https://santasvillagedundee.com/

Santa's Village

Ride Operator

June - August 2019 • Jefferson, NH

What I liked

I had the opportunity to operate 16 different rides in the park, and get certified on all of them. It was an amazing experience and everyone there was really nice. I want to work as a theme park engineer after graduation, so being able to view the park from an operator's perspective really changed things.

What I wish was different

I wish that I didn't wear my white sneakers! They got wrecked after about two weeks due to the bug spray I hit them with. Luckily for me they were the only casualty in the fight against the mosquitos. I also wish that I didn't wear my pants when I was operating the raft ride. They were nearly soaked after twenty minutes of moving the rafts to the belt. Can't complain too much though, since it rained shortly after my shift started that day so I only had to deal with it for an hour.

Advice

If you're a theme park enthusiast like me, learn everything that you can about the ride(s) that you're working on. Pay attention to everything, from the safety bars to the failsafes to the controls system. There's a lot of cool rides there, and a lot of the rides have an interesting history. Pay attention to name tags. Kids get very excited if you tell them that you know that they're on the nice list. (You're one of Santa's elves, so you are definitely privy to that information.) You can also inform adults that they're on the nice list, but kids tend to be more excited about that information. Also learn how to give a little personal touch to the safety speeches. It makes doing them a bit more fun. I still have all of them memorised and I haven't had to recite them for four months. Make sure that you get all of the important information across, but have fun. Go into the park at least once and view it from a guest's perspective. It's really interesting being able to see what it's like to know everything about a ride you're about to go on.
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Gift Coordinator

April 2014 • Jefferson, NH

What I liked

The work environment is friendly and open, its like my second family.

What I wish was different

I wish it was closer to school so I could work more during the school year instead of having to drive 2.5 hours. I also wish it was more diverse but northern NH does have a lot of diversity, so its hard to get that incorporated, employee wise.

Advice

Be open to talking to people, it can be hard but that's how you can advance in a job, networking is a huge deal.
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Rides Operator

May - July 2018 • East Dundee, IL

What I liked

The staff is very friendly and work around your schedule.

What I wish was different

Schedules often took a while to come out and it made it difficult to plan things around work.

Advice

Go in with an open mind and willingness to try new things and you'll have a great time.
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