Volunteer Jobs

Volunteer Applications for the 2011 Festival open on November 1, 2010

Updated Duty Statements for each area will be available on this page from the beginning of October as downloadable pdfs.

*Please note: all face-to-face training mentioned below is in addition to the online OH&S training component. ALL VOLUNTEERS must complete both the online OH&S training component as part of their application PLUS any face-to-face training requirements listed below. For more information on training requirements please contact the Volunteer Manager - support@folkfestival.asn.au or phone 02 6262 4792

Bars

What: Pour and serve alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks (includes Session Bar, Coopers Bar, Wine Bar, Village Bar)
Who: Volunteers must be over 18 & sign an NFF Bar Workers Agreement
When: Thu (night) - Mon during Festival
How: Compulsory face-to-face training held on the Wednesday evening pre-Festival

Bar Cashiers

What: Sell drink tickets, operate cash registers
Who: Volunteers must be over 18. Cash handling experience is highly desirable.
When: Thu (night) - Mon during Festival
How: Compulsory face-to-face training held on the Wednesday evening pre-Festival. Shift Managers must be available on the Sunday pre-Festival for their briefing.

Bar Set Up

What: Install and maintain bar equipment
Who: Volunteers must be over 18 and physically fit as some heavy lifting involved
When: Tues pre-Festival to Wed post-festival
How: Compulsory face-to-face training held on the Wednesday evening pre-Festival

Campground

See Stewards

Caretakers

What: Secure entrances, exits, traffic lanes, check wristbands, early performer & volunteer entry, early sales
Who: Responsible, mature and good communication skills required
When: Mon - Thu pre-Festival
How: Compulsory face-to-face briefing on the Saturday morning pre-Festival

Car Park

What: Monitor traffic and collect payments in the Flemington Rd carpark
Who: All volunteers must be 17 years or over and physically fit. Customer service and good social skills highly desirable.
When: Thu - Mon during Festival
How: Compulsory face-to-face training requirements TBA

Childcare

What: Mind children under supervision of qualified childcare staff
Who: Police Check required for all team members. Those with current Senior First Aid Certificates highly desirable.
When: Fri - Mon during Festival
How: Compulsory face-to-face training requirements TBA

Clean Up

What: Packdown and clean up of the site (please note all volunteers in this team must pre-purchase their Festival ticket and then apply for a ticket refund at the end of the Festival)
Who: Volunteers must be physically fit and not afraid of getting a little dirty!
When: Tue - Wed post-Festival
How: Face-to-face training will be provided on the Tuesday morning post-Festival

Communications Centre (Comms)

What: Radio operations, logging incidents, event control
Who: Volunteers must have a clear speaking voice, ability to follow procedures and high attention to detail. Experience in the monitoring of radio communications highly desirable.
When: Thurs - Mon during Festival
How: Compulsory face-to-face training held on the Sunday (day) and Wednesday (evening) pre-Festival. All volunteers must be available to attend one of these sessions.

Community Arts

What: Supervising art activities for all age groups
Who: Art teachers and creative types highly desirable
When: Thurs - Mon during Festival
How: Compulsory face-to-face training requirements TBA

Construction

What: Hanging blackout in venues, site decoration, building small temporary structures
Who: All volunteers must be over 16 and physically fit. Those with building or trade skills highly desirable.
When: Mon - Thurs pre-Festival and Tues-Wed post-Festival
How: Compulsory face-to-face training requirements TBA

Disability Services

What: To assist in making the Festival more accessible to people with disabilities, including erecting signage and access requirements for patrons with special needs
Who: Good communication skills and the ability to think laterally. Also an understanding of the challenges facing people with disabilities would be highly desirable.
When: Thurs evening, Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon
How: Face-to-face training will be provided during your first shift

Festival Merch Stall

Please see Festival Shop

Festival Office

What: Answering telephones & public enquiries
Who: Office experience and good communications skills highly desirable
When: Mon pre-Festival - Wed post-Festival
How: Compulsory face-to-face training held on the Sunday (day) pre-Festival

Festival Registration

What: Welcoming performers and volunteers to the festival and issuing them wristbands and relevant information
Who: Good customer service, people skills and the ability to follow procedures
When: Sunday pre-Festival to Festival Monday
How: Compulsory face-to-face training held on the Sunday (day) and Wednesday (evening) pre-Festival. All volunteers must be available to attend one of these sessions.

Festival Transport

What: An amalgamation of Performer Transport and Shuttle Buses, Festival Transport is responsible for transporting performers to and from the airport, their hotels and the Festival, as well as ferrying patrons around the Festival site on the Shuttle Bus loop.There are a variety of positions in this team, including Office Managers, Performer Drivers and Shuttle Bus Drivers. Please indicate your job preference and any relevant experience when applying.
Who: Drivers must be 25 with a faultless driving record. Office Managers must be highly organised with the ability to work under pressure
When: Drivers work Mon pre Festival to Tuesday post Festival. Office Managers work Thur, Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon during the Festival
How: Compulsory face-to-face training requirements TBA

Firewood

What: Setting up firebins, splitting logs, delivering firewood, lighting bins
Who: Physically fit with the ability to follow procedure
When: Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon
How: Compulsory face-to-face training requirements TBA

Instrument Lockup

What: Checking in and out of Instruments for Performers
Who: Good communication skills and high attention to detail
When: Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon
How: Compulsory face-to-face training requirements TBA

Kids Festival

What: Supervise games and crafts for kids
Who: All team members must complete a Police Check. Volunteers with prior experience working in childcare centres
When: Thurs night, Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon
How: Face-to-face training will be provided during your first shift

National Folk School assistants

What: Check in of students to masterclasses
Who: Good communication skills and the ability to follow instruction
When: Tues, Wed, Thurs pre-Festival
How: Compulsory face-to-face training held on the Monday pre-Festival

MCs

What: Introduce acts and make announcements to the audience
Who: Volunteers must be able to speak clearly and with confidence, and follow basic direction from Stage Managers and Coordinator
When: Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon
How: Compulsory face-to-face training held on the Thursday evening

Mitchell Office

What: Database entry and administrative work
Who: We are always on the look out for Volunteers with a variety of skills to help in the Festival Office, supporting staff and sharing their skills. This can include Marketing, IT, Sponsorship, Administration Management, Graphic Design; you name it, we can probably use some help!
When: Mon - Fri throughout the year
How: Please email the Volunteer Manager if you are interested in offering your time throughout the year - support@folkfestival.asn.au

Performer Payments

What: Give out allocated cheques to performers
Who: Mature minded people with good communication skills, problem solving and troubleshooting. Cash handling experience is also highly desirable.
When: Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon
How: Face-to-face training will be provided during your first shift

Performer Transport

See Festival Transport

Photographers

What: Each year the National Folk Festival accepts applications from volunteer photographers. In return for their volunteer pass to the Festival, the successful Photographers must provide quality digital images at no cost to the National Folk Festival for use in media and promotional materials.
Who: Experienced, amateur or qualified photographers
When: Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon
How: Please download our Guidelines for Photographers for more information on how to apply

Raffle Tickets

What: Sell raffle tickets to festival patrons
Who: Good people and cash handling skills
When: Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon
How: Compulsory face-to-face training requirements TBA

Festival Shop

What: Sales of performer CDs and Festival Merchandise
Who: Those with retail experience who can operate cash registers and EFTPOS highly desirable. Also good people skills and attention to detail
When: Thur evening, Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon
How: Compulsory face-to-face training held on the Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday pre-Festival. All volunteers must be available to attend one of these training sessions. There is also a welcome morning tea for Festival Shop volunteers held on Sunday 10th April 2011. While attendance at this morning tea is not compulsory, it is encouraged for those who are available.

Shuttle Buses

See Festival Transport

Signage

What: Make and put up signs for the festival
Who: Physically fit with the ability to follow instruction
When: Mon pre-festival - Wed post-festival
How: Compulsory face-to-face training requirements TBA

Stage Management

What: Working with performers, managing concert times and stage setup
Who: Stage Managers and those with a background in theatre or music. Please note there is no live sound work involved with Stage Management.
When: Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon
How: Compulsory face-to-face training requirements TBA

Stewards

What: The Customer Service face of the festival who monitor the site and do crowd-control when required
Who: All volunteers must be over 18, physically fit and with full mobility. Good people skills and expereince in crowd marshalling or security is also highly desirable, as is First Aid certification.
When: Thur, Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon
How: Compulsory face-to-face training is held on the Sunday pre-Festival. There will also be one or two sessions in the weeks prior to the Festival, dates and times TBA. All volunteers are required to attend one of these training sessions.

Stores

What: Checking in and out of equipment and management of stock levels
Who: High attention to detail, customer service and ability to work under pressure
When: Mon pre-Festival - Wed post-Festival
How: Compulsory face-to-face training is held on the Sunday pre-Festival

Support

What: Incorporating Treasury (Main and Food & Beverage). Back office processing of ticket sales and banking
Who: High attention to detail and interpersonal skills. Cash handling and bank teller experience highly desirable
When: Thur, Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon
How: Compulsory face-to-face training held on the Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday pre-Festival. All volunteers must attend one of these training sessions

Ticket Office

What: Manage sales of Festival gate tickets at the Top and Bottom Ticket Offices
Who: Must be sensible and friendly under pressure. EFTPOS and cash handling also highly desirable.
When: Thur, Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon
How: Compulsory face-to-face training is held on the Sunday (day) or Wednesday (evening) pre Festival. All volunteers must attend one of these training sessions.

Treasury - Main

See Support

Treasury - Food & Beverage

See Support

VIP Reception

What: Running the Bar and assisting with various VIP event duties. Due to the limited working hour requirements of this team (generally 12 hours in total), this is not a full ticketed role. Volunteers must therefore pre-purchase their Festival ticket and can apply for a partial refund (dependant on hours worked) at the end of the Festival.
Who: Suited to those with Hospitality Experience
When: Thur, Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon
How: Compulsory face-to-face training requirements TBA

Volunteer Centre

What: Formerly Volunteer Kitchen. Collect money and maintain Volunteer meal area
Who: Cash handling and/or Hospitality experience highly desirable
When: Sunday pre-Festival to Tuesday post-Festival
How: Compulsory face-to-face training requirements TBA

Volunteer Top Up

What: Team who recruits and deploys ‘top up’ volunteers during the Festival
Who: Well organised with good computer and communication skills highly desirable
When: Thur, Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon
How: Face-to-face training will be provided during your first shift

Waste & Recycling

What: Collecting waste bins and making our recycling work. Due to the nature of the work, those working on the Waste & Recycling team are only required to do 16 hours work.
Who: Physically fit with a passion for waste management!
When: Mon pre-Festival to Wednesday post-Festival
How: Compulsory face-to-face training requirements TBA