line cook

spa therapist

cleaner

kitchen supervisor

lifeguard

Center Parcs UK & Ireland

More revenue!  More, more! (at your expense)  
If you want to feel burned out, undervalued and uncared for (We Are Family' remember!) then this is the place for you! 
Center Parcs management is never happy no matter what the revenue of your department.  I understand it's a business, but crushing employees till they crumble in the name of profits is immoral.  You'll be understaffed all the time, as squeezing more work out of less people gets the line managers that extra bonus they so desperately need.  But don't worry they'll also come into your unit and try to wangle free drinks to really save the pennies, even thought they're all earning more than you.  

They've also implemented an AI system to do your rota to make sure your hours are split hap hazadly across as many days as they can, to make sure you are out of pocket in terms of travel expenses and that it messes with your work/life balance so they can make extra profits!

They'll treat long serving employees disgustingly and go against their one basic principle of 'We Are Family' to demote, demoralize, discipline and try to shove you out the door if they don't want you there.  No retraining, support or managing, they'll just make it as unpleasant for you as possible as a massively passive aggressive way to be rid of you.

You won't see line managers unless they want a drink, and if you do it'll be to bark an order at you to put a cup in the bin that they actively just walked past while you're fighting for your life trying to make a million drinks.

Oh, and they'll also slowly strip you of any perks or little moments of joy you ever dreamed to have in your unit.  All to make more money.  Money....money!  Gotta fill those bonuses guys.

Center Parcs used to be great, it used to care, and it used to look after us.  It's a shadow of it's former self now, a cold and calculated place since 2020 that honestly couldn't care less if you were there at all.  I overheard a line manager once say 'Let people quit' after introducing something which demoralized the team so succinctly it made the rest of us realise how unwanted and unappreciated we truly were.  'We Are Family'?    I'm not so sure, maybe one of those disfunctional families estranged from each other and fighting over the last scraps of an inheritence of a once lovely place to work.  Shame really.  Glad to be out of it, and I'd advise anyone thinking about applying here to really ask one question....how much do I hate myself?




A typical day at work would be an 8 and a half hour shift, where most of your time is spent stood at the side of a pool watching people. Whilst it is a fairly easy job, it is surprising how stressful it can be to concentrate on hindreds of people for that amount of time.

They are supposed to provide you with breaks every hour with a maximum of 1 hour and 30 minutes between breaks, to relieve stress. However at centre parcs you will be lucky if you get away with a 10 minute break every 2 hours.

If you work there you will find that people quickly become favorites and once that is the case people will advance to positions of responsibility very quickly. And everyone else will be left on the side of the pool with nothing to do. They should really spread the jobs out. You may think that oh yeah great. getting paid 8 pound an hour to stand around doing nothing all day is awesome. But it is very boring and some of my best shifts where when the supervisors gave me lots of jobs to do even if it was just cleaning, i would happily do that that stand around doing nothing for 8 hours a day.

The most enjoyable part of the job was helping other people. When people asked me something it was great being able to provide them with that information. or if someone was in trouble i could help them out. Working there was fun when you were able to utilize the suprise and delight. Which was brilliant seeing peoples faces light up when you go that extra bit firther to make someones day.

The negatives however to out weigh the positives. Other than that most of the co workers are good fun friendly people. but some people are just there to ruin your day and only think about themselves when it comes to the work place.

Overall i think the management there needs to up its game and get some supervisors that know how to run things. Or at least start giving some positions of responsibility to those that clearly want to go that extra bit further to help people out. Because it is always the same people every day that get put on all the easy jobs, and favoritism is not welcome in the work place.

The pay we receive is great for a young person looking for their first job or while at university. Also, you get a number of good benefits, including day passes to visit Center Parcs, a decent amount of holiday, a Shared Success scheme, sick pay after a years employment and discounted breaks. HOWEVER, while this does sound amazing, all these benefits are definitely NOT worth working at Center Parcs. The management is probably one of the worst in the UK, they are disorganised, disingenuous and do not care about their staff. They will refuse to reply to emails if it means they will have to put any sort of effort in to help you, and if you are a student they will always get your rota wrong so that your shift clashes with your education. Furthermore, they often underpay, which then forces you through the hassle to get this money back, which is difficult, and then if you do get the money back you have to wait until next month to get the money anyway, which is frustrating if you need the money for example to pay rent. Guest enjoyment is always put ahead of the safety and care of their employees, as the management do not understand the concept of happy staff equals happy guests. They also do not provide enough PPE to do your job safely, and also do not allow you to bring your own clothes to wear outside when lifeguarding the outdoor areas because “it looks unprofessional”, and so you are freezing in low temperatures because they only provide you with a few poor quality coats which are all broken and cannot be done up. Finally there is no real career ladder in these career, and the management only tend to promote people they like, plus the fact that you must be full time to get a promotion.

Center Parcs is a family focused environment with the main aim being a fun memory filled holiday for all the family in any weather. 

My typical day starts with walking from the car park through the forest to the office, where I set up and begin by listening to my voice messages and getting back to guests who have enquiries or would like to book.
I run a report once a week to show the newest bookings and contact the new guests in order of their arrival dates. I send an initial email to make them aware of my services and also call any guests who have not responded or do not have email addresses. 
When a guest makes contact I take their booking number to assure I have the right bookings, and then take care to book the activities at the right time on the correct day. I must ensure the activities do not over lap and give the guest time to get between areas of the park.  For larger bookings I make sure the relevant departments are informed of the large groups movements and make sure the activities that are involved are staffed accordingly.
Restaurants must be informed of large bookings and pre-order forms and menus sent to the guest. I also remind the guests with a call or email a week before the pre-order is due. 
I am confident working on excel and most Microsoft programs, I use outlook on a daily basis and have an excellent telephone manner. 
It is a busy office with hot desks for others to use so can be a busy distracting environment. 
The hardest part of my job is ensuring the guest is happy with the service and enjoys their stay at Center Parcs.

A typical day:
A average shift would be 6 - 8 hours long. with there being various kinds both longer and shorter depending on the day and your personal availability. Shifts tend to be fast paced, there is a lot of interaction with others including both restaurant guests and fellow staff members. Responsibilities on a said shift can vary as you are given a said role to perform on the day of work, an example of some of these different roles within the restaurant would include: waiting on tables, bar work, hatch work (working closely with the kitchen) and various other supporting roles. Even then you with find yourself performing different tasks for the sake of teamwork and efficiency.

What i learned:
the two main things that i have learned and / or improved upon during my employment in a busy restaurant is: people skills and evaluation of ones time making sure you are using it efficiently.

Management:
over my years i have seen various changes and differing management styles. It varies but i would say its most effective when managers are capable in their own right being able to do most of the differing roles within the restaurant, being approachable - willing to listen to those around them and finally willing to jump in when help is required.

Hardest part of the job:
the sheer business at times and the pressures that can bring with it. Also from time to time you can have to deal with some unpleasant people.

Most enjoyable part of the job:
the friendships you will build with those around you and providing a good and enjoyable service to those that you serve during a shift.

I was only a bed maker but even that was bad enough. 

The turn over rate is so high and im not surprised in the slightest. 
When I first started work there, there was about 6 or 7 other bed makers working along side me and by the end of my about 4 months of working there i was one of 3 left. They had all left for other jobs that arent as phyicsally demanding and pay better.

You may be thinking "bed making isn't that hard, I could do that." And you'd probably be right, making a bed isn't hard but getting given 10 3 bed lodges means having to make 2 doubles and 2 singles per lodge making that a grand total of 40 beds to make in about 4 hours, oh and dont forget about stripping the beds and filling the green bags all while waiting for the linen to be delivered cutting into the time that you would use for making the beds meaning that you actually get less time to make beds. 
That by itself isnt really the problem but because of the high turn over you have to pick up slack for other people so on somedays you get given 15 or even 19 lodges to do.

Sometimes, and i mean very rarely, youll be given someone else to work with which makes the whole day so so so much better because then you can actually make a double bed without it taking 20 mins.

The other bedmakers and house keepers, when they're there, are lovely and some of them are the nicest people you'll ever meet but the management, good lord. They will tell you with a nice happy smile that you have 12 lodges, 10 of them being 3 beds and that you have two houses which are 2 doubles and 2 singles all the while theyll go and clean one (1) lodge and call it a day. 

The Park itself is pleasant. It is nice to cycle around between lodges on the staff bikes once training is done and you are out cleaning.
As with most large companies there are some fantastic supervisors/team leaders and managers and some who are just plain awful. It is hard work and no matter the state of the lodge the time to clean remains the same. Help will come from a less work shy team leader and those who have completed their cleans. 
There is company transport however this actually adds to the pressure as its a rush to get to to your place of work as close to start time as possible and then a rush back. People do miss their buses. Then of course housekeepers on transport can not take advantage of any events or visit a booking desk for activities as there is simply no time. 
Parents be warned, it you respond to an advert as its suggested you can work in school holiday but then due to child's sickness/lack of childcare you need to take time off you can find yourself receiving disciplinary. 
All in all its an okay place to work, progression isn't actually as available as it's made out to be. It's nice to be able to access the park for a day to use the facilities. 
Housekeeping is  understaffed. 
Be mindful too of health and safety. Forever being told that moving furniture is a two person job...that 2nd person isn't always there as HK work on their own in a lodge. Taking time to find someone or wait for someone isn't timely or always possible. In reality you do it on your own. 


The first day is a company induction, this involves a deluded and somewhat brainwashed  HR lady with a fake smile telling wonderful stories of the Eutopian workers' paradise that's been created at Woburn. The reality is rather different.
The turnover of staff is immense,  people seem to walkout on a daily basis. Therefore due to sheer desperation lots of the management are quickly promoted to positions that they clearly aren't qualified to do. Most of these 'managers' have been at Woburn since it opened about 3 years ago, they have only attained management positions through attrition of staff rather than their own merit. Anybody starting in a Supervisor/ Management role with previous experience should expect to quickly get frustrated at the complete lack of stucture and direction, and unwillingness to change failing operational inefficientcies. The place is crying out for change yet any rational suggestions are quickly dismissed as 'not the Center Parcs way'. There are good managers at Woburn but like myself they move on to greater things at the first opportunity leaving the old reactionary order to Pontificate their failing mantra and ideology.
Unless you like riding Segways at 2mph through a  forest, part destroyed by capitalist greed, I can't really see any benefits to working at Center Parcs.

You have to make sure you’re there a lot sooner to make sure you can get a car parking space before guests come as guest take our spots and if you are caught in client parking you’ll get told off and told to park up the top car park which is 20-30 min walk to the spa. 
You’ll have to go in your room or a room you’ve been given depending on how many hours you do to make sure everything on or working as supervisor/senior most of the time don’t even turn them on, you’ll have to clean up after someone who you has used your room as it’s always a mess, you have to write down all the treatments you’ve got which can range from 8-16 clients a day and get all the products you need, pointless morning brief, any complaints get put in a book and you’ll pulled aside must of the time it’s due to coming out early which isn’t the case as 25 min treatment starts from picking the client up and dropping them and we get told off when they are just money hungry. 
You’ll never be able to work up if you were able to it would only be for maternity leave then you’ll be back as a therapist. 
All management know each other and will side with each other so it’s the therapists fault. 
There is so much more but I’m just warning anyone that it is awful and people don’t last because it’s that bad. There is always better then here. 
I promise there is so much better and you’ll be respected. 
Some of the girls there are lovely others not so much. 

I applied for the housekeeping role knowing that it would be hard work and was prepared for that. However after 6 months i am still not considered to be completing a full "cleaning allocation" which i am reminded of each shift. I am currently cleaning 3x 2 bed lodges plus half a 2 bed lodge. Each shift i am told i need to be faster, I'm too slow and no matter what i do its never good enough and it is really affecting my mental health. No minimum wage job is worth the stress. I honestly dont think i have had a full lunch break (you get 30mins) the whole time i have worked there, there really isnt time to take more than ten mins. Staff use an app called Dayforce to clock in and out for shifts and are forced to tick that they have had their breaks otherwise they cant clock out. I was told i wouldnt get paid if i didnt clock in and out. 
I have been pushed to my absolute limit despite being told i wouldnt be given more than i can handle. Managers have been completely unsympathetic even when i have explained i have ADHD and need extra help. 
I have decided to hand in my notice in a months time and enjoy the summer with my children. Currently there are no annual leave days left for august so a holiday with my kids is out of the question unless i quit. 

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Line cook 1 salary reported	£14.40 per hour
Spa therapist 36 salaries reported	£13.62 per hour
Cleaner 14 salaries reported	£12.87 per hour
Kitchen supervisor 6 salaries reported	£13.55 per hour
Lifeguard 10 salaries reported	£13.26 per hour

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