Frequently Asked Questions
We have compiled a list of the most-asked questions we receive here in the PGL Recruitment Team to help you find out more.
We hope you find the answer to your queries here, but if not, please use the 'Contact Us' page to email us a question and we will get back to you. Please do read the information below first.
Do I need any qualifications to work for PGL?
What qualifications can I get at PGL?
How do I apply?
When can I apply for a job?
Do you have a closing date for applications?
Is there anyone I can talk to about my application?
What is the Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure Form for?
I can’t start work until the summer, is it still worth applying?
How long can I work for?
Can I do a work placement at PGL?
Do I have to be British to work for PGL?
Can you get me a work permit/visa, or offer me a job so I can apply for a visa?
My friend and I would like to work at PGL, will we be based at the same location?
If I join PGL in a residential role, where will I live?
How will I get to my centre?
Do I have to fill in my own application form or can my parent do it on my behalf?
Not always. Energy and enthusiasm are the most important qualities that we are looking for. Providing you have previous experience in the area where you want to work, we can put you through training courses to gain the necessary qualifications.
For some Instructor postions you will need to hold certain qualifications (see the 'Skills' tab on the relevant job page for details) however we would still like to hear from you if you have lots of experience but do not have the required qualifications as we operate a variety of training courses.
As we work with all the major National Governing Bodies, you can gain activity qualifications at all levels through our on-going coaching programmes: canoeing/kayaking, sailing, windsurfing, rafting, fencing, surfing, archery, rifle shooting, orienteering, life saving, hill walking and climbing.
We also offer a range of vocational qualifications, including the Open College Network Introductory Programme for Activity Centre Staff and Apprenticeships in Active Leisure and Learning, Customer Service and Hospitality (Catering) (including NVQ Level 2 and 3) at Apprenticeship and Advanced Apprenticeship Level. We also offer NVQ Level 4 in Management, usually to our centre managers or head office team.
In addition to nationally recognised qualifications we run a range of in-house personal and professional development courses throughout the year.
The quickest and easiest way to aply to PGL is using our online application form, available on the website. To apply, simply register for an online PGL account. Click on the 'Apply Now!' link which appears throughout the website. Here you can create your own online 'My PGL' account and complete and submit your application form online.
Your PGL account will stay with you throughout your time at PGL, and will give you access to our new PGL staff Alumni website, which we are currently developing. Your PGL account gives you access to our free recruitment e-news service, access to our forums, chat boards and application forms.
If you would still prefer to have a paper form posted to you, together with a copy of our Work and Training Opportunities Brochure, please go to the Request a Brochure link on the website.
We start accepting applications in October for the following year.
Vacancies fill quickly, so if you are interested in applying to work at PGL it is best to get your application in early even if you are not able to start for several months. However, applications for summer employment should not be submitted until after May. Priority will be given to applicants who can start in Jan-May, so if you are not able to start work until later in the year, your application will be placed on hold until closer to your availability date.
No. Recruiting for the 2009 operating season starts as early as October 2008. Staffing our centres with the right people, holding the correct qualifications, personalities, skills and experience is like a big jigsaw, so the eralier we receive your application, the more chance you have of being offered your preferred job and location.
Is there anyone I can talk to about my application?
Yes. The recruitment office is open 8.30am – 5.30pm Monday to Friday. You can contact the PGL Recruitment Team by phone, fax or email. Outside of office hours you can leave a message on the answerphone and we will call you back. All of our Recruitment Officers have worked at PGL centres in senior roles, so will be able to answer any questions you may have, not just about work, but about the locations and what it's like to be part of PGL.
Email: recruitment@pgl.co.uk
Phone ++44 (0)870 401 4411
Fax ++44 (0)870 401 4444
Any UK citizen wishing to work with children or other vulnerable members of society needs to receive a ‘Disclosure’ from the Criminal Records Bureau. The Disclosure is an impartial and confidential document that details an individual’s criminal record, and where appropriate, details of those who are banned from working with children.
The Disclosure application form will be sent out with your contract and must be completed before you can start work. PGL is now making use of the “Veri-fy” service offered by the Post Office which allows applicants to have their identity confirmed without the need to send original documents to Head Office. This service costs £5 and is offered at all Post Office branches. You can also return your contract and any other forms with your CRB form using the pre-paid addressed envelope provided. Details of ID documents needed are on the Veri-fy form.
Tips for filling in the CRB form:
You must use black ink and write in capital letters. Do not use tippex. If you make a mistake just put a line through it and write the correction close by.
The address on the front page that you list as your current address must be on one of your identity documents. You must list all your addresses for the last 5 years in date order with no gaps or overlaps. If you have spent any of that time travelling please provide dates and countries. If you were travelling in the UK please provide cities or counties.
If you have resided in another country during this time you will need to obtain a police check from that country.
Please contact recruitment if you are unsure of anything.
Please note that you no longer need to complete sections E and F.
Overseas Applicants
If you are applying from overseas, you must send a Certificate of Good Conduct which you can obtain from your local police office, with your application. If you are applying on-line, please also send a copy of the certificate either in the post, via fax or a scanned email attachment.
The earlier in the year that you are available the better; the longer that you can work for, the more chance you have of being offered employment with us.
Any summer-only jobs tend to be offered to returning staff who have already completed their training as we do not take on a large number of additional staff for just the summer months.
We regularly have a waiting list for people who are only available for the summer holidays and therefore it is unlikely that we will be able to offer you a job just for June, July and August.
How long can I work for?
The PGL season lasts from mid-January until November with some centres operational for shorter periods within this. If you are available throughout this length of time, we can offer you work at more than one of our centres. You can apply to work for the whole season, as little as twelve weeks or any length of time in between. Please note we have very few positions available for just the summer months, i.e. June, July, August. Our busiest times are from January – May, so priority will be given to applicants able to start work during these months.
We have great opportunities for people looking for a college placement for a minimum of twelve weeks and each year over 100 people come to PGL for this reason. We can offer college placements for students of water and/or land-based outdoor activities, catering and French.
Unfortunately we are unable to facilitate short-term school work experience placements (i.e. one or two weeks or one day a week).
To apply to join us for your college work placement, simply apply as normal. You must be at least 18 years of age at the start of your contract and be available to stay for at least twelve weeks. Your placement period can last as long as necessary, although we take on very few people to work just over the summer months, so the earlier you are available, the better chance you have of being successful. Most placement students come to PGL from April - September. You'll receive the same staff package as the rest of the team: meals, accommodation, a competitive wage, qualification bonuses if applicable, access to a wealth of potential training opportunities, transport to resort from a UK port if working overseas, and much more.
If your college tutor needs to visit you during your placement, you can arrange this with your manager once you're on centre. Unfortunately we are unable to offer placements to anyone under 18, or for periods shorter than twelve weeks.
Many PGL staff, including some of our managers and head office team began working for the company on a work placement, returned after finishing college and have made their career in the outdoors industry with us.
No. We welcome applications from overseas residents and believe that cultural diversity amongst our staff team is invaluable. You MUST hold the relevant work permit or visa before applying to us and send a photocopy to us along with your application to prove your eligibility. If you apply online, you can scan and fax or email a copy to us, but you will need to bring the original documents with you when you arrive to start work, should you be offered a contract.
To work at PGL you must be legally entitled to work in the UK. If you are applying from overseas, you must send proof of your right to work in the UK with your application form.
We are unable to apply for a work permit/visa on behalf of an applicant and are unable to offer you a job if you do not have the correct work permit.
On your application form there is a space for you to say if you are applying with a friend. If you write their name on your form we will do our best to make sure you are both placed at the same centre.
All our staff accommodation is at the centre. The majority is shared, with communal social areas, separate showers and toilets. Depending on the time of year that you arrive, your accommodation may be indoors, such as shared house, wooden cabin or chalet, or could be a single or shared large frame tent.
In Northern France all accommodation is indoors in shared rooms and in southern France, all staff share large frame tents.
Further information about each centre's staff accommodation can be found on the relevant centre info page.
If you are working in the UK, you will need to make your own way to your centre or training venue: whichever you need to go to first. If you are travelling by public transport, you will need to get yourself to the closest coach, bus or train station to the centre and we will send someone to collect you. We will transport you from your training venue to centre of work in the UK, France or Spain. More information on centre locations, directions and public transport will be sent with your contract offer.
We need each individual to complete their own application form and submit it. If you are successfully offered a position with PGL, you need to sign the contract yourself; a parent or friend cannot do this on your behalf.
We are also unable to give out certain information over the phone or via email unless it's to the individual concerned. Only the individual named on the contract can request that any amends be made to their contract start and finish dates.