beauty therapist

spa therapist

line cook

sous chef

commis

Ragdale-Hall-Spa

I started my career as a chef at Ragdale, they were very good and put me through both my NVQ level 2 and 3. In doing so, I had to commit a couple of years of my life after my level 3 to almost "pay back" in service the cost of putting me through my qualifications, which I didn't mind.
It's a great place to either start your career or a place to wind down your career as a more senior chef, however, for someone looking to progress while you're in the middle of your chef career, this isn't the place for you.
It looks good having Ragdale Hall on your CV, and in the first few months, you will probably learn a thing or two. You get to work with fresh ingredients, but after that, there's not much else to look forward to.
The opportunities to progress within the kitchen are almost non-existent. There are chefs that have been in the same position for 5-10 years. In any other kitchen they would have easily been promoted up a level or 2, but not at Ragdale, and that's not down to the exec. head chef not wanting to promote, it was down to the senior members of the hotel management and the directors not wanting to spend the money on increased wages.
There is also very little opportunity to express any creativity. Any changes that you wanted to make on the menu always had to go through the head chef and the exec. head chef, who then had to run it by the hotel manager, who would 95% of the time shoot your ideas down in flames. It was very much a case of "this is the menu, and that's what we're sticking too".
It's not all doom and gloom though, you get free staff meals, uniform is provided for you, and you work straight shifts, either 6-3, 7-4 or 12-9, and there is even a free mini bus that picks up staff from Melton and Asfordby and takes them to and from work from 6 in the morning up until 11 at night.

From the start of the job, I received very poor training, which left me with a poor understanding of how the spa and other departments worked. There was no chance during my time here to  develop my skills and progress through the department. There was poor, stagnated pay for the level of work and pressure that was put on me.

The management structure was unorganised, with no line management. When management was involved in organising work, there was a lot of favouritism exhibited towards certain people, leaving the rest of the team feeling left out. This disrupted everyone's work ethic, and although the people  I worked with were lovely, the morale of the team was very low. 

I was expected to work extra hours I was not contracted for, as there was a heavy shortage of staff around my time of working. I found that I was shunned when I turned down the opportunity to work extra- this lead to me working to my wits end trying to put in all the hours I was pressured into by upper management. 

 From what I had seen, a lot of the departments had a very quick turn around which was not surprising considering the substandard working conditions and low pay - even for the hospitality industry. 

There were free meals and transport from the neighbouring villages, but this is a small price to pay for the way the company treats a lot of its workers. 

Overall I would not recommend working here, unless you intend to go for a job in upper management, who are the few that get paid a reasonable amount and,  I imagine, have a much better prospects for work life balance.

I was one of lucky ones to get the job opportunity. I was so excited to work there, that stopped my preparation for exams in college and spend all day for CV and motivation letter writing. It was not worth. Now I am so happy to work in Ragdale Hall Spa, that my inner and moral calm come back, I smile everyday to new challenges and happy to drive to work with feeling, that I treat people and help them to return their wellbeing. Ragdale is a dream to work, the management and supervisors really care about employees well-being and ready to help at any time, any issue, just don't afraid to ask. I much appreciate them for all advices and everything had been done for me. There are some trainings and rest time, like meditation or yoga classes available for free of charge. Also many discounts in shops and for treatments are offered. It is much appreciable and so kind from the Ragdale management side. The only minus is the salary, which is not competitive and not enough for living costs. I hope the situation will be changed in the future soon. But I advice to everyone new beautician after college to have a chance and join the Ragdale Hall Spa, enjoy the work here, because you will never forget the experience and always will compare any new job place with Ragdale, because of the highest standards, atmosphere, culture, job experience, amazing building, fantastic treatments, lovely guests, tasty food, especial aura of the place. Ragdale always is in the soul and heart. 

During my time here several people left mainly due to the terrible attitude of the majority of the housekeeping supervisors; there were only two that were decent most of us thought. Bullying is the norm if your face doesn't fit and quite a few girls had been in tears over it. Management said it would be sorted but it never was. Most of the rooms are a right mess that it takes far longer to clean that you're given and the triple rooms are a nightmare as they're always trashed. There's never enough laundry and you're running round trying to get it before close of working day. Lifts are broken most of the time so you have to carry very heavy bags up full of bedding, towels, cleaning products etc up several flights of stairs and then along landings. I don't mind hard work but it's the appalling attitudes of some of the management that I hated. The room assistants were all nice girls. You also have to serve breakfast in the rooms at start of day  before any housekeeping can begin. Very difficult to finish the rooms given, sometimes up to 10, in the time given.  Rooms have to be finished by 2. Nightmare place, avoid if possible.

Having worked in six different departments (both customer-facing and office roles), I got to work alongside some truly amazing people and was sad to leave (unfortunately, they just didn't offer the career that I was hoping to go into). It's a real family-feel business and it's difficult not to get to know all the wonderful people there as you are liaising with and working alongside different departments each day. 

In such a busy company, there's loads to do, so I found that my roles covered a broad scope of responsibility, which kept it interesting for me. Each department I have worked in has also offered me a close team of friends (including my seniors), who really made my experience so memorable.

A range of free meals are offered whilst on shift and if you live in Melton Mowbray/Asfordby, the free bus service for selected shifts means you can cut your travel costs significantly as well, which all makes a difference to your income. 

If you're looking for somewhere which offers a fun, family-feel and diverse working environment, I'd definitely consider Ragdale.

Most toxic place I have ever worked regarding  supervisors and management. They have no idea how to support their team. All they care about is profit and how many treatments they can cram in your day with no regards to their employees welfare. No consideration for personal circumstances for example being told you have to find someone to swap your shift to attend a family funeral.
No idea regarding mental health and how to support with it. Supervisors have no training in regards how to manage a team just how to use the computer systems. 
They have a development program  which is good being able to learn the different brands but if you need to leave it early be prepared to pay a couple of thousands to leave even if this is due to health reasons.
Got to the point I had to bring in union representative. 
Hardest - back to back treatments 
Most enjoyable - working with other therapists

I loved the actual job. The other staff members have become some of my closest friends, and what was amusing to me was that one of the main reasons we bonded was because of how we all thought the management was poor. The guests are rarely impolite or difficult but of course that can't always be guarranteed, the only issue was the poor management skills and their overall attitude. They had very little respect for their staff. Sometimes it felt like they were going out of their way to make it difficult for their staff. They also very rarely solved urgent issues and instead focused all of their funding into irrelevant matters.

Very thorough induction given at the start of employment and plenty of options for progression if that’s what you’re looking for. Beauty Therapists can sign the Advanced Training Diploma where they get in- house training with some of the best professional skin care brands and train in a wide range of amazing treatments. Great for building experience in the industry and the skills you learn at Ragdale can be taken anywhere with you. It is a fast paced environment as it’s a popular spa so you need to be willing and have a good work ethic. Everyone is so friendly, it really is like one big family and you make friends for life. Ragdale has enabled me to progress so much and I will always be grateful for that. 

Ragdale Hall is one of the biggest and best spas in Uk...so expect a fast peaced enviroment and a demand of very high standard of customer service.
The interview is almost a full day experience, with presentation of the spa, written test and trade test. They offer lunch in the staff cantine.
If you are lucky enough to pass the interview and be offered the position will be put on an intensiv training in all treatments and brands they work with and only after start having clients in the spa. You will have full support of your colleagues and supervisors in your first months. Your salary is made up your badic plus commision on product sales and every 3 months you will get tips.

I have gained so much experience here as a beauty therapist, with a typical day always being busy,  getting your schedule at the beginning of the day and then attending to all your appointments throughout the day via the schedule.
Its very fast paced as time between treatments can be as little as 5 minutes but this keeps you busy and active.
I have met some great people and gained skills through training and collegues. Also gaining product knowledge in ranges such as Clarins, Elemis and Decleor.

The only downside to this position is that i am along way away from my family and friends and this is why i have decided to look for a job still in the beauty industry but closer to home.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Beauty therapist 5 salaries reported	£12.65 per hour
Spa therapist 12 salaries reported	£21,294 per year
Line cook 1 salary reported	£30,156 per year
Sous chef 3 salaries reported	£31,406 per year
Commis 2 salaries reported	£25,776 per year

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