[ work ]
Firstly, there are loads of different positions available
for people who want to work on a campsite in Europe …
I can't recall the job description, but a typical day for me as a courier included:
It can't be ignored that sometimes life as a courier is hard: getting up early 6 days a week, loads of cleaning and because you live on site customers can find you at any hour. If you are looking for a 'paid holiday' this job is not for you as there is plenty of work to keep you busy. But if you want to give customers their best holiday then you won't mind the work at all ... and the customers are generally lovely people and make it so worth your while: many are very friendly, they know that you don't get paid much and will often leave you food, drink, alcohol and even a cash tip (always appreciated!) when they leave. Also there's no better feeling than cycling round the site and customers waving and saying hi.
Never forget that for many people this is their main break from work for the whole year and they've paid a lot of money for it. Plus most of them will have travelled for a very long time ... and many with small children, so don't be surprised if they're a bit stressed and grumpy when they first arrive - within a day or so after some good sleep, they'll be fine!
Of course there is always going to be the odd awkward customer but this is where good customer service comes into play. You can deal with anything: just be friendly to them and perhaps most importantly don't blame the problems on your colleagues .. because you have to live with your fellow couriers afterwards. Customers appreciate good problem solvers. Always be upfront, open and honest ... and as friendly and helpful as possible. Check the tips & hints page for more info.
There is no denying that sometimes living with the people you work with can get too much but just make sure every now and then you spend some time off site on your own, or with couriers from the campsites in the surrounding area. It is so worth it for the great friendships you make and you will find it difficult to leave when your contract ends. Give it time .. everything takes a bit of adjustment, but if you really don't get on with your team you can always ask your area manager for a transfer. So going home is not the only option.
On my rare 'bad' days in France I just thought: would I rather be having a bad day here or a good day back in rainy England? Every time I would rather have been in France as a campsite courier!
for people who want to work on a campsite in Europe …
- courier
- children's courier
- courier in charge
- repair and maintenance
- warehouse
- warehouse manager
I can't recall the job description, but a typical day for me as a courier included:
- Morning reception duty: collecting the faxes, updating the notice board with the weather etc. (You will hear "why is it raining?" and "when will it be sunny" quite a lot when the weather is not brilliant). Cleaning the reception area is often another morning task.
- After reception, a couple of cleans to do .. and in high season the amount of cleans in a day will be quite considerable.
- Then a couple of hours off until afternoon reception: putting the new faxes on booking charts, showing arrivals to their accommodation, doing a site planner or writing an arrivals list for the campsite reception.
- Every now and then on emergency call-out, the frequency depending on the size of the team. This includes staying in uniform after normal working hours and dealing with whatever customer enquiries arise. But the most important thing about emergency call out is staying sober and being accessible to your customers!
It can't be ignored that sometimes life as a courier is hard: getting up early 6 days a week, loads of cleaning and because you live on site customers can find you at any hour. If you are looking for a 'paid holiday' this job is not for you as there is plenty of work to keep you busy. But if you want to give customers their best holiday then you won't mind the work at all ... and the customers are generally lovely people and make it so worth your while: many are very friendly, they know that you don't get paid much and will often leave you food, drink, alcohol and even a cash tip (always appreciated!) when they leave. Also there's no better feeling than cycling round the site and customers waving and saying hi.
Never forget that for many people this is their main break from work for the whole year and they've paid a lot of money for it. Plus most of them will have travelled for a very long time ... and many with small children, so don't be surprised if they're a bit stressed and grumpy when they first arrive - within a day or so after some good sleep, they'll be fine!
Of course there is always going to be the odd awkward customer but this is where good customer service comes into play. You can deal with anything: just be friendly to them and perhaps most importantly don't blame the problems on your colleagues .. because you have to live with your fellow couriers afterwards. Customers appreciate good problem solvers. Always be upfront, open and honest ... and as friendly and helpful as possible. Check the tips & hints page for more info.
There is no denying that sometimes living with the people you work with can get too much but just make sure every now and then you spend some time off site on your own, or with couriers from the campsites in the surrounding area. It is so worth it for the great friendships you make and you will find it difficult to leave when your contract ends. Give it time .. everything takes a bit of adjustment, but if you really don't get on with your team you can always ask your area manager for a transfer. So going home is not the only option.
On my rare 'bad' days in France I just thought: would I rather be having a bad day here or a good day back in rainy England? Every time I would rather have been in France as a campsite courier!
[ work ]
