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Job profile
The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click 'Apply online'
Job details
Job details
Job reference
WREQ000380
Date posted
22/10/2019
Application closing date
15/12/2019
Location
Blank
Salary
£10.17/hour
Package
Generous benefits package
Blank
Blank
Job category/type
Blank
Blank
Tour Guide
Job description
Each year more than 8,000 visitors come from within the UK and from abroad to see the College. Concentrating on the medieval heart of the school, guided tours last around an hour and include Chamber Court, which takes its name from the Scholars' and Fellows' chambers enclosing it, the 14th century Gothic Chapel, with one of the earliest examples of a wooden vaulted
roof, College Hall, the original Scholars' dining room, School, the 17th century redbrick schoolroom, and the medieval Cloisters.
The Tour Guides are managed by Winchester College Enterprises, based in dedicated offices in Kingsgate Street, Winchester. There is an annual meeting of Guides at the school each November; this includes a review of business for the year just ended, and provides an opportunity for all to exchange ideas and comments. In addition, an informal meeting is held in May. All Guides are invited to attend both meetings; members of the school's senior staff may also attend from time to time.
Role
Tour Guides should have strong verbal communication and interpersonal skills. They need to be able to learn and retain historical facts, dates and anecdotes, and to present that information to visitors in a lively, interesting and informative way. They should be able to adapt content for those of different age groups and interests. In addition to being a good storyteller, a Guide must be able to provide in-depth knowledge of the points of interest on the route. Our Guides act as ambassadors for the school; high standards of personal demeanour are expected. Bear in mind also that some visitors are knowledgeable or even experts in their field, and may ask detailed questions.
Applicants should have a passion for history and architecture, previous experience of working with visitors to places of interest, should enjoy meeting people, and be reliable, dependable and personable. Guides need to be self-reliant and able to work with limited supervision. Knowledge of a foreign language would be an advantage, as would a sound understanding of the history of Winchester as a city.
A sense of humour and a willingness to work as part of a team will also help.
Responsibilities
Tours are offered year-round except between Christmas and the New Year. There are both regular standby tours and group tours, which are pre-booked; Guides may be asked to conduct both the daily standby tours as well as those for groups. These may include visitors from local and foreign schools, historical societies, Women's Institutes, Rotary groups and the National Trust. In addition, Guides may occasionally be asked to provide a tour for visitors to the school who may be attending meetings here, or to those participating in an event managed by the Enterprises office.
Terms of Service
Start Date
Flexible
Hours of work
Tour Guides do not work to a fixed schedule but are offered work when it is available; the amount of work offered will vary seasonally. The College is under no obligation to provide work. Hours worked are recorded on a monthly timesheet; this should be submitted to the Enterprises office promptly after the end of each month.
Salary
The current rate of pay is GBP 10.17 per hour. Pay levels are reviewed in September annually; the next review for this post will be September 2020. Salaries are paid monthly to a nominated bank account that must be in the name of the post-holder.
Holidays
It is recognised that Tour Guides may be away at any time during the year; they are asked to give the Enterprises office as much notice as possible of planned absences of more than one week in order that the rota can be compiled and agreed in good time.
Probation Period and Notice Period
The first three months of employment, including the training time, will be a probationary period. During these three months the notice required by either party to terminate the employment will be one week, increasing to one calendar month on either side on satisfactory completion of the trial period.
Enhanced Disclosure and other Pre-employment Checks
Winchester College is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children at the school. Therefore, this appointment will be subject to a successful Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. This will provide details of convictions, reprimands, warnings, cautions and bind covers as per the DBS filtering guidance. A policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders, and the information about DBS filtering, is available upon request from the HR Department if required. The college may approach previous employers to seek relevant experience or qualifications, in addition to obtaining references provided by the candidate.
Data Protection
Winchester College collects and processes relevant personal data as part of its everyday operations and is obliged to process it in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018.
The school is the Data Controller of this data under the Act and is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office; its registration number is Z5751669.
Any queries about this policy or how personal data is processed by the school should be referred to the Data Protection Liaison Officer.
Job title
Tour Guide
Job reference
WREQ000380
Date posted
22/10/2019
Application closing date
15/12/2019
Location
Blank
Salary
£10.17/hour
Package
Generous benefits package
Blank
Blank
Job category/type
Blank
Blank
Job description
Each year more than 8,000 visitors come from within the UK and from abroad to see the College. Concentrating on the medieval heart of the school, guided tours last around an hour and include Chamber Court, which takes its name from the Scholars' and Fellows' chambers enclosing it, the 14th century Gothic Chapel, with one of the earliest examples of a wooden vaulted
roof, College Hall, the original Scholars' dining room, School, the 17th century redbrick schoolroom, and the medieval Cloisters.
The Tour Guides are managed by Winchester College Enterprises, based in dedicated offices in Kingsgate Street, Winchester. There is an annual meeting of Guides at the school each November; this includes a review of business for the year just ended, and provides an opportunity for all to exchange ideas and comments. In addition, an informal meeting is held in May. All Guides are invited to attend both meetings; members of the school's senior staff may also attend from time to time.
Role
Tour Guides should have strong verbal communication and interpersonal skills. They need to be able to learn and retain historical facts, dates and anecdotes, and to present that information to visitors in a lively, interesting and informative way. They should be able to adapt content for those of different age groups and interests. In addition to being a good storyteller, a Guide must be able to provide in-depth knowledge of the points of interest on the route. Our Guides act as ambassadors for the school; high standards of personal demeanour are expected. Bear in mind also that some visitors are knowledgeable or even experts in their field, and may ask detailed questions.
Applicants should have a passion for history and architecture, previous experience of working with visitors to places of interest, should enjoy meeting people, and be reliable, dependable and personable. Guides need to be self-reliant and able to work with limited supervision. Knowledge of a foreign language would be an advantage, as would a sound understanding of the history of Winchester as a city.
A sense of humour and a willingness to work as part of a team will also help.
Responsibilities
Tours are offered year-round except between Christmas and the New Year. There are both regular standby tours and group tours, which are pre-booked; Guides may be asked to conduct both the daily standby tours as well as those for groups. These may include visitors from local and foreign schools, historical societies, Women's Institutes, Rotary groups and the National Trust. In addition, Guides may occasionally be asked to provide a tour for visitors to the school who may be attending meetings here, or to those participating in an event managed by the Enterprises office.
Terms of Service
Start Date
Flexible
Hours of work
Tour Guides do not work to a fixed schedule but are offered work when it is available; the amount of work offered will vary seasonally. The College is under no obligation to provide work. Hours worked are recorded on a monthly timesheet; this should be submitted to the Enterprises office promptly after the end of each month.
Salary
The current rate of pay is GBP 10.17 per hour. Pay levels are reviewed in September annually; the next review for this post will be September 2020. Salaries are paid monthly to a nominated bank account that must be in the name of the post-holder.
Holidays
It is recognised that Tour Guides may be away at any time during the year; they are asked to give the Enterprises office as much notice as possible of planned absences of more than one week in order that the rota can be compiled and agreed in good time.
Probation Period and Notice Period
The first three months of employment, including the training time, will be a probationary period. During these three months the notice required by either party to terminate the employment will be one week, increasing to one calendar month on either side on satisfactory completion of the trial period.
Enhanced Disclosure and other Pre-employment Checks
Winchester College is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children at the school. Therefore, this appointment will be subject to a successful Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. This will provide details of convictions, reprimands, warnings, cautions and bind covers as per the DBS filtering guidance. A policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders, and the information about DBS filtering, is available upon request from the HR Department if required. The college may approach previous employers to seek relevant experience or qualifications, in addition to obtaining references provided by the candidate.
Data Protection
Winchester College collects and processes relevant personal data as part of its everyday operations and is obliged to process it in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018.
The school is the Data Controller of this data under the Act and is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office; its registration number is Z5751669.
Any queries about this policy or how personal data is processed by the school should be referred to the Data Protection Liaison Officer.