Fairground worker Job Information | National Careers Service

The work

As a fairground worker, your duties could include:

• operating and supervising rides, often as part of a team
• making announcements over a public address system
• carrying out safety checks on the rides before the park opens
• doing small repairs
• general cleaning work.

With a travelling fair, you would also be involved in dismantling rides and other attractions, loading equipment for transportation and putting up rides at the next site.

Hours

Your work would involve long hours and usually include weekends, evenings and shift work. You could be employed just for holiday periods. If working on a long-term contract, you may live on site in a mobile home and travel round the country with the fair.

Your work could include assembling and dismantling equipment, which is likely to involve lifting and carrying.

Income

Fairground and theme park workers are likely to start on a salary based around the National Minimum Wage.

Wages may be less if accommodation is provided. Small family-owned theme parks and fairs can offer lower salaries than larger, corporately-owned parks.

Entry requirements

You will not usually need any qualifications to operate rides or attractions at theme parks or fairgrounds, but many employers will prefer you to be aged 18 or over.

You might be able to start at 16 on children’s rides.

An LGV driving licence would be useful if you are working in a travelling fair.

Training and development

Once you are working on a fairground or theme park, you will usually be trained on the job working alongside more experienced staff. Your training will often cover areas such as health and safety, and customer care.

You could go on to take NVQ Level 2 in Mechanical Ride Operations (Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions). Qualifications in customer care, catering and sales could also be useful.

Skills and knowledge

To be a fairground worker you should have:

• good customer care skills
• safety-consciousness
• the ability to follow set instructions and procedures
• the ability to keep calm and cope with emergencies
• experience of handling money
• mechanical and practical skills.

More information

People 1st
2nd Floor
Armstrong House
38 Market Square
Uxbridge
Middlesex
UB8 1LH
Tel: 01895 817 000
www.uksp.co.uk/ (careers information)
www.people1st.co.uk

British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions (BALPPA)
BALPPA House
57-61 Newington Causeway
London
SE1 6BD
Tel: 020 7403 4455
www.balppa.org

Opportunities

You would find most jobs with the 100 or so principal theme and leisure parks in the UK, where around 20,000 people are employed. There are also several hundred smaller parks.

With experience you could progress to a supervisory management post, especially in larger parks.

You could move into other types of work within the fair or theme park, for example working in shops and catering outlets, cleaning, security work, and in some cases, caring for and managing animals.

Vacancies, especially for the larger theme parks, are often advertised through the local press, Jobcentre Plus and on Directgov (Jobseekers page). You could also contact fairs and parks directly. Some theme parks are members of the BALPPA; check their website for details.

• Directgov (Jobseekers page)
• British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions

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