Tips for Workers

[Churchills Mohican]

Hi, me & a mate have signed up for the recycling crew this year, got assigned a spot outside the John Peel etc and given our shift times (early morning, lovely jubbily) - anyway, I was just wondering if anyone has any tips for us from anyone who's done it in the past for getting through the working successfully? Looking forward to giving something back to Glastonbury for once

So excited it is unreal.

[ian the worm]

I've not done your job but i do work a very odd combination of shifts through the day / night / breaksfast time of the festival.

1) be prepared to miss some good acts.

2) stamier is needed.

3) an understaning and expectation that you will not be able to do everything you did last year

4) get some sleep sometimes

5) prepare your body before working (food, water and rest)

6) party like a good um afterwards

7) whistle while you work.

remember the sunscreeen

Its always a joy to see how much the the litter / recycling crews achieve each and every day. "WELL DONE YOU GUYS!"

Teamwork makes the festival tick.

[cejx]

Hi, me & a mate have signed up for the recycling crew this year, got assigned a spot outside the John Peel etc and given our shift times (early morning, lovely jubbily) - anyway, I was just wondering if anyone has any tips for us from anyone who's done it in the past for getting through the working successfully? Looking forward to giving something back to Glastonbury for once

So excited it is unreal.

[ollieollieclark]

Good luck mate, after missing out on getting a ticket last year me and a mate got a job with the recycling crew as a way of getting a ticket. We went with good intentions of getting up at 6am every morning and getting our ticket money back at the end of the wkend. We did the first shift and come the 2nd morning decided it was worth losing the ticket money and quit.

The problem is you will spend the whole festival walking round looking at litter you're going to have to pick up in the morning, you won't be able to let yourself go at night for the fear of getting up with a stinking hangover and lastly and most importantly you're going to be fooking knackered everyday as you spend 6 hours walking the site before anything has even happened which really takes it out of you.

On the plus side you get your own camping area with plenty of space, showers, decent food and you can charge your phone but that's all that's good about it. If you're short on cash this is a great option but to be honest it just spoils the whole festival experience for me. I work full time and this is not a way I want to spend my holiday.

Good luck, I for one won't be chucking my litter on the floor because I know how truly sh!t the recycling job is

[posthuman]

Layers. Lots of layers. The weather / temperature / rainfall can be very different at the end of your shift compared to the start. Be prepared! Nothing is worse than being stuck out in the rain / blazing heat / freezing cold.

[crow]

Have a good one, i did the tractors (collecting the bins and bags) for 2 years, was good enough fun. Hard knowing you will be getting up at 6, but it's not awful work and you get to have a shower at the end of it then hit the fest!

You get to park pretty close to the camp area (only like 700 meters) so much easier to bring everything you want. Plus have own camping and some meals provided. The meals weren't up to much the last time i went, but that was a couple of years back, might be better now. Enjoy and cheers!

[Spindles]

Nothing but respect to those who do it, the early morning litter crew last year did an amazing job, it was stunning to see the difference when fields were halfway done.

To the person who gave it up, not a great show. Did you carry on camping in that area, making use of the enhanced facilities or were you turfed out with the rest of the punters or did you just clear your stuff out and not return for your next shift?)

[cejx]

Good luck mate, after missing out on getting a ticket last year me and a mate got a job with the recycling crew as a way of getting a ticket. We went with good intentions of getting up at 6am every morning and getting our ticket money back at the end of the wkend. We did the first shift and come the 2nd morning decided it was worth losing the ticket money and quit.

The problem is you will spend the whole festival walking round looking at litter you're going to have to pick up in the morning, you won't be able to let yourself go at night for the fear of getting up with a stinking hangover and lastly and most importantly you're going to be fooking knackered everyday as you spend 6 hours walking the site before anything has even happened which really takes it out of you.

On the plus side you get your own camping area with plenty of space, showers, decent food and you can charge your phone but that's all that's good about it. If you're short on cash this is a great option but to be honest it just spoils the whole festival experience for me. I work full time and this is not a way I want to spend my holiday.

Good luck, I for one won't be chucking my litter on the floor because I know how truly sh!t the recycling job is

[Istari]

Me and the OH did litter picking in 05/07/08 which was fun in the flood and constant rain! The best advice is get some sleep and have fun whilst doing it. Its hard work but makes you feel much better when you look back at a clean field and you get to meet some interesting people who are in your team. Plus if you are lucky you will find a few things on the ground. We have had quite a bit of money, a leatherman, among other things.

[strolling wanderer]

That is shit. I for one think that litter pickers should pay well over the cost of the ticket - and then only get this refunded when all agreed shifts are completed. These jobs are so over subscribed, and this just makes a mockery of a system which to some extent is based on trust... thus stopping someone who actually could be arsed to do the job from doing it... and in the long run will f**k it up for those who actually do the job properly.

I assume you relinquished the perks of the job - showers, space etc when you gave it up and then camped elsewhere?

[whateverman]

Working at Glastonbury can be great. Admittedly I had a fairly cushy role last year (and I'm hoping so this year), but it does give you an *immense* feeling of satisfaction knowing that you are contributing to the effective staging of the festival.

Try not to see the work as some kind of burden, ruining your festival. Try and have a bit of a laugh with it (not easy I know).

[dondo]

Good luck mate, after missing out on getting a ticket last year me and a mate got a job with the recycling crew as a way of getting a ticket. We went with good intentions of getting up at 6am every morning and getting our ticket money back at the end of the wkend. We did the first shift and come the 2nd morning decided it was worth losing the ticket money and quit.

The problem is you will spend the whole festival walking round looking at litter you're going to have to pick up in the morning, you won't be able to let yourself go at night for the fear of getting up with a stinking hangover and lastly and most importantly you're going to be fooking knackered everyday as you spend 6 hours walking the site before anything has even happened which really takes it out of you.

On the plus side you get your own camping area with plenty of space, showers, decent food and you can charge your phone but that's all that's good about it. If you're short on cash this is a great option but to be honest it just spoils the whole festival experience for me. I work full time and this is not a way I want to spend my holiday.

Good luck, I for one won't be chucking my litter on the floor because I know how truly sh!t the recycling job is

[dondo]

Hi, me & a mate have signed up for the recycling crew this year, got assigned a spot outside the John Peel etc and given our shift times (early morning, lovely jubbily) - anyway, I was just wondering if anyone has any tips for us from anyone who's done it in the past for getting through the working successfully? Looking forward to giving something back to Glastonbury for once

So excited it is unreal.

[cejx]

Don't worry all the bigger groups providing volunteer staff at Glastonbury make it clear that they will not refund the money if someone doesn't complete their shifts (without a really good reason) and they also add that persons details to the worker blacklist so that they can't apply again.

Some volunteer groups will also arrange to remove the worker's wristband and have them ejected from site if the reason is serious enough.

Edited May 27, 2011 by cejx

[Spindles]

Some of the organisations DO charge a deposit that is higher than the ticket price, not a huge amount, but up to £50 more than ticket price, from what I have seen.

[Churchills Mohican]

Thanks folks. Some good post shouts there. Looks like I'll be stocking up on pro plus and redbull.

It genuinely wouldn't bother me walking round the site looking at the rubbish I'd have to pick up the next day - if I didn't do it someone else would so we might as well all chip in a bit and help out. Glastonbury is

something special, we shouldnt risk it. I won't deny when I last went as a carefree sprog I wouldn't have been too bothered about how much mess I made - the last festival I was at I tidied someone elses camping spot after they'd left, they'd made such a bloody mess. Leave no trace!

I've also invested in a blow-up mattress so I'm hoping that the minimal sleep I do get will be comfy(er) than ground/lilo.

If you're by the John Peel stage between 6am & 12pm come say hello, I'll be the one in the green wellies with jimi Hendrix painted on the side, probably looking pretty knackered

[ian the worm]

if I didn't do it someone else would so we might as well all chip in a bit and help out. Glastonbury is something special, we shouldnt risk it.

[Spindles]

Indeed, great attitude fella (I assume you are a fella, a mistake I've made a few times lately)

I also had to clean up after some scummy neighbours a couple of years back just because it depressed me to see it (they left sunday afternoon) and I was already in the habit as they had been kicking their waste into my tent for the previous 3 days.

I think the litter crew are all stars, JP field sounds like a good gig, other and pyramid have to be the worst, looking at the state of them before the crew come through and turn the landfill back into a field.

[Churchills Mohican]

Indeed, great attitude fella (I assume you are a fella, a mistake I've made a few times lately)

[Spindles]

In that case great attitude madam.

It's a weird thing, it keeps happening, I don't know why it is that I assume everyone on the internet is male, but it seems that I do, unless you have fairy in your name or some such.

As I say, much respect, I just wanted to walk up to litter crew and hug them last year, mind you, I wanted to walk up to ALOT of people and hug them now that I come to think of it. Funny that.

Have a great time, you lot make my festival so much nicer

[Innana]

We always cheer the litter pickers when they come through our area. A few years ago (one of the wet ones) a young litter picker came into our portacabin to ask what they should do with a £20 note they had found when cleaning up West Holts field. All my crew replied at once, in unison, "keep it!" he looked a bit unsure but I eventually convinced him that it was ok. Love the litter picking and toilet cleaning crews.

[Spindles]

Sadly I don't have any more likes to give today, nice post

[ollieollieclark]

That is shit. I for one think that litter pickers should pay well over the cost of the ticket - and then only get this refunded when all agreed shifts are completed. These jobs are so over subscribed, and this just makes a mockery of a system which to some extent is based on trust... thus stopping someone who actually could be arsed to do the job from doing it... and in the long run will f**k it up for those who actually do the job properly.

I assume you relinquished the perks of the job - showers, space etc when you gave it up and then camped elsewhere?

[whateverman]

I find it funny that you make an assumption that the jobs are so over subscribed without any fact. It's easy to get a job litter picking, I applied about 6 weeks before the start of the festival plus I also had another friend get offered a job the week before because of drop outs so there can't be that many people trying to do it.

[strolling wanderer]

That makes it worse what you did, cos you knowingly left them short-handed. Other people had to work extra to cover your shift. But you don't really care about other people do you?

Does that blacklist extend to you not turning up at the festival at all in future? Can it be extended?