Stewarding:
Frequently Asked Questions 2009
Questions about working at a festival:
- Do I get fed?
- What time do I have to arrive?
- What if my favourite band is playing and I'm supposed to be working?
- I've heard that I might be able to work the early shift, what is involved with this, and how can I get on it?
- When do I need to be available to steward?
- Can I be a shift leader / deputy / gate organiser / team leader / biker?
- When can I find out when my shifts are?
- Why have the shifts changed from eight hours to eight and one quarter hours long?
- What is a shift handover?
- When will we have to register?
- Does working as a steward entitle me to a back stage pass?
- Can I do my shifts with my friends?
- Will I always be working in the position allocated to me?
- Do you provide transport to the festivals?
- I find it hard to get time off work, why do I have to be on site so early?
Do I get fed?
You will be given one meal ticket per shift you work, i.e three meal tickets. (Except at Glastonbury you get one per day i.e five meal tickets). These will be redeemable at a specific caterer, generally crew catering provided by either the festival or Oxfam.
We aim to cater for both meat eaters and vegetarians, and we also notify them of vegan numbers. At some festivals, meals are supplied as part of the contract, and at others Oxfam pays for stewards meals. Where Oxfam supplies the catering, there may be extenuating circumstances where only vegetarian catering is available.
We have learnt by experience that you can never keep everyone happy when it comes to food, so we do our best to get caterers who can supply good, healthy, sustainable meals with variety. If you want to recommend a caterer, please email details to stewards@oxfam.org.uk.
What time do I have to arrive?
Arrival Times at Festivals for Stewarding
(Please note: arrival times will be different for Campaigners)
Glastonbury
You need to arrive anytime between 10am and 10pm on Tuesday 23rd June.
If you have told us that you want to arrive on Monday 22nd June, and you have your own transport, you can arrive between and midday and 8pm. Arriving on Monday does not mean that you will start your shifts earlier than if you arrive on Tuesday.
If you are on the early shift at Glastonbury, you will need to arrive on Saturday 20th June between 12.00 - 20.00.
All other festivals
The exact times for registration at other festivals are yet to be finalised, and these will be in your pre festival letter or email. Please plan to arrive between 1pm - 9pm and you will definitely be within the arrival time for all festivals. (You may be able to arrive earlier than 1pm or later than 9pm at a particular festival, but this varies from festival to festival and is not finalised until nearer the time.)
What if my favourite band is playing and I'm supposed to be working?
There will be an opportunity to change your shifts with other people at the beginning of the festival before the shifts begin.
I've heard that I might be able to work the early shift, what is involved with this, and how can I get on it?
Glastonbury – This information will be added soon – please check back later!
Non-Glastonbury – Generally, the early shift involves arriving on the same day as everyone else. You will be asked to work your first shift on that day, either working on early bird gates for the festival, or registering the other stewards as they arrive. You can request to work this shift by ticking the relevant box on the on-line application form for the specific festival.
There are a very small number of early shift places. If you have been allocated one of these places you will be contacted directly by the stewarding team around 2 weeks before the festival itself.
As we will not be able to tell you if you have been selected for this role until just before the festival, please only tick this option if you can be flexible with your arrival time and travel to the festival.
When do I need to be available to steward?
You must be available for the full onsite dates stated. We need all our stewards at each festival to arrive, set up their tents, be registered and attend briefings before the first shifts start. Most of the festivals need stewards for the Monday after the Festival has finished too. To help us when we are allocating shifts, we will assume that anyone who has applied to steward is also available for a shift overnight on Sunday or on Monday (which is why the 'available' dates will include the Monday), unless you tick the "can't work Monday" box on the application form when you choose your festivals. If this is the case we will ensure your shifts are finished in time for you to leave the festival late on Sunday evening.
Please note: not all stewards will be rostered for a shift on Monday, you will find out your shifts when you register on site.
Can I be a shift leader / deputy / gate organiser / team leader / biker?
If you are interested in supervising, please fill out the supervisor page of the application form. There are job profiles available to read which tell you which positions you can apply for and what is involved. There are 4 supervisor training sessions aimed at new supervisors, which you can select during your application.
Please read these carefully, and only choose a role at a level of responsibility you are confident with. We generally select shift leaders/deputy shift leaders from people who have had significant stewarding and supervisory experience, however we are always happy to give people a try at this.
The driving positions are very popular, and again we prefer to select these from people who have had a lot of stewarding experience and therefore have a good understanding of the importance of their job to cold, wet stewards desperate for a cup of tea. Drivers need to be over 21, have a good knowledge of a festival site and ideally have experience of off-road driving.
All supervisors will be working 3 shifts, each one is 8 ¼ hours long.
When can I find out when my shifts are?
Shift allocations tend to be carried out in the last two weeks before a festival, therefore you will be told what shifts you are working when you arrive on site to register. This information will not be available via the phone line, or by emailing us!
Why have the shifts changed from eight hours to eight and one quarter hours long?
Based on feedback from 2008, effective handovers at shift change did not happen. To ensure comprehensive handovers at every shift change in 2009, everybody (including shift leaders, supervisors & stewards) will need to be at their position 15 minutes before the start time on their shift sheet.
We have also had feedback from some stewards saying that they didn’t feel they knew what they were supposed to be doing at their particular location. The general stewards’ briefing can’t provide full details of a stewards’ role at every possible shift location. Stewards on duty at all locations can be fully briefed by doing a handover before each shift.
Stewards should not be expected to wait around after their 8 hour shift has officially ended, while new stewards arrive, sign in, hand over radios, put on their tabards etc. Arriving 15 minutes early will ensure you are ready to start work when your shift starts and the previous stewards can leave on time.
At positions where there is a supervisor, they need time to brief the incoming stewards before the stewarding duties commence and stewards on the previous shift leave
In previous years we have hoped that people will turn up 15 minutes early, we are now making it clear that this is a definite requirement. Failure to arrive at your shift 15 minutes early to do full a handover will count as an incomplete shift
What is a shift handover?
Many things can happen during an eight hour shift and any changes or ongoing issues must be passed on to the stewards who take over from you. This would include issues such as:
- anything you are waiting for an answer on from the Oxbox
- any changes to the briefed roles for your particular location
- things to monitor/be aware of (may need reporting if they continue)
- any issues regarding non Oxfam staff (eg security/ stage managers)
- notifying Oxbox of radio and equipment handovers
Supervisors will need to pass on to the next supervisor if there are any changes to the stewards listed on the rota (eg a stewards was moved or arrived late for the shift and needs to make up time). Supervisor shifts start and finish at different times to stewards’ shifts, so they will already be on duty when stewards arrive 15 minutes early.
A full handover is essential to enable us to deliver a professional stewarding service to festival organisers while ensuring the health and safety of people onsite.
When will we have to register?
This is announced in your pre-festival email (or letter for Glastonbury) sent two weeks before the festival. It is usually the Wednesday or Thursday prior to the festival beginning (except for Glastonbury when it’s Tuesday)
Can I do my shifts with my friends?
You can let us know who you would like as your shift partners, including their date of birth. When we arrange shifts, we try to make sure you are always working at the same times as your shift partners, though we can't guarantee you will be working at the same location.
Will I always be working in the position allocated to me?
Not necessarily. A good supervisor will rotate positions to give variety and relieve boredom, or to cover breaks. Supervisors also get requests to send stewards to support other positions, so if you start your shift in a position you like, working with your friends, please be prepared that you might be asked to move during the shift.
I find it hard to get time off work, why do I have to be on site so early?
The day/evening before shifts start, we need all stewards to be registered, to be briefed on their specific role, and to orientate themselves before they start answering the festival goers questions about directions, facilities etc.
If you arrive on site to register and your first shift doesn't start until Friday morning you are not obliged to stay on site. If you leave site, please take into account how long it will take you to get back on site in time for your first shift. And don't lose your wristband!
