little late but I am delighted for you! x

[glasto-worker]

11 hours ago, Sku said:

Just seen the below thread posted.

I understand that the SE corner isn't actually "staff only" on a Saturday night.

But as a first time volunteer at G19 it still got me wondering... as a volunteer do I get to skip the queue? Can I flash my band and claim that I need to get to my shift, and slide past without the wait?

Asking for a friend... obviously... ?

 

well it depends 

if you have a AAA pass then yes - if you don't ' No '

although for some daft reason ' you did not mention who you are working for '

why does that matter ?

there is more than one crew wristband as GFL devise even more complicated ways to issue a staff wristband.

One year they tried ' the part area AAA ' - now I am not going into details but its like a AAA except its not.

-----------

what some of them posting may have failed to mention that if you have access before the gates open if you are willing to go round and walk into #Certain Crew bars# then they may issue a ' Local pass ' which I suspect was in play over that SE corner { but only certain paths }

A normal crew pass will get you into certain areas ' but not all ' - you cant walk into certain crew camps - well you can try but Security will soon kick you out.

You will be briefed as to where you can use your pass and you should follow those instructions.

in my experience its getting so complicated that stewards/Security may take one or two days before the penny drops that they are only supposed to accept a certain type of pass - I ran into one joker who was only checking a pass ' on leaving the backstage Compound ' - it took him until Saturday to work out ' he was supposed to check people as they walk in  !!!   

[Cooter]

11 hours ago, deebeedoobee said:

In case anyone is interested 

Glastonbury working positions.

I have be asked to let anyone still looking for a working position at the festival know that Wonder Productions are looking for staff.

These are paid positions and you will be expected to work 12 hours a day every day mostly nights. These are traffic stewards/marshal positions. These are on site not on the roads. So I would imagine they will be based in the car parks. 

If anyone is interested please contact Wonder Production direct.  
work@wonderproductions.co.uk

 

Thanks for posting.

Hard work, great paid opportunity but anyone doing this won't be seeing much else of the festival. I wonder how much they get paid.

[lucyginger]

12 hours ago, vintagelaureate said:

I'm a little late but I am delighted for you! x

Thank you!! xx

[glasto-worker]

1 hour ago, Cooter said:

Hard work, great paid opportunity but anyone doing this won't be seeing much else of the festival. I wonder how much they get paid.

well it wont be much

18–20 years      £6.15  - 21–24 years      £7.70 - 25 years and over £8.21

less tax !!! 

I got offered a paid Job in the middle 90's with a lot better breaks than Wonder Productions will offer but its time consuming and even if the pay was double I still would not do it ' as everyone has to sleep sometime '

Its why I have remained a Volunteer for so long - my Team will work about 36 hours during and before the event but many Volunteers will do less hours than that.

[Janaka]

Hi I got lucky this week and secured an Oxfam job.  Does anyone know the latest you can arrive on-site and get checked in, and what the actual process looks like/how long it takes?  Will be going to training next week, but any insight would be appreciated as I'm unlikely to be able to leave London til 4pm-ish on the Tuesday - so worried about how fine I'll be cutting it.

Also - anyone in a similar situation/location to me, happy to give a lift down on Tuesday.

Edited May 9, 2019 by Janaka

[incident]

2 minutes ago, Janaka said:

Hi I got lucky this week and secured an Oxfam job.  Does anyone know the latest you can arrive on-site and get checked in, and what the actual process looks like/how long it takes?  Will be going to training next week, but any insight would be appreciated as I'm unlikely to be able to leave London til 4pm-ish on the Tuesday - so worried about how fine I'll be cutting it.

To be honest you may well be cutting it a bit fine - exact times will be confirmed in the E-Mail you get about 2 weeks before the festival, but it's typically a case of needing to arrive by either 7pm or 8pm. Just about doable by car if you're on the right side of London and there's no delays, but maybe more problematic by public transport. Bear in mind that by then the public Campervan fields will be open for business, and people will be starting to arrive for the car parks so traffic around the site may be slow.

[jfaragher]

31 minutes ago, Janaka said:

Hi I got lucky this week and secured an Oxfam job.  Does anyone know the latest you can arrive on-site and get checked in, and what the actual process looks like/how long it takes?  Will be going to training next week, but any insight would be appreciated as I'm unlikely to be able to leave London til 4pm-ish on the Tuesday - so worried about how fine I'll be cutting it.

Also - anyone in a similar situation/location to me, happy to give a lift down on Tuesday.

What incident said, plus - 

There may be changes to process for things - for example in previous years, you've needed to go the Oxfam registration and then an accreditation cabin to get your wristband, all before ~8pm

It's nice to have a bit of time to relax, get settled etc, and if you have an early Wed shift, it's going to be all a bit rushed to get in, settled, and rested before you start.

If you don't have an early Wed shift, you're at risk of missing the Oxfam bar crawl on Tuesday night.

I would aim to get early afternoon Tuesday *at the latest* - blag that extra half day off!

[gtf]

I'm planning on arriving for Oxfam on Monday but there is a fair chance it will be after 8pm.  Is the 8pm 'curfew' also an issue on Monday?

[marathonsteve]

4 minutes ago, gtf said:

I'm planning on arriving for Oxfam on Monday but there is a fair chance it will be after 8pm.  Is the 8pm 'curfew' also an issue on Monday?

I would have thought that you need to get to the accreditation cabin to get your wristband before it closes to be allowed entrance. Does it close at 8

[incident]

7 minutes ago, gtf said:

I'm planning on arriving for Oxfam on Monday but there is a fair chance it will be after 8pm.  Is the 8pm 'curfew' also an issue on Monday?

Not certain, but I think that if you arrive after registration & accreditation have both closed, you'll be able to get your initial access to the Oxfam camping field to pitch up but won't be able to register with Oxfam to get your ID, shifts, tabard etc or to get your festival wristband - so basically you will be pretty much confined to the field until registration and accreditation re-open the following morning. Probably best to wait for the E-Mail and see what the times are this year before worrying about it.

[Janaka]

1 hour ago, incident said:

To be honest you may well be cutting it a bit fine - exact times will be confirmed in the E-Mail you get about 2 weeks before the festival, but it's typically a case of needing to arrive by either 7pm or 8pm. Just about doable by car if you're on the right side of London and there's no delays, but maybe more problematic by public transport. Bear in mind that by then the public Campervan fields will be open for business, and people will be starting to arrive for the car parks so traffic around the site may be slow.

Thanks for the info. I’m tied up with work all of Tuesday. Possible consideration is to go down on Monday to go thru accreditation etc. I could pitch up my tent, go back to London to do my corporate thing, and then my only worry is being back in time for this pub crawl

Would be a bit of a schelp going back and forth, but also means I’m not racing against a physical deadline on Tuesday evening.

[jfaragher]

14 hours ago, Janaka said:

Thanks for the info. I’m tied up with work all of Tuesday. Possible consideration is to go down on Monday to go thru accreditation etc. I could pitch up my tent, go back to London to do my corporate thing, and then my only worry is being back in time for this pub crawl

Would be a bit of a schelp going back and forth, but also means I’m not racing against a physical deadline on Tuesday evening.

Yeah, this sounds like effort, but doable, and will shift the stress to Monday.  People will be out all night on Tues, so no risk of missing the fun. Unless you arrive after 1am ish when stop entry to site (though there are ways around this). Could consider option b - mystery illness?

[Janaka]

49 minutes ago, jfaragher said:

Yeah, this sounds like effort, but doable, and will shift the stress to Monday.  People will be out all night on Tues, so no risk of missing the fun. Unless you arrive after 1am ish when stop entry to site (though there are ways around this). Could consider option b - mystery illness?

I absolutely have to be in my office on Tuesday - and ideally out with clients that evening too.  Thanks for advising of the 1am-ish entry deadline.  What I'm thinking might work will be to leave my car at Castle Cary on Monday and go back to work, have just the 1 drink on Tuesday eve and get the train to be back at Castle Cary around 9/10pm, back on-site by 11 and then playing catch-up - or helping people stand up - on the bar crawl.

Christ, nothing is ever straightforward with Glastonbury. But having missed on the ticket sales this year, I'm delighted to have a late way in and am looking forward to giving something back for once.

[glasto-worker]

45 minutes ago, Janaka said:

I absolutely have to be in my office on Tuesday - and ideally out with clients that evening too.  Thanks for advising of the 1am-ish entry deadline.  What I'm thinking might work will be to leave my car at Castle Cary on Monday and go back to work, have just the 1 drink on Tuesday eve and get the train to be back at Castle Cary around 9/10pm, back on-site by 11 and then playing catch-up - or helping people stand up - on the bar crawl.

Christ, nothing is ever straightforward with Glastonbury. But having missed on the ticket sales this year, I'm delighted to have a late way in and am looking forward to giving something back for once.

Nothing to do with the Oxfam situation as by then you should have your crew wristband but double check the ' entry Curfew time ' as I do know people who were caught out in the past as they tried to enter gate D from the staff carpark and they were blocked at 11pm so had to go down to Gate A - they also had hassle there so its best to double check and its best to get it on paper ' just in case '

[Janaka]

16 minutes ago, glasto-worker said:

Nothing to do with the Oxfam situation as by then you should have your crew wristband but double check the ' entry Curfew time ' as I do know people who were caught out in the past as they tried to enter gate D from the staff carpark and they were blocked at 11pm so had to go down to Gate A - they also had hassle there so its best to double check and its best to get it on paper ' just in case '

Thanks will do. Would rather not have to deal with that long walk.

[glasto-worker]

2 hours ago, Janaka said:

Thanks will do. Would rather not have to deal with that long walk.

note that is staff parking for us and various security Companies next to Gate D - Oxfam parking will be on the other side - they should send you the details as there is various staff carparks.

[incident]

4 hours ago, Janaka said:

I absolutely have to be in my office on Tuesday - and ideally out with clients that evening too.  Thanks for advising of the 1am-ish entry deadline.  What I'm thinking might work will be to leave my car at Castle Cary on Monday and go back to work, have just the 1 drink on Tuesday eve and get the train to be back at Castle Cary around 9/10pm, back on-site by 11 and then playing catch-up - or helping people stand up - on the bar crawl.

Careful with that approach. At some point (I don't know when), the Car Park at Castle Cary will be closed to cars and cleared so it can be used as a queue + bus station area, so there's a risk that either you can't get in there on the Monday or worse still you get back Tuesday and the car has been towed - it could backfire in spectacular fashion

Also worth considering that there's a chance you have a shift starting 6am Wednesday - you'll find out when you register on site.

3 hours ago, glasto-worker said:

Nothing to do with the Oxfam situation as by then you should have your crew wristband but double check the ' entry Curfew time ' as I do know people who were caught out in the past as they tried to enter gate D from the staff carpark and they were blocked at 11pm so had to go down to Gate A - they also had hassle there so its best to double check and its best to get it on paper ' just in case '

Yep - it's a similar situation on the East side, but luckily the official "backup" gate when the site is locked down is VG2 - so just around the corner from Gate B and not as huge a detour.

[dondo]

22 hours ago, Janaka said:

Hi I got lucky this week and secured an Oxfam job.  Does anyone know the latest you can arrive on-site and get checked in, and what the actual process looks like/how long it takes?  Will be going to training next week, but any insight would be appreciated as I'm unlikely to be able to leave London til 4pm-ish on the Tuesday - so worried about how fine I'll be cutting it.

Also - anyone in a similar situation/location to me, happy to give a lift down on Tuesday.

For the recycling crew the guidance is:

Don’t arrive Tues 25th unless early in the day - roads are very busy as public park overnight for Weds opening. 

[Robyn91]

Out of curiosity are some volunteering positions better than others?

I’ve seen people desperate to get in certain positions and completely discarding suggestions of others? Like favouring recycling crew over bar work etc…

Are there really some jobs better than others? Or are there preferred working hours/ time of day needed to work/ mates volunteering with certain organisations/ recommendations/ better benefits, which swing people to make their decisions? 

Literally asking out of curiosity as I’ve never volunteered at the festival, but its something I’d like to in future, just to try something different.

There are people that will only volunteer rather than ticket it, so it must be good ?

[incident]

5 minutes ago, Robyn91 said:

Out of curiosity are some volunteering positions better than others?

I’ve seen people desperate to get in certain positions and completely discarding suggestions of others? Like favouring recycling crew over bar work etc…

Are there really some jobs better than others? Or are there preferred working hours/ time of day needed to work/ mates volunteering with certain organisations/ recommendations/ better benefits, which swing people to make their decisions? 

Literally asking out of curiosity as I’ve never volunteered at the festival, but its something I’d like to in future, just to try something different.

There are people that will only volunteer rather than ticket it, so it must be good ?

The short answer - Yes - there's a wide variety, but to a degree it depends on personal preference - I'd never do Bar Work, because I'm utterly shit at it, or Litter Picking, because I'm too lazy - but have huge respect for the people who do. Others may prefer Bar Work because they're used to it and/or because it generally puts you in a more lively area and often in the vicinity of music. Or they might prefer litter picking because they can do a load of morning shifts and be sure of catching all the bands they want. Also some companies are better to work for than others and have different terms and conditions - do they have a good support structure in place? do they feed you? do they keep some of your deposit as an admin fee? do they hold on to your passport/id? do they provide secure camping? showers? phone charging? transport?

That is the short answer, honest.

[dondo]

13 minutes ago, Robyn91 said:

Out of curiosity are some volunteering positions better than others?

I’ve seen people desperate to get in certain positions and completely discarding suggestions of others? Like favouring recycling crew over bar work etc…

Are there really some jobs better than others? Or are there preferred working hours/ time of day needed to work/ mates volunteering with certain organisations/ recommendations/ better benefits, which swing people to make their decisions? 

Literally asking out of curiosity as I’ve never volunteered at the festival, but its something I’d like to in future, just to try something different.

There are people that will only volunteer rather than ticket it, so it must be good ?

When I first volunteered back in 2005 it was really just that my now wife and I hadn't got tickets so were looking at any options and the recycling crew was the 1st one that we tried and were successful.  So it gave us the opportunity to go back as volunteers if we wanted to.  That has only been me and that wasn't until 2010 as we got married then had children.  We did try a couple of times to get tickets so we could go as a family but had no luck.

Why recycling?  Well over and above what I said that I know I have a place I like the fact that you can chose the teams you work on and thus the times you prefer.  Before I became a veteran I always preferred the early mornings so as I didn't miss any bands in the afternoons.  Others preferred afternoons if they were spending all night in the SE corner say.  With the bar work and stewarding you don't get that choice.

Also recycling crew camping is inside the fence which is a small added bonus too.

[Robyn91]

@incident & @dondo Thanks both, its definatley food for thought and I guess its ultimately down to what everyone's priorities are. 

But its something I'd definatley like to try in future

[TaylorT]

Randomly checked the Oxfam page today and low and behold. Glastonbury was available. Happy days. Just got a slight issue with making the training. I'm up in Scotland and the training courses left were Birmingham, London and Bristol and i wouldnt be able to make any of them due to work etc. I've called Oxfam today to ask what can be done so someone is apparently  getting back in touch. If nothing can be done well it will be a real shame but a heads up if i can't do it then the place i have will go back online. 

Edited May 10, 2019 by TaylorT