HebCelt 2024 Work Experience Opportunities

UHI North West and Hebrides are a proud sponsor of the Hebridean Celtic Festival each year. Our role as a festival partner involves promoting the festival, supporting our music alumni, nurturing local culture, and creating opportunities for our students. This year we are offering a range of work experience opportunities and a Student Ambassador role.

This year we have several roles open to UHI North West and Hebrides students:

Technical & Prep

The Technical and Prep team covers probably one of the most physically demanding areas of the festival.

In the days leading up to the festival the Tech team helps to build all 3 stages as well as supporting the Sound and Lighting companies to set up all the required gear for the week. During the festival days, the team helps to load in and get out any band equipment as well as doing the changeover for the bands themselves.

Once the curtains come down on the music, the team helps to dismantle the entire setup again and load it all up, ready for the next year.

It would be great if you have good stamina and a sense of humour, the tasks can be demanding. Basic construction skills or live event knowledge are also an advantage, but not required.

This team is in action usually from the Monday before the Festival starts and the final de-rigging is done on the Monday after. We are always grateful for anyone who can sign up for these extra days, so if that’s you, please indicate that in your application.

Please note this team requires the ability to be able undertake physical activity.

Green Team

Your assistance will be required both during the day and evenings with a strong presence on hand when the festival is live to assist festival-goers with information and assistance to ensure correct disposal of waste as well as working with the bars, caterers. Please note that though this team is rotated during the festival, all volunteers will be required at the end of Saturday night for a final clear up. If you are available, some help would also be useful earlier in the week to ensure that disposal areas are properly labelled and in the correct place. Or if you can help during the clear up the following week you will earn our eternal gratitude!

We are happy to accept applications from those aged 16 and over for this team.

Please note this team requires the ability to be able undertake physical activity.

Ambassadors

Ambassadors assist with the stewarding operation led by the professional security employed by the festival. This is a very important area to ensure the smooth running of each event and to provide a friendly welcome to patrons. Volunteers are required Thursday evening and Friday / Saturday afternoons and evenings. If available, we would be really grateful if anyone would like to work a few more hours to ensure that additional areas of the festival programme are covered. This role requires you to stand for the full shift and therefore being on your feet for long periods of time. If anyone has particular experience of buddying and support worker type roles, please indicate this on your application.

Please note volunteers for this team should be 21 years or over.

Retailing

Assist with the selling of festival and band merchandising throughout the festival. It would be helpful if you have cash handling experience but good customer relation skills coupled with an outgoing personality are necessary. This role involves some heavy lifting and carrying, we ask applicants to be mindful of this when making their team choices. Some pre-festival preparation also required if available.

Token Sales

Assist with the selling of bar drinks tokens and drinks cups. You will also be able to provide information for festival goers. This is a busy team with queues at peak times. If you are able to maintain a positive attitude with customers, understand the importance of impeccable cash handling and cash counting coupled with a "can do" attitude, going the extra mile to help your colleagues and other team members - then we'd love to have you on this team!

Festival Site Box Office

You will be the first point of contact for festival patrons to collect festival arena booked tickets, and if available, for ticket sales. You should have good communication and organisational abilities, an ability to work under pressure, multi-tasking and prioritising where required. Above all be professional when dealing with enquiries and confident of operating relevant technology to support the position.

Driving

Assist with the pick-up and transportation of band personnel, collecting equipment for delivery to venues, transferring staff and others involved with the organisation of the event. One of the most popular teams with our long-standing volunteers so the most difficult to get into. Availability all day/night is required including early morning/late night ferry/airport runs, runs to rural events and indeed out with the festival. Good local area knowledge important.

Please note volunteers for this team should be over 25 years of age and have sound knowledge of local area, as well as a clean driving license.

Cashier

Assisting with the cashing up of all monies taken by the festival on the main site. Cash handling experience, with the use of financial software tools are useful together with ability to work in a team. This area can become quite busy, especially in the evening, so you should be able to cope with that kind of pressure.

Please note volunteers for this team should be 21 years or over.

Gaelic Team

You will be part of the team who provide festival goers with a flavour of the language and culture of the Hebrides. You will be a fluent Gaelic speaker and have a friendly outgoing nature with the ability to work as part of a team.

We are happy to accept applications from those aged 16 and over for this team.

If you are interested in a Team Leader role for the Gaelic Team, please let us know in the notes section of your application. Please note, Team Leader Role is open to applications from those aged 18 and over.

Artist Rep / Hospitality

This team requires a greater time commitment over the festival.

Artist Reps assist with ensuring the smooth running of the artist's schedules including liaising with artist management and our own staff team and the tech and transport teams. You will liaise with the retailing team to organise procurement / sale of band merchandise and signings in the Retail Tent.

Hospitality will ensure green rooms are stocked and prepared appropriately. Ideally you will have some kind of similar work experience, have the ability to react positively to pressurised situations and above all have a sunny disposition.  

Both roles require you to be self-motivated and have a friendly outgoing nature

How to apply

We would love to welcome you to our growing family of volunteers! If everything you have read so far sounds exciting and you are up for an experience of a different kind, then please fill in our Volunteer Application Form

We ask that you please make three team choices as that will make it easier to place you. We will look at your choices, consider your skills and interests, and place you accordingly.

Places on some teams fill up fast, so don’t delay in getting your application in.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

A volunteer is expected to commit a minimum of 12-15 hours of work with shifts alternating between daytime/evening throughout the festival to qualify for the full volunteer benefits. Some teams require a greater commitment so please ensure that you are aware of the demands of that particular area.

A volunteer will ordinarily be a person 18 years old and older at the time of the festival. Some team requirements do vary so please check these conditions.

Volunteers will NOT bring their children to their work shifts and please be aware that the festival does not have the facilities to care for your children when you are working. Pets are also not allowed on-site during the festival.

If you become unavailable to volunteer at all during the Festival weekend, please let us know immediately via volunteer@hebceltfest.com or your Team Leader if you have already been assigned to a team.

What’s in it for you?

There is nothing quite like seeing 5000 people enjoy a spectacle that you have helped create and bring to light. To know that you played your part to connect people in a way that only a music festival can, to entertain them, and create stories and memories for years to come. Experiencing the gratitude of everyone involved in HebCelt and the wider community that the event contributes to. That part is priceless!

For everything else, there is this:

• Free access to the festival arena events, so when you are off duty, you can enjoy the festival.
• Meals, snacks and refreshments during shifts.
• Volunteer gathering with snacks and drinks before the festival starts (usually the Tuesday evening).
• Volunteer celebration with food and drinks after the festival (on the Sunday).
• A volunteer t-shirt that you should wear during your shifts.
• 10% discount on most festival merchandise.
• Discount at Laxdale Holiday Park if you want to camp during the festival week.