Alton Towers Resort - Staff and Recruitment

[Zach]

Anyone heard back? Just found out I have the job and I'm thrilled

Congratulations! What ride area are you working ? I can't remember if they tell you now or first day haha

[definedancing]

Thanks guys!

To answer RIDECRAZY's questions, I'd say something comfortable but smart. All the lads I saw wore trousers and a shirt, some had blazers and ties too. Clean, ironed, no denim jackets or jeans, you know. Just play it safe and wear a shirt and tie. And nice shoes. Comfy ones.

As for availability, I'm not so sure, but given the nature of the business, coupled with the fact that they seemed very accommodating regardless of other commitments, I think you'd be okay as long as you can work peak times, i.e. summer, Halloween.

I'm working on...I think it was Team West? Mutiny Bay, Spinball, The Flume...I wasn't really paying attention, I was just thrilled to get the job in the first place.

[RIDECRAZY]

Thanks guys!

To answer RIDECRAZY's questions, I'd say something comfortable but smart. All the lads I saw wore trousers and a shirt, some had blazers and ties too. Clean, ironed, no denim jackets or jeans, you know. Just play it safe and wear a shirt and tie. And nice shoes. Comfy ones.

As for availability, I'm not so sure, but given the nature of the business, coupled with the fact that they seemed very accommodating regardless of other commitments, I think you'd be okay as long as you can work peak times, i.e. summer, Halloween.

I'm working on...I think it was Team West? Mutiny Bay, Spinball, The Flume...I wasn't really paying attention, I was just thrilled to get the job in the first place.

Sounds exciting DD! The Flume sounds interesting! A lot of walking involved in that one! How long did your interview last? Was it as nerve-racking as you thought?

[definedancing]

It lasted about 2 and a half hours and it wasn't as nerve wracking as I imagined.

[CJH]

Anyone know anything about the staff bus service?

What areas does this serve?

What area is nice to live in or around Stoke which is easy or on route for the bus?

Got a date for my interview, so just looking at flats etc.

Thanks in advance

[Morgan]

Cheadle is a beautiful village and on the bus route.

[Adam.W]

If you're a staff member, do you get to hop on the rides at the end of the day?

[Dan]

If you're a staff member, do you get to hop on the rides at the end of the day?

Not as far as I'm aware.

As soon as the last train is cleared of guests they begin the close down procedures.

The only ride that staff take is in the morning during testing, and even then it's only a couple of them just to make sure the ride feels/sounds as it should.

[RIDECRAZY]

I've got a question! Is anyone able to post a fairly detailed description of the opening and closing procedures? Always been very interested!


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[definedancing]

Obviously I'm in a position of relative secrecy and I have to be incredibly careful on what I am commenting on, which is why I haven't been on this forum as often as I would like as anything I may say could be taken as face value given my association with the park.

That being said, I'm happy to answer in general terms.

We don't get to go on rides at the end of the day, but a host and an operator performs a ride check every morning.

[Adam.W]

So if you ride blivvy day after day, it becomes a bit dull huh? :P

[definedancing]

Yeah, pretty much

[Aidan Lowe]

Quite an interesting read from an ex-employee of Alton Towers, sharing their view on the negative comments found on social media in regards to the young staff who worked on The Smiler the day of the incident and how they responded.

https://getupfromalltimelow.wordpress.c ... on-towers/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[TheBeast]

DefineDancing, im looking to get some work experience at a major theme park, and was looking at Alton or Blackpool for it. How did you get your job? And also, do you think that I will need to be 16, or will I get away with it if I am younger? Thanks for your time

[definedancing]

I got my job simply through applying via Merlin's vacancies. I'm not sure about Blackpool but I do know Towers do work experience placements, depending on where you want to work. We've had a couple of people on work experience on rides. Your best bet is to contact the park themselves though. As for age, hosts have to be over 16 for several reasons, mostly insurance ones; again though, it's always worth asking and finding out.
That blog post is an interesting read, however I am making no comment and offering no opinion on the matter as it would very unwise at this time to do so.

[Zach]

Quite an interesting read from an ex-employee of Alton Towers, sharing their view on the negative comments found on social media in regards to the young staff who worked on The Smiler the day of the incident and how they responded.

https://getupfromalltimelow.wordpress.c ... on-towers/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I can assure you none of the ride ops on the smiler are as young as 18, not even 20 they are mid 20's and above some hitting 40's, so this article frustrates me slightly. Knowing the staff who work on the ride can be described in my as kids :/ with most being mid 20's and all take there job seriously and love there job. The passion can be seen when I did my smiler tour and when I've spoken to the staff is obvious, they don't turn up do there job go home, they know there stuff and take the time to know what to do.

[Aidan Lowe]

I know that and most people who go often know that.

What I think they are trying to get across is that they haven't been trained to deal with a situation like that before, I read a lot of viscous comments about how staff handled the incident on park that day. At the end of the day this scenario should never happen, they aren't prepared to deal with something of this magnitude and seeing as they are only human would of been as in as much shock as everyone else.

I read comments from some of the furious GP that staff didn't try to release or even get to the passengers, yea because they are trained rescuers from a collided wreck..

[TheBeast]

I got my job simply through applying via Merlin's vacancies. I'm not sure about Blackpool but I do know Towers do work experience placements, depending on where you want to work. We've had a couple of people on work experience on rides. Your best bet is to contact the park themselves though. As for age, hosts have to be over 16 for several reasons, mostly insurance ones; again though, it's always worth asking and finding out.

Ok thanks, ill see what I can do then, im 16 in 2 months so its worth a try tbh. Thanks a lot!

[missingaa]

Quite an interesting read from an ex-employee of Alton Towers, sharing their view on the negative comments found on social media in regards to the young staff who worked on The Smiler the day of the incident and how they responded.

https://getupfromalltimelow.wordpress.c ... on-towers/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If that is true then a hell of a lot has changed since I was there in 02/03. The training was excellent, with several days of job training, as well as a 2 day course in magic HQ on guest services, team building, and a general induction. The communication and safety procedures were excellent.

Certainly much better than other places I've worked since. After Alton Towers, I moved out to Chapel St. Leonards and went on to work at a well known theme park / attraction near Skegness, I will not say where, but you can use your imagination, it's not that hard to work out. And I kid you not, I got the job by walking in and asking if there were any vacancies, at which point I was told to report to the staff room the next morning. The next morning I was told which ride I was operating, and given a folder which had a sheet on general operation of the ride, and several pages of safety and emergency procedures behind that, which I was supposed to read. I was told to go and start the ride up, and operate it. Nobody came to help, nobody explained anything, No general induction or H&S training was given at all. I Simply had to follow the folder on my very first morning. Ok so it was a kids ride, but the first ride I was put on was a mini monorail ride, which took riders along a very high monorail in an open car, and then into a themed area of tunnels. So we're not talking a simple start stop carousel here. During that first day I was moved onto 3 different rides, all of them as a solo operator, all of them kids rides, but all of them with no more training than the rides operation folder. Needless to say I didn't stay there very long.

In fairness I should also point out that I was told I would have to do some "training" before I could be put on any of the adult rides... What that training consisted of is anybodies guess.

Alton Towers, compared to this place, and other places I've worked since, is by far the most professional, well structured, well organised and safest place I have worked. It was also the most fun, a happy place to be. Has so much really changed so quickly???

[definedancing]

I can assure you none of the ride ops on the smiler are as young as 18.

There are 18-year-old ops at Towers, but operator positions aren't just given out like sweets. You have to have at least a years hosting experience, although there are some exceptions, and you almost always start out on a smaller ride, such as the Mutiny Bay and Cloud Cuckoo Land rides, before moving onto the bigger attractions. 18 is the minimum age, so I get annoyed how people are dismissing them as just kids.

Missingaa, I must say that I genuinely love my job and I thought that my training was second to none. It was in-depth, well delivered and a good combination of theory and practical, and they always seem keen to get you passed off on as many rides as possible. There may have been changes but on the aspect of training it has seemingly always been good.