The Volunteering thread 2019

[not worthy]

2 hours ago, philipsteak said:

Yep. This is my (I think) 14th time with Oxfam and I've never once felt the need to swap. I've seen people get so worked up about swapping, it just doesn't seem worth it

How far in advance of the festival do you find out shifts with Oxfam ?

thanks

[incident]

37 minutes ago, not worthy said:

How far in advance of the festival do you find out shifts with Oxfam ?

thanks

You won't find out precise shifts until you register on site. You'll find out if you've been allocated to the Early Shift (spoiler: you probably haven't) about 2 weeks beforehand.

[glasto-worker]

8 hours ago, chazwwe said:

Oh? I've never volenteered for Glastonbury before? I could just see 4/5 x 8 hour shifts. 

Only people who are being Paid { who do the job for a living } would expect to work 40 Hours { and Yes I know that many do a lot more hours than that } or more Hours at Glastonbury - if you re read it -

from the site

-------

Working a maximum of an eight hour shift each day – shorter where possible. (You will get meal/tea breaks during shifts. Some shifts may be late at night or early in the morning.) Completing at least five shifts during your time with us.

wherever possible we seek to design shift patterns that provide a good opportunity to see the festival (e.g. For some role’s, you may do 2 shifts with only 8 hours off between, but then get a full 24 hour break, for others you get every evening &night off)

-------

all they are doing is covering their backs - because ' until they know how many Volunteers they have they wont know how many hours each person needs to work ' so don't want to paint themselves into a corner.

sure I could be wrong but provided they get their quota of volunteers I am sure that at least on some days it will be shorter hours than that.Just pray they get their full quota

Hope you post after the event and fill us in. 

[jfaragher]

On 4/5/2019 at 4:44 PM, smudger said:

So is there a 'staff gate' or would be have to be up and queue with everyone else? 

Thanks x

There isn't a staff gate, but Mary's gate is about the same distance from where we camp as the main Ped gate, and as there's no wristbanding there, it's always quiet and quick. 

[Funkyfairy!]

On ‎4‎/‎5‎/‎2019 at 4:44 PM, smudger said:

So is there a 'staff gate' or would be have to be up and queue with everyone else? 

Thanks x

I believe (someone will correct me if I'm wrong for sure), that some staff camp onsite and so will already be inside the fence (eg recycling crew/litter pickers etc, if you're staff who has offsite camping (I believe Oxfam but not sure) then you have a EPO band (Ewasy Pass Out) which gives you a separate lane at the gate so you can go in an out without queuing and yes you'd be able to get in

[amfy]

6 minutes ago, Funkyfairy! said:

I believe (someone will correct me if I'm wrong for sure), that some staff camp onsite and so will already be inside the fence (eg recycling crew/litter pickers etc, if you're staff who has offsite camping (I believe Oxfam but not sure) then you have a EPO band (Ewasy Pass Out) which gives you a separate lane at the gate so you can go in an out without queuing and yes you'd be able to get in

The EPO will usually mean that you haven’t got to factor in queueing time to get in when trying to get to your shift.

However - in 2017 it turned out the EPO was the wristband that got faked - probably because the counterfeiters have about a week longer to get hold of an EPO & copy it. This meant that there were periods when we were made to queue with everyone else so we could be thoroughly checked and not just be waved through with a quick flash of the wrist like usual!

[tarw]

Anyone know where the access stewards camp.  Apparently it’s not in Spring Ground this year but a crew camp nearby.

 

TIA

[chazwwe]

20 hours ago, glasto-worker said:

Only people who are being Paid { who do the job for a living } would expect to work 40 Hours { and Yes I know that many do a lot more hours than that } or more Hours at Glastonbury - if you re read it -

from the site

-------

Working a maximum of an eight hour shift each day – shorter where possible. (You will get meal/tea breaks during shifts. Some shifts may be late at night or early in the morning.) Completing at least five shifts during your time with us.

wherever possible we seek to design shift patterns that provide a good opportunity to see the festival (e.g. For some role’s, you may do 2 shifts with only 8 hours off between, but then get a full 24 hour break, for others you get every evening &night off)

 -------

all they are doing is covering their backs - because ' until they know how many Volunteers they have they wont know how many hours each person needs to work ' so don't want to paint themselves into a corner.

 sure I could be wrong but provided they get their quota of volunteers I am sure that at least on some days it will be shorter hours than that.Just pray they get their full quota

Hope you post after the event and fill us in. 

I had a feeling it was just to keep their backs safe incase they didn't get enough. There's also opportunities to work from Monday before until the Monday after. So it seems really reasonable with what you can and can't do. I'm hoping to get either all my shifts over with by Thursday, or have an extra one on Monday, have wanted to be a part of the festival for a long time after doing a lot of smaller festivals but never had the means to get in, so fingers crossed. 

[glasto-worker]

On 4/7/2019 at 3:31 PM, tarw said:

Anyone know where the access stewards camp.  Apparently it’s not in Spring Ground this year but a crew camp nearby.

 

TIA

your best to ask the person who told you it had moved as ' nearby ' could be a few feet or a few miles !!!

Each time I get used to a Crew camp ' it gets moved ' in the past 30 years its moved 6 times and the only way I find out is by calling one of the set up crew to find out exactly where they are setting it up .

sorry I could not help but it will all come out in the wash.

[Sku]

Absolutely buzzing to have been offered work with Festaff, wristbanding at the gates.

It was hit and miss for a while. Both me and my partner applied. One was accepted, the other rejected. We were gutted, and left festering in the shitty situation where we had to choose between just the one of us going, or the person who was accepted having to hand their place back. Both ways, it sucked for us.

But the awesome team at Festaff came through for us earlier today after somebody else dropped out. The rollercoaster of emotions about whether we were going or not has made it all that more exciting.

WE ARE GOING TO GLASTONBURY. And I'm actually oddly looking forward to wristbanding all the happy faced peeps as they arrive on site. And arriving on Monday seems super fun. Should hopefully have got 2 of my 3 shifts out the way before the end of Thursday, so I've read. But whatever shifts I get, it's gonna be awesome ?

[deepkittycaz]

Are there any volunteers driving down on the Tuesday? I'd love the chance to liftshare from Bristol. 

[normalperson]

Have I missed the volunteering train only just now realised I can have time off to go but looks like most applications are closed

My girlfriend who I was going to volunteer with is a US citizen, is she able to volunteer on a tourist visa? Looks like she's allowed to volunteer up to 30 days with a UK charity, I presume this applies

[incident]

Just now, normalperson said:

Have I missed the volunteering train only just now realised I can have time off to go but looks like most applications are closed

My girlfriend who I was going to volunteer with is a US citizen, is she able to volunteer on a tourist visa? Looks like she's allowed to volunteer up to 30 days with a UK charity, I presume this applies

For the moment, you have, yes - however, as the coach resale took place yesterday and the main resale took place on Sunday, it's very likely that some people who signed up to volunteer as a fallback option get tickets, cancel their places, and they become available over the next week or maybe two.

I can't speak for other agencies, but Oxfam will just release places as and when they process a cancellation, there most likely won't be any announcement. So it's just a case of signing in/up here, checking multiple times a day, and waiting for Glastonbury to become selectable.

The fact there's 2 of you may complicate things a bit - I reckon that getting 1 spot will definitely be achievable with a bit of persistence, and while it still should be possible to get 2, it could require a lot more effort as you need to sign up using individual accounts, so you may end up in a situation where one of you has a place and the other doesn't.

[jfaragher]

1 hour ago, normalperson said:

Have I missed the volunteering train only just now realised I can have time off to go but looks like most applications are closed

My girlfriend who I was going to volunteer with is a US citizen, is she able to volunteer on a tourist visa? Looks like she's allowed to volunteer up to 30 days with a UK charity, I presume this applies

Note - despite what the visa rules say, many people taking volunteers will insist you have the right to work in the UK, i.e. have a working visa. This is because they can be fined if they 'employ' someone who is working in breach of their visa conditions. 

[glasto-worker]

7 hours ago, normalperson said:

Have I missed the volunteering train only just now realised I can have time off to go but looks like most applications are closed

My girlfriend who I was going to volunteer with is a US citizen, is she able to volunteer on a tourist visa? Looks like she's allowed to volunteer up to 30 days with a UK charity, I presume this applies

sorry but I think  the answer is No 

have to agree with @incident and @jfaragher

I know its a pain in the arse # but you need to look at it from the other side #

lets say you were the person dealing with allocations

you have two possible Volunteers 

{1} a person from the UK with no employment/Visa restrictions

{2} a person from the USA with employment/Visa restrictions { even if you don't see it as employment - trust me they do }

who would you Pick ?

Even if she applied Months ago ' it would be a Uphill struggle ' as its just more trouble for the Organisation than its worth.

here is the legal bit

If an organisation wants to engage a volunteer or unpaid worker from outside the EU, it will need to apply to become a ‘sponsor’ organisation. This means the organisation will be licensed to issue certificates of sponsorship for their workers.

Someone who is in the UK on a visitor or student visitor visa is not allowed to volunteer.

Someone on a student visa should be allowed to volunteer, although there may be restrictions so they should check the conditions.

It is important that individual volunteers take responsibility for ensuring they are allowed to volunteer, because they could jeopardise their immigration status. If in doubt they should contact the UK Border Agency for advice.

Now that is the short version

have a read at and download the full information sheet {as it goes into more legal mumbo jumbo} at

https://volunteercentrecamden.org.uk/accepting-volunteers-from-outside-uk/

------

I have ran into a few people who did manage it 

But they had a ' Working Visa ' and they sorted the whole thing out # 6 months in advance #

--------

At many festivals I have seen people from UK Border Agency { well they were called that then - they may be called Border Force or some other name they think up } come round and they do check ' the working status ' { even if no money is involved they call it that } 

to be on the safe side your girlfriend would have to apply for a Working Visa before she enters the UK.

I know its a pain but unless she can find someone ' who is willing to sponsor her ' then really its likely no organisation will touch her.

--------

on a general point - there will be people who are on a waiting list ' who may get a call very soon '

I know two people in a previous year who thought they had no chance as they were placed on a waiting list # and they were not even at the front #

right out the blue - they got a call and it was a straight # tell me now if you can make it # - they were asked for their credit card number and as soon as their deposit was paid over ' they had a place '

they later found out they were in 6 and 7 place - the 5 others were called but they did not pick up their phone - they must have been kicking themselves when they discovered later what they missed.

[scatteredscreens]

11 hours ago, deepkittycaz said:

Are there any volunteers driving down on the Tuesday? I'd love the chance to liftshare from Bristol. 

Probably heading down on the Tuesday from Bristol so might be able to help you out!

[deepkittycaz]

2 hours ago, James96 said:

Probably heading down on the Tuesday from Bristol so might be able to help you out!

That is very kind of you! I'll PM you for a chat ?

[StoneCircle]

14 hours ago, normalperson said:

Have I missed the volunteering train only just now realised I can have time off to go but looks like most applications are closed

My girlfriend who I was going to volunteer with is a US citizen, is she able to volunteer on a tourist visa? Looks like she's allowed to volunteer up to 30 days with a UK charity, I presume this applies

I would give Oxfam a call to double check as volunteering with them following the advice given by @incident   is probably your best option - 0300 200 1266 Good Luck! 

 

 

[Madyaker]

If I was to volunteer with Oxfam at a different UK fest later in the summer would that get me on a short list for volunteering at Glasto in 2020? I just think next years ticket sale is going to be bloody impossible so I'd like to have alternative options to get me there.

Edited April 28, 2019 by Madyaker

[incident]

Just now, Madyaker said:

If I was to volunteer with Oxfam at a different UK fest later in the summer would that get me on a short list for volunteering at Glasto in 2020?

The easiest / first way to get priority is that any 2 festivals in 2019 (Glastonbury can count as one of those) will put you on the priority list for 2020.

[Madyaker]

So id have to do 2? That may be a stretch...

[glasto-worker]

16 hours ago, Madyaker said:

If I was to volunteer with Oxfam at a different UK fest later in the summer would that get me on a short list for volunteering at Glasto in 2020? I just think next years ticket sale is going to be bloody impossible so I'd like to have alternative options to get me there.

 

16 hours ago, Madyaker said:

So id have to do 2? That may be a stretch...

Your lucky there is still some places left to give you the opportunity to get on the priority list for 2020.

I appreciate you live in Ireland but I in the past has been a volunteer at music events in Dublin although not with Oxfam and I live in London.

there will be others who have the same Master plan so really you should make up your mind soon if you wish to get on the priority list for 2020.

[DavidOD]

Hi was lucky enough to get volunteering position with Oxfam but have a few questions. Is it OK to camp elsewhere (daughters also attending) after the Wednesday but keep the volunteering going? Also, what gets sent from Oxfam prior to arrival i.e. is it normal tickets or a pass to access Oxfam area.

Thanks

[incident]

2 minutes ago, DavidOD said:

Hi was lucky enough to get volunteering position with Oxfam but have a few questions. Is it OK to camp elsewhere (daughters also attending) after the Wednesday but keep the volunteering going? Also, what gets sent from Oxfam prior to arrival i.e. is it normal tickets or a pass to access Oxfam area.

Officially it's required for all crew to camp in their crew campsites, but as long as you're turning up for your shifts then nobody from Oxfam will know if you're not, and as long as you don't flaunt it won't care.

About 2 weeks before the Festival, you'll get sent an E-Mail with arrival instructions. They may also post out any vehicle passes ahead of time. Then when you arrive at the Oxfam campsite on Monday/Tuesday you register, get given all the other stuff you need, and get wristbanded. At that point you're free to explore the festival site.

[DavidOD]

Thanks incident