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. You can leave a message on our forum if you prefer - your question may have been asked and answered on our forum already!
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?
Why do I need to apply for a Criminal Records Bureau disclosure before I have been offered a job with PGL?
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?
Can I be an Activity Instructor at your centres in Southern France or Spain?
Can I bring my pet with me?
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's Level 2 Award in Introductory Work in the Outdoors and Apprenticeships in Active Leisure and Learning, Customer Service and Hospitality (in Catering, Drink Services or Front Office). Our Apprenticeships and Advanced Apprenticeships include NVQ Intermediate Level 2 and Advanced Level 3. 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 My PGL account stays with you throughout your time at PGL, giving you access to our free recruitment e-news service, access to our forums, chat forum, application forms and info on money-saving discounts. The information you have acess to changes depending on the stage your application is at.
If you would still prefer to have a paper form posted to you, together with a copy of our Careers 2011 printed brochure, please request a brochure.
We start accepting applications in early November 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 2011 operating season starts in early November. Staffing our centres with the right people, holding the correct qualifications, personalities, skills and experience is like a big jigsaw, so the earlier 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 0844 3710 123 (from overseas please call 00 44 1989 767833)
Any UK citizen wishing to work with children or other vulnerable members of society needs to receive an Enhanced 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 and vunerable adults.
After you have submitted your PGL online application you’ll receive a link via email to apply for a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) Enhanced Disclosure, Your application will only be processed once you have completed both a PGL application form and an online CRB application form.
When you are offered a position with us, you will receive your contract, job offer letter, a Ver-i-fy form, and information on how to get your ID verified.
PGL takes advantage 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 £5.11 and is offered at all Post Office branches. You can also return your contract and any other forms using the pre-paid addressed envelope provided. Details of ID documents needed are on the Veri-fy form.
Tips for completing the online CRB:
The address 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 us if you are unsure of anything.
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.
PGL operates a zero day policy for all staff employed to work at our residential activity centres. As the majority of our job roles require interaction with young and/or vulnerable guests, we want to ensure their safety. Therefore all staff wishing to work with PGL must complete the online CRB form as soon as a job application is made. We will not process your job application until you have completed an online CRB disclosure application.
Your CRB form will only be processed if you are successfully offered a job with PGL. PGL will pay for this.
You will not be allowed to begin working with us if the CRB have not at least started to process your enhanced disclosure application by your contract start date.
I can’t start work until the summer, is it still worth applying?
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.
Many people think that PGL is a summer camp-type operation and that we recruit a lot of staff for the summer months but this is not the case. Our biggest staffing intake is between January - mid-May because the majority of groups that visit our centres are school groups travelling within term time.
During the school summer holidays, we offer Family Active courses and Adventure Holidays for unaccompanied children so our staffing requirements don't increase - we simply change our product offering.
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.
Preference is given to applicants who are able to work a full season or can start working before mid-May. As an example, our application form will not physically let you apply for an instructing job starting in June, in November. You will need to apply closer to your availability date. Any vacancies that arise during the season will be communicated via the PGL Recruitment E-News so make sure you sign up to stay in touch.
Any vacancies that do arise during this period are likely to be within our catering, housekeeping or support teams; we will email those on our waiting list when a position becomes available. We do not have Activity Instructor/Group Leader vacancies available for this short period.
We regularly have a waiting list for people who are only available for the summer holidays and therefore it is highly unlikely that we will be able to offer you a job just for June, July and August. If you are only available for this time, we suggest that you seek alternative employment options.
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 February – 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 twenty 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. You will both need to write each other's names on the form so that we know you both feel the same way!
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. Additional photos can be viewed via your My PGL account once you have submitted your application form.
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.
Unlike our roles in the UK, all of our instructors working at our locations in Southern France and Spain require activity qualifications, especially UKCC/BCU or RYA awards. This is because the majority of our centres in these regions focus on watersports.
The minor exception to this is our Action Stations franchise at our sister company's Eurocamp/Keycamp sites. The instructors chosen to work at these prestigious locations are usually experienced activity staff who have previously been employed by PGL in the UK.
Unfortunately not. You will be sharing accommodation and it's not fair on your room-mate to bring a pet along.