Castle Tour Guide and Room Steward

Employment: Fixed-term contract

Hours: 0 hours. Flexible to include weekends and school holidays.

Pay: National Minimum Wage

Immediate start

Powderham Castle enjoys a unique, picturesque setting within an ancient deer park beside the Exe estuary, just south of Exeter. Over 600 years of history can be discovered within the walls of one of Devon's oldest family homes.

We are building a friendly, enthusiastic and dedicated team, providing our visitors with the best experience possible. We'd love to hear from you if you'd like to be part of the Powderham team.

As a Castle Tour Guide, you’ll provide interesting, entertaining and informative guided tours to visitors whilst ensuring their safety around the Castle and Grounds. You will be working with a team of tour guides, room stewards and volunteers to make the Castle is accessible to visitors on an Open House basis. You’ll also be responsible for leading small groups of visitors around the property whilst delivering engaging commentary on the Courtenay family and Castle history.

General Duties

• Lead entertaining and interesting guided tours of the Castle rooms and gardens as required
• Play an active role in the welcoming, enjoyment and safeguarding of all visitors to the property
• Assist the volunteer team with Room Stewarding during Open House sessions
• Within your capabilities, proactively and positively resolve any issues that may arise whilst on shift or, refer to a member of the management team
• Proactively learn and effectively communicate knowledge about the Castle and grounds
• Proactively promote the souvenir guidebook, wedding facilities, and other aspects of the business when appropriate
• Carry out daily duties such as litter picking, light cleaning, and stocking of sanitary supplies on a regular basis
• As part of a team, assist with any furniture moves (within your capabilities), following/preceding any functions as required

Visitor Experience

• Ensure an outstanding service is received by visitors
• Deal effectively and courteously with all visitors and team members, keeping the Visitor Experience Supervisor briefed on any issues that arise
• Take an active role in the welcoming, enjoyment and safety of all visitors

Security, Health & Safety

• Take reasonable care for the health and safety of yourself and others who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work
• Report/record any accidents that are brought to your attention
• Ensure that health and safety requirements are adhered to throughout the attraction operation
• Be aware of and vigilant to the risk of fire and theft in your area at all times

Essential Attributes

• Excellent communication skills
• A warm and friendly attitude
• An enthusiasm and passion for history/historical buildings
• The ability to speak to large groups in a confident manner
• Experience working effectively within a team
• The ability to multi-task and perform well at peak times
• Be proactive and take initiative
• Willingness to learn and develop new skills
• An interest in history

Desirable Attributes

• Previous experience working as a tour guide or similar
• Previous experience of working within a visitor attraction or historic building

Full induction and till training will be provided where necessary.

Powderham is a busy place to work with a variety of events happening throughout the season. There may be times you will be called upon to assist another department; therefore, co-operation and commitment to the wider business is key.

Job Types: Part-time, Zero hours contract

Salary: Up to £10.50 per hour

Benefits:

• Company events
• Employee discount
• On-site parking

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday
• Weekend availability

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Exeter, EX6 8JQ: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 12/06/2023
Expected start date: 19/06/2023