You shouldn't be gutted if they were impressed enough to actually bother taking that into account. You never know someone might drop out, keep in mind that people drop out of jobs very early on if they don't like it and this could happen opening a spot for you Keep your hopes up!

True... just annoying that I got so close!

Bodes well for the future though, well done!

Hi all, I have received the email back after applying as a rides host however the email says that due to the child working regulations that surrey county council enforce upon employers in the area we currently have a limited number of positions we can offer to candidates who have not yet finished their GCSE's (child workers). However it says they were impressed with me at the assessment centre an interview and have kept my application and put me on hold in the event that they have any candidates drop out before or during the 2014 season.. Soooo gutted Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I received something similar a couple seasons ago and I didn't hear anything back then one day during early summer I phoned up HR and asked if they had an update for me and they offered me a job there and then, had to go in for an induction next day!

Who actually works at Thorpe Park, Students? If its students, which Universities do they go to? And whatever Uni they go to do they car share, does Thorpe or Chessington for that matter offer Car Share, because I just see transport to and from Thorpe as horrible unless you have a car yourself?

Lots of students, post graduates, school leavers, college leavers...real mixed bag! And obviously there is the Thorpe Park Bus which connects with Staines but a lot do drive I guess

I am thinking of getting my foot in the door so to speak but I will potentially be at Surrey University, so I won't exactly be a short bus ride away, but it is possible via a short train ride then a short cycle ride...is it worth it for experience or not? It would take about 45mins to an hour each way, plus I am open to the elements on the 15 min bike ride...This is all in the air at the moment, but desperately want to work for someone I really want rather than half hearted part time work.

I know of people who commute a lot further than Guildford...I know someone who commutes from Haslemere (about 40 miles) which can take 90 mins on a bad commuting day...

Ouch!! How do people afford it? With travel expenses etc?

I guess if it is their passion they do it

Another question. Can staff get shifts that don't start at 9/10 instead maybe 11/12? Or is the general shift always from opening to closing? I am guessing most shifts are the full day of the park plus the extra before and after?

Also how does it work for staff after hours if say the staff are running one of the new rides, and the queue is long and the park closes at 5 does it work like Supermarket shifts where your just expected to keep working until all customers are gone and you are not paid, or are most shifts pre arranged for an extra hour after hours, etc?

Another question. Can staff get shifts that don't start at 9/10 instead maybe 11/12? Or is the general shift always from opening to closing? I am guessing most shifts are the full day of the park plus the extra before and after?

Also how does it work for staff after hours if say the staff are running one of the new rides, and the queue is long and the park closes at 5 does it work like Supermarket shifts where your just expected to keep working until all customers are gone and you are not paid, or are most shifts pre arranged for an extra hour after hours, etc?

I'm not entirely sure myself but I assume you are just expected to carry on working until the ride is ready to close like you said but I assume you are paid during that time? Also when the park is very busy, they post on there facebook midday that they will stay open an extra hour, which obviously isn't planned before.

Because its fine when the queue is only 15 minuets when you close, and that's fine, but if the queue is an hour and a half, how on earth does that work?

Because its fine when the queue is only 15 minuets when you close, and that's fine, but if the queue is an hour and a half, how on earth does that work?

You stay and work.

Another question. Can staff get shifts that don't start at 9/10 instead maybe 11/12? Or is the general shift always from opening to closing? I am guessing most shifts are the full day of the park plus the extra before and after?

Also how does it work for staff after hours if say the staff are running one of the new rides, and the queue is long and the park closes at 5 does it work like Supermarket shifts where your just expected to keep working until all customers are gone and you are not paid, or are most shifts pre arranged for an extra hour after hours, etc?

Depends which department you work for but there's usually an early shift and a late shift. You'll always be paid for the hours you work!

Because its fine when the queue is only 15 minuets when you close, and that's fine, but if the queue is an hour and a half, how on earth does that work?

I guess it's just luck weather you work on something like the Swarm last or Storm in a teacup... I'm pretty sure you will be paid if you have to stay longer?

You'll be bloody paid for the time you spend working.

And yes, if there's a queue at the end of the day you work it. And then you clean afterwards. and then you debrief, and then you go home.

Thorpe park is (luckily) not mingo, you won't see ride staff walking home 5mins before ride closes.

Ah, just from my experience having worked in the supermarkets they expect you to work anything up to 15 - 20 minuets unpaid at the end of your shift if there are still customers when the store has closed! I always wondered however, so that means if you are contracted a 6 hour day and the queue is an extra hour, you will get paid for 7 hours, or something like that anyway.

Thank you for clearing that up.

And I am interested in the later and earlier shifts, thinking future wise it would be beneficial to be on a later shift, I have no clue however how easy/these come by!

You all start at a set time in rides so 8:45 for 9:30 opning or 9:15 for 10 then you will work all the way up until your whole team has stop working and all cleaning finished then you all sign out as a team so when I close a ride when we ran through the que line we then shut the ride down then start to clean the ride area and que lines we then move to our coaster and help clean up there then when all team are together we all stood down so this can be up to 1hr half after park close somedays

However if your under 18 you start At 11 due to young working reg but like I said that's for rides don't know how other departments work

Yeah rides works like that, you don't have shift times (so you're not stuck to 4hrs or something).

Other departments are more rigid. It's mainly car parks, rides, cleaning, sales which do the entire day.

Okay, I am thinking of working at Thorpe Park when I leave school, hopefully on Rides and attractions. Really I just want to know what I should expect on the interviews/ team activity things and also the general day to day working, like the hours, where you are placed, is it the same ride all day or do you move around. So yeah I just generally want to know what a normal working day is like at thorpe and the different challenges that can come up!

I would love to work on rides when I'm a bit older. But I'm too (insert mild expletive here) far away

Also, do you think it is worth travelling from Luton to Thorpe Park for the pay given ? or should I look into moving closer to Thorpe ?

Moving, you'll spend half of what you earn on travel. 

Okay, I am thinking of working at Thorpe Park when I leave school, hopefully on Rides and attractions. Really I just want to know what I should expect on the interviews/ team activity things and also the general day to day working, like the hours, where you are placed, is it the same ride all day or do you move around. So yeah I just generally want to know what a normal working day is like at thorpe and the different challenges that can come up!

So assessment centre will be a ice breaker and 2 activities this is to see wether you work within a team and give out ideas and not just sit there all quite abs then the interview is they say give us example of loads of diffrent type of questions

The working houres are varied but you contracted to work from 8am till 11pm this is to cover events like ministry summer nights fright nights but normal starts in summer are 8:45 till when ever we finish rides are split into 4 teams with 6 or 7 rides each so you will have a team briefing in the morning and then manager of team leader will call out rides and who on them starting with operator name 1st then host we don't normally swap rides on 5 of 6pm closes although anything past 6 we normally get swaps but never 100% as it depends on staffing Levals and who trained on what

After a long time of my application being on the 'on hold' pile, I have now been accepted to start work in the Rides and Attractions Department, absolutely over the moon. Got my induction days next week  . Does anyone know what these induction days consist of these days?