park ranger

gardener

food & beverage team leader

cook

service assistant

National Trust

Lovely location to work in, nice colleagues to work with and volunteers. 
However pay is terrible. 
Holiday allowance is excellent however just as well as you have to use it to recover from working otherwise take it off sick. 
Sick leave allowance is good as you’ll need it. 
The Trust gets their moneys worth out of you, completely and utterly exhausted at the end of each day. 
The working environment is as you’d expect working in old buildings - drafty, leaky roofs and windows and damp. When I joined there was only one computer for 4 staff, but over the years it has improved to three computers. 
There’s been no investment of the back of house infrastructure it always goes on the front of house stuff, so as a result the working conditions are unchanged from 40 years ago so it’s quite muddy, and lack of space to store things. 
You’re constantly cobbling stuff together out of nothing, making something out of nothing, improvising with no budget.  Basically the property is run as an entertainment attraction whilst behind the scenes everything has fallen apart. 
The pdr process is ridiculous.  You need to be superman to get an excellent, even a very good is pretty much unobtainable.  I’d recommend sticking with a good as anymore you’ll be making yourself unwell running around doing tasks.  
They should just pay you an annual bonus for doing your job well.  
They call it a career but actually it’s been dressed up as a dead end job, whilst I gain skills which have no relevance to the outside world and are non transferable.  Day to day I’m not learning anything useful that will enable me to get another job. 
I’ve got a 3 month notice as I’ve been there so long which seems to be a restriction on what you can apply for as most firms need you asap. 
Management are only to happy to pile on the workload since we’re completely understaffed, and over worked.  Unlike the civil service there aren’t much in the way of advisers and consultants, they have enormous areas to cover so you’re pretty much left alone to flail around trying to deal with stuff you have no expertise in. 
I’m here now just to have good time, and try to monitor the amount of work I do so I don’t get completely tired.  The weekends are for recovering from work.  I’ve given up trying to climb up the ladder, far too hard. 

On a typical day I worked on the dishwasher, cleared tables, ran food and cleaned the tea rooms after closing to the public. With a slow dishwasher and a lot of customers it meant a lot of dishes piling up to the point where there was too many to fit on the rack and leaving them anywhere. As soon as you got started on cleaning dishes the cooks/supervisors would have you do something else such as run food or clear a table which just added to the pile of dishes. Supervisors would then shout and moan that we had run out of cutlery, teapots, plates, etc despite staff trying their hardest to sort it out. Most staff are on 0 hour contracts with very inconsistent hours, one week I would be in 4 days the next I would be in 1 day. Staff would also be sent home early if the cafe was overstaffed, leading to even more inconsistent hours. Expect to be doing a hundred different things at once, and being told off when you're not able to do more. The work was also soul wrenchingly tedious and physically demanding, but that is to be expected in an environment such as this.
Workplace breaks were in violation of the law, being only offered a 15 minute lunch break when working a full day shift of 8 hours (the law states that workers are entitled to a 20 minute break when working for 6 hours or more). But management wanted to keep breaks to a minimum to keep us working through busy periods.
Training opportunities were few and far between, I was offered a very small amount of training on the coffee machine and tills, and learnt from trial and error for the most part. Whereas some of my colleagues were offered multiple in depth training sessions where they learnt how to become confident before even being allowed to use equipment, just going how show how the supervisors have their favourites.

On a more positive note, a lot of the lower level staff were great people to work with, making the days significantly better. I got to speak to and help a great deal of customers, the majority of which were extremely polite and friendly, which at times was a great mood-booster and put a smile on my face.

The main problem is in the organisation and management of staff members. As a returning employee I was not asked for my payment details, I thought nothing of it until I contacted people's services and had found that they were not kept in record. As I had not been asked for them, this resulted me in pushing my managers for an urgent payment - as I am at university and need to pay my accommodation. This took far too long to do and I nearly missed the cut-off date. Communication among staff is terrible, and I felt extremely singled out - with the older staff members mentioning me behind my back; the WhatsApp group, I was never invited to - where all the staff in my sector gave out information. When I had urgent queries and tried to get a hold of my manager, I was ignored for days - whether by text or phone. The hardest part of my job was the boredom. Volunteers at the site offered a hand in the Welcome Area, however I was instructed to let them have the front desk as they "like it more", however, as this was my job, I felt astonished how they would give my role to an unpaid member of staff. I was given the second desk (behind sight of the first) meaning I received much less customers. As a greeting member, when there was no one to greet, I busied myself with as much as possible: cleaning, sorting out tour tickets, litter picking, which took little under an hour in total - for the remaining 3/4 hours I was left to sit and stare at the car park. Exciting. I was not allowed to lend a hand in other areas of the site, under this new management, unlike last year. As I am unable to drive, I relied on lifts from relatives - when I could not come in I let them know as soon as possible (a week in advance or more), and a few days after my notice I received a patronising and demeaning email stating how disappointed they were in my "lack of notice", and how they would "amend my pay" to reflect this. As a whole, I was treated with little respect - just as another mindless worker. There is no individuality in the National Trust, and no inclusivity for young employees, especially. Extremely poor management. Shockingly condescending environment, with no room to thrive. 

Really amazing places to work within, particularly the bigger outdoor sites. Fascinating landscapes and buildings which you see so much more of than any visitor. Very knowledgeable staff and many useful processes being established but dated IT and office/retail equipment.
 Very variable management capabilities from site to site. Some are excellent, hands on and really hardworking and thoughtful. Others have limited experience, are hands off and distant, but some how got a job which is beyond their ability.
The company has been working through a lot of hard decisions and changes and this has left scars, which is inevitable. Mistakes have been made. They get a lot of bad press, much of which is not deserved and often based on false statements or incorrect association with other organizations. 
Visitors generally have a great time with a very high return rate. Job satisfaction, if not pay and security, is high. You need people skills far more than degrees. They really should stop hiring graduates with no experience or ability in a business environment.
The work can be really intense and requires a lot of energy and dedication, particularly at busy holiday times. It is not a sleepy, slow-paced sinecure, as many think.
 Seasonal pay and low rates only suit a few people, hence high turnover of staff. If you can afford to work for minimum wage, for short hours for six months a year, with little security in a fascinating and variable environment then this is for you. If you need to pay bills all year round, it may not suit you. Many people end up working two or three jobs to make ends meet. This is not sustainable and good people leave despite loving the job.

Career advancement: Limited opportunities for growth are evident due to a lack of defined career paths and unclear promotion criteria. Can often feel stagnant without guidance or support for professional development.  

Workload and expectations: Unrealistic deadlines and expectations create undue pressure and frustration. Without proper feedback loops, addressing concerns or improving efficiency becomes difficult. This disconnect leads to feelings of being undervalued and demotivated.  

Communication: Open and consistent communication from both colleagues and management is lacking. Information silos and unclear project goals create confusion and hinders effective collaboration.

Suggestions:
Implement mentorship programs and career development opportunities.
Establish clear performance expectations and regular feedback mechanisms to facilitate improvement and build trust.
Improve communication channels and transparency within teams and between departments.
Conduct a review of current workloads and adjust deadlines and expectations to ensure feasibility and maintain employee well-being.

Conclusion: While the organisation offers certain benefits, addressing the concerns regarding career advancement, workload, and communication is crucial to retain talent and foster a positive and productive work environment. By prioritising employee development, fostering open communication, and establishing realistic expectations, the organisation can unlock the full potential of its staff and achieve its goals more effectively.

Work as a Catering Assistant is long hours on your feet. No appreciation of your hard work. Customers can be lovely but many are rude demanding and condescending. The usual mix of team members, some lovely and you make life long friends, The management on the other hand just a full scale mess. The management are young adult, so its young adult in charge of young of adult which = 100% shambles. Are there favourites member of staff,of course there are. Should the management team who was full adult actually do their jobs, yes. The clean in the evening is completed by staff who have been on their feet all day and are desperate to leave and get home. Hence no attention to detail. Pay is minimum wage and the management at Tyntesfield house liked to hide our slips in the office for some strange reason! Then there is the 0 hour contract that the management dont understand the definition of which is 
'A zero-hour contract is a type of contract between an employer and a worker, where the employer is not obliged to provide any minimum working hours, while the worker is not obliged to accept any work offered.'  Not giving us the shifts and us having to do it or the threat of being kicked out of the job is hang over our head. Whatever they are still doing or were doing at Tyntesfied isn't an 0 hour contract. That's complete difference thing when the person working chooses when he/she is going to work not the management team.  

But on the lighter note the food was great, and all locally sourced and if remember right lots where free-ranged and organic! But cutting down on the waste would be great as that's very bad for the environment and homeless shelters would be very thankful for all the food.

My first day at the National Trust was filled with a warm welcome from my fellow colleagues who shared the same enthusiasm for the organization's mission. I was assigned to work at a beautiful 18th-century mansion nestled in the rolling countryside, surrounded by picturesque gardens and woodlands. My responsibilities included assisting with the day-to-day operations, organizing events, providing visitor information, and assisting with conservation projects.

One of my most memorable experiences was assisting with the restoration of the mansion's historic library. I had the opportunity to handle rare books and manuscripts dating back several centuries, wearing white gloves to protect them from any damage. It was awe-inspiring to hold these treasures and learn about their history from the knowledgeable conservationists.

I also had the privilege of interacting with visitors from all walks of life, including school children on educational trips, history enthusiasts, and international tourists. It was heartening to see the joy and wonder on their faces as they explored the mansion and its grounds. I enjoyed sharing stories about the history of the property and its previous occupants, as well as the National Trust's conservation efforts.

Working at the National Trust was not just about the grandeur of the mansion, but also about the natural beauty that surrounded it. I often took walks through the vast woodlands and meadows, marveling at the diverse flora and fauna that called the estate home. I learned about the importance of conservation, sustainable practices, and the efforts undertaken by the National Trust to protect and preserve the environment.

A typical day in season, April - September, very busy especially when the boats were running to Skomer Island. As a point of interest, I found to my experience, this is where the majority of visitors wanted to go. I found the majority of my time was giving out information about the Island and boat times !. My main duties were assisting in parking the cars , retail sales of goods and importantly, recruiting new members to the trust which entailed giving out information and promoting the values about the Trust and the value of benefits on offer by joining.  My co -workers at Martins Haven were brilliant, the job itself was marvellous, as stated before, it was very busy at times due to the large numbers of visitors. I re-applied for the position in 2015 but failed the Interview. I was to be informed of the outcome the next day,10th February, but as of the 24th, nothing, verbal or written. It soon became apparent that they were not going to ! On contacting the manager the next morning ,after profuse apologies, I was informed that I had answered the standard questions given to me at the Interview, incorrectly. Funny that, they were the same questions as last year and I got them right !!...and the job !. It appears that never mind the your attributes, personality or skills, or how many new members you`ve signed up, you have to get the questions right!... Apart from this, I enjoyed the work,
the visitors were marvellous and I met some wonderful characters and made long lasting friendships :-). Oh....and I signed up 10 new members.

Met many interesting visitors to NT house. It's wonderful being able to spend an afternoon in beautiful surroundings and talk to interested people bout it. But the organisation seems haphazard. The house was going to be closed on the last day due to illness of various people. I offered to go in and open up. Just as well, as there were a lot of people who came in from a misadvertised estate walk. If they had found the house closed as well as probs with the estate walk, there would have been many complaints to the NT. So we in fact saved the day!
Had very interesting time transcribing ELP's memories for the Oral Archive, learning about history of the Stonehenge Landscape, which were just within living memory eg that there were large horse pens near the stones, to quarter the farm horses that were going to the WWI battlefields. That the land on and around the stones was bought by a private individual in early 20C and given to the Nation as heritage to be preserved. Otherwise, the stones were being threatened with demolition as they were in the way of WWI planes coming in to land at the nearby airfield. Made several friends in both sections of the NT. But found the NT management frustrating, especially when it seems that these transcriptions are going into a big hole somewhere. No official feedback or response to these transcriptions, even though meeting to allocate proofreaders was held 6 months ago.

A charity that does it's best to look after some beautiful sites and employs some truly amazing and dedicated people. However, it works in such an inefficient way that little is achieved despite large sums of money being consumed. There are very few technically competent people in the organisation so decisions are made on whims and fancy. So many avoidable and expensive mistakes are made and then covered up. There doesn't seem to be any accountability or oversight.

It is impossible to earn enough money in the lower orders as work is allocated to friends and family rather than fair allocation. You are expected to drop everything to work in the busy periods then you are dropped in the quiet times. No work equals no money. Lots of promises but no consistent work. They are used to a plentiful supply of part timers who only come in for pin money. Wages are low and sites are remote so travel costs outweigh many hours of work. Often you only get four hours a day and some of your shifts get cut. Managers and supervisors are mixed. Some are ok. Most are self serving. Having climbed a greasy pole they then pretend that they are so important and stop doing any real work.
I left a while ago because of the cliques, no chance of advancement and inadequate money. I still have friends on various sites and they say little has changed.
Should be a great organization with wonderful assets gifted to it. Sadly, it is run by incompetent people who stamp on anyone with any ability or drive as they make the established order look weak. Real shame.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Park ranger 33 salaries reported	£28,952 per year
Gardener 20 salaries reported	£28,495 per year
Food & beverage team leader 17 salaries reported	£12.96 per hour
Cook 7 salaries reported	£28,371 per year
Service assistant 68 salaries reported	£13.01 per hour

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