Job Title: Grotto Staff
Department: Grotto
Reports To: Grotto Supervisor
Responsible For: n/a
Rate of Pay: £13.85/hr (plus holiday pay)
Dates of Work: 24th November – 24th December 2025
Available Contracts: Various minimum hour contracts available (20-40hrs per week)
Role
To bring festive magic to life as an elf character in Father Christmas’s Grotto. You will welcome groups of families, check tickets, seat guests, hand out gifts, facilitate magical interactions, and ensure a safe and charming experience for all visitors.
Guest Welcome & Experience
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Greet families in character as an elf, with warmth, energy, and festive cheer.
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Check admission tickets promptly and guide families into the grotto setting.
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Help facilitate the family’s experience: introducing the story, encouraging participation, and guiding the photo opportunity.
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Hand out small festive gifts to children, maintaining the enchantment of the moment.
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Ensure a smooth and memorable experience throughout the 30-minute session.
Operational Support
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Coordinate group flow—ensure one session ends before letting the next in.
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Take direction from the Grotto Supervisor on timing, ticketing, and transitions.
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Maintain tidiness of the grotto space, including gift areas, seating, and staging.
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Assist with any set-up or preparation tasks as required (e.g., props, decorations, gift replenishment).
Health & Safety
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Supervise activity within the grotto to ensure a secure environment for families.
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Be vigilant for any hazards (e.g., tripping hazards, overcrowding) and act immediately to mitigate risks.
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Understand and apply emergency procedures, including evacuation protocols.
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Report and log any incident or near-miss and notify supervisory staff accordingly.
Themed Character Engagement
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Stay in character and enhance the magical ambiance—remain playful, whimsical, and engaging throughout each session.
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Adapt interactions to suit all age groups, ensuring inclusivity and joy.
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Assist Father Christmas smoothly transitioning between storytelling, gift-giving, and photo moments.
Person Specification
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Enthusiastic, outgoing, and theatrical disposition—aptitude for immersive performance.
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Excellent people-skills with experience in family or customer-facing roles.
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Strong communication and interpersonal ability.
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Reliable and punctual, comfortable working evenings and weekends through December.
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Good understanding of basic health & safety obligations in public-facing settings.
Staff Benefits
- Free entry to shows at Underbelly venues (subject to availability)
- 25% discount at Underbelly bars
Equal Opportunities
Underbelly is committed to reducing its environmental impacts in its everyday operations. We are also committed to maintaining the open-access policy of Underbelly. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all sectors of the community.
It is the policy of Underbelly to ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, or is disadvantaged by conditions or requirements that cannot be shown to be justifiable.
We expect employees to support these commitments and to assist in their realisation.