Chester Zoo Employee Reviews
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4 hour shifts 5 days a week when I was fully available from when I started there and let go from seasonal contract with 48 hours notice despite being made out i was being kept on over winter. Great job if you are student or looking for part time but awful if you want full time hours.The job itself was cleaning toilets and changing bins mostly which isnt glamorous but you do get to see lots of animals. Most of management was very friendly and the people you work with are also very nice.However the zoo had such a high turn over of staff that you are pretty much disposable. And because they hire at different points throughout the year you start with too few staff and when it picks up and you think you see going to get more hours there is then far too many staff to give people fair hours .If you are looking for something permanent or something with career progression then I wouldn't recommend working here at all.
Pros
Get to see lots of animals and co workers are friendly, good staff canteen with nice meals
Cons
Not enough hours, no career progression, working outside in all weather
A fun place to work, where you feel like you are working with good friends and family.
A place were you need to be confident enough to work by yourself at times but comfortable working in a group
Pros
Staff Discount Pass
seasonals get treated like scum. I worked there for over a year and they terminated me and all seasonals with no pay amid the covid-19 outbreak. They kept all full time and management employed with full pay. Seasonal s are paid less and have to work harder than the full time staff. It's a disgrace of a company if your a person. Great for the animals tho
Pros
Free tickets
Cons
Lies and false promises. And management are terrible
Varied work, very busy. Nice people to work with, work with different people everyday and meet many customers. Good benefits, friendly staff and exciting.
The Staff were bullies and the bosses didn't care. They lied about my job, I went in for bar tending and ended up washing tables. They also fired me for them making me do things that hurt me back.
But aside from that you can see the various animals and have your lunch with otters and tigers and the like. So if you can deal with the people you work with then it is worth taking it because of the free entry to the zoo and lunch with your choice of animal.
Would definitely recommend a job at chester zoo, they were extremely supportive of my mental illness. Training was really good too. They issue a whole uniform except for trousers and shoes
Pros
Everything
Cons
Nothing
working at chester zoo was a wonderful experience, I had the opportunity to get to know lots of people, gain a lot of knowledge/experience about my sector as well as gain more knowledge about various animals and threats against them
Chester zoo is a great place to work. Very social very flexible and great pay for all ages!
I thoroughly enjoyed working here and can’t wait to go back next year. I would highly recommend working with Chester zoo to gain high quality skills and make life long friends.
Brilliant place to work but the hours were very low and you would always be cancelled with only an hour notice. The management was absolutely awful they were very unprofessional, unorganised and unfair. I loved working with the public and seeing all the animals. It was just such a shame about the management.
Management are awful!! Supervisors not too bad and coordinators are a mixture. Contracts are very short, you get sent home if it’s quiet and shifts are only 4 hours long as it is. Contract hours for seasonal staff is only 8 hours, which is fine if you’re 16/17 and have no outgoings or responsibilities. Permanent staff are also very patronising. Staff have their favourites. You are just a glorified cleaner depends which zone you work on. Zone 1 would probably be the best as they sell tickets and so it’s not only cleaning.
Was so much fun to work at Chester Zoo such a shame it had to come to an end, hopefully I will get the chance to go back! Great pay and lovely people :)
I enjoyed working at the zoo, it help me build good communication skills and to work in a fast paced environment.
I also learnt to work well in a team and also on my own taking my own initiative
Working for catering department was a bit of a culture shock, it was a bit of a let down with the clinky staff, and the gossiping that went on, they where always talking about someone. How I had a brilliant catering co ordinater. which made life bearable. The money is far but, long hours, and rota can be change within minutes.
Applied for the seasonal guest experience role. It is quite a long process to get to the actual employment. First there is an interview (which could follow after a group or individual activity) then there is another meeting in which paperwork is filled out, then the third induction is an all day activity in which all of the hired season staff attend to receive customer service training. This was all very nerve wracking but I’m glad I attended as it does boost confidence. It’s just a shame they make a lot of the staff go through all of this if they don’t intend to keep them on for a long time, I’ve had full time permanent jobs that didn’t require this much hassle. Starting with the pros; it’s Chester Zoo. The work environment is absolutely amazing, you have free access to the zoo, a free pass for friends/family every month you work for them, amazing job for improving confidence & communication. Can make amazing work relationships. Very flexible with shifts/availability. Staff parking to save time & a free X8 bus pass for any non drivers. The downside to the job is your place is not promised for the long run. Unfortunately no matter how much you love the job or how well you work, you could be asked not to stay or even come back for another season, even though management promise an automatic request for you to return. I was told I would be invited back for another season even if I didn’t get kept on for the winter, I was offered nothing. I even emailed my former manager about returning, even being able to work full time/more hours & was told HR would be in touch. I heard nothing. - more...
Pros
Amazing Culture & Environment. Great Perks. Friendly Staff.
Cons
Not a definite long term position. Not allowed to wear piercings despite there being no safety issue, just an image issue. No discounts. Staff aren’t always understanding (act overly superior)
Loved my season at Chester zoo, would recommend for anyone to work there. Lovely staff, some management a bit rude and had favourites but still a good work environment, only downside was long shifts, with a short break early on in the day
Pros
Benefits and salary
Cons
Long days
Working at Chester Zoo was fun, enjoyable, and hard work. You have to attend to thousands of guests every year, so be prepared to give your best effort.
I learned people skills that I will use for the rest of my life.
The hardest part about the job was the winter weather!
I loved working at the zoo!
Pros
Free tickets
Cons
No shift end time
Chester zoo paid well, but they preassure young people to work exceedingly long hours with small amount of breaks. The people there were really fun to work with but the managers were rude.
Don't bother. They like to get rid of people without justification.
To big for there boots and don't care about British wildlife as they like to destroy there habitat on a daily basis
Pros
The animals
Cons
The staff
The management are useless, they can’t organise themselves let alone the staff. They have no considernaton to work life balance, they willl just change a shift without notice and don’t accept that the staff might have commitments or just unable to stay, or in some cases my be unaware of the change as it would have been made on days off or after staff have gone home. There is no chance of growth and this goes for many of the departments.
Pros
Location
Cons
Management
Unfortunately the management in the zoo has turned into money hungry power happy bully’s I worked there for 10 years and used to love my job up until new management came in now everything is about making money the food has gone disgusting as nothing is fresh anymore all bought in frozen and tinned and half the time it’s been relabelled I wouldn’t eat there now also free lunch’s was taken away and we are told we are not aloud to take tips and if someone does it has to go in the till.
Pros
Animals
Cons
Corrupt management and HR
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