Which theme park is the best employer?

[GoGoBoy]

So, as the topic says, which Aussie theme park do you think/know is the best employer? I'm talking about pay, working conditions, staff amenities, backstage areas, management, co-workers, morale, daily tasks etc. etc. I'm interested to hear your thoughts, particularly from those of you that work for the parks but all comments are welcome. Working for a theme park SHOULD be fun. I don't know about the Queensland parks but from what I've heard Wonderland is not a great employer. I have some friends that work there and they tell me that morale is fairly low. This is partly due to the fact that some of Wonderland's operational management and supervisors seem to cause a lot of upset among staff. The other problem is the fact that the staff have lost confidence in the park as it has become so dated and they are sick of waiting for new attractions. I also hear that the pay is rather average/bad.

[joz]

I've spoken to a few staff at SW who have worked at both SW and DW, and more often then not, I'm told that SW (well, I should say Warner Village Theme Parks) is the better employer. Even though the pay is marginally better at DW, I'm told that the boss' out there aren't good to work under (hence a few people making the change to WVTPs). I work at Seaworld, and I think it’s a great place to work. I work in Food & Beverage (mostly, I'll get back to that), and that offers some great variety. It’s not like working at a place like McDonald’s, your job will be either serving or cooking. At Seaworld your job is serving, cooking, pushing the vending carts, setting up special events, working in the ice-cream parlors, Cafes, and Waitering, and that’s just scratching the surface. Best of all, the whole time, you work with some of the nicest people your ever likely to meet. There's also what's called 'Multi-Hire', where you can work in other departments for extra hours. Most people in F&B who do it work for Operations as a cleaner, but in my time I've worked for Sales and Marketing, and Marine Sciences. The great thing about it too is that you will get the tax-free threshold for your extra work. If you work at say, Maccas, and go to work at Hungry Jack's, you'll get taxed more on your second job, so its a good way to avoid that. The staff facilities are ok; they were re-furbed a few years back. At SW, there are two staff canteens, and they do provide cheap food (not the tastiest food, but its cheap ). The canteen at the top end of the park also has a great view of the Ski Lake. Apart from that, there's hot-showers and change rooms, lockers and the like for staff. Another good thing about it is that we qualify for industry discounts for most hotels (and some other attractions) on the Gold Coast (I have on more then one occasion treated me and my partner to a night out at a hotel. So far the best hotel/resort we've come across are the Sun City in Surfers, closely followed by Seaworld Nara. Of the two, Seaworld Nara was the cheaper). There are also free drink offers at various nightclubs in Surfers, as well as the occasional event night. Staff are also given free tickets to the parks (SW, MW and WnW), but are given free entry into the park of their direct employment just about always. On top of that, staff also receive tickets to check out new attractions at the three parks, and employee awards nights quite often include either a movie that hasn't been released, free beer or ERT on some rides (Since I've worked there, such events include Scooby doo at MW, Corkscrew, Pirate Ship and Cartoon Beach at SW, and the whole park at WnW). The boss' at SW are mostly pretty good to work under, but as with everywhere, there are a few... less popular ones . Must be said though, there isn't one of my boss' I wouldn't have a drink with. I even hear John Menzies isn't afraid to have a drink and a dance. Speaking of John Menzies, just thought I'd pass one thing along, since I think its unfair that only Holiday World boss' get credit for this: He is on the ground at the park quite often. Last time I saw him, he picked up a piece of rubbish and walked with it for about 10 meters to put it in a bin. I work for Warner Village Theme Parks, and I think its easily the best job I've had so far, and I for one don't intend on quitting any time soon.

[GoGoBoy]

Great post! Glad to hear you're enjoying it up there. I assume then that working for WNW and MW would be much the same as SW? Do you hear many comments from the staff at those other parks? I've always thought that Movie World would probably have the nicest facilities for staff as it is still relatively new compared to the other parks. The backstage staff areas are important as they are where you often start and end your day and have your breaks too. Good to hear that SW refurbished their areas rather than leaving them untouched since the early 80's (like some parks I know). I've always wondered what it would be like to work at WNW... spending all that time out under the sky working amongst tropical landscaping. Sounds very nice.

[joz]

Well, in reality, working at any of the Warner Village Parks is pretty similar. From what I can gather though, Paradise Country and WNW are the most popular to work at, followed closley by SW and MW. You are correct in saying MW does have the best amenities. Thing is though, its placed too far away for the staff to enjoy it, so most go to the smaller, less popular one. Do not despair though, the park is looking into upgrading the smaller one, since thats where most of the staff go. Within the Warner parks, I think it comes down to personal preferecne. Some staff love WnW, some prefer MW, and some wouldn't work anywhere but SW. Really, the difference between the parks isn't much, which I think is what they are going for. After all, when I get back from holiday, I could be working out at MW or WnW (not likley, but it wouldn't surprise me )