The benefits of volunteering with us

Benefits

In addition to what we hope is a unique opportunity and a memorable experience, we offer our volunteer team members the following:

Training and skills

We aim to provide useful and helpful skills training, focussed on the arts but applicable to a wide range of situations. We offer customer service training to all, and we try and ensure that everyone has the skills to sell a ticket if needed, so we can help our shows do as well as possible. We offer a technical theatre training programme before the start of the fit-up, which is open to front of house and general team members as well as those in technical roles. We will try and facilitate specialist training for those interested, such as in technical theatre, stage management, lighting, sound and video, and on software used in box office, press and marketing.

Mentoring and networking

Access to opportunities, mentoring, information sessions and networking events, advice and guidance to help you develop your arts industry knowledge and career.

Pass, tickets, and discounts

Our C team pass gives access to free standby comp tickets (if seats are available just before the performance starts) for shows at C venues for you. It also provides access to free standby comp tickets for you at other venues that we have a reciprocal arrangement with. For shows at C venues, you can bring along a guest too. The pass also provides access to discounts at our venue cafés and bars, and at various cafés, restaurants, sandwich shops, takeaways, shops and other establishments around the city.

Alumni programme

An alumni programme including a social network group where former team members post job and other opportunities, and post-festival get-togethers. Former members of our team have gone on to work with many theatres, venues, festivals and producing organisations across the UK and around the world. We are happy to provide references and to give informal career advice to current and former team members. Many of our team return from year to year, and while we recognise that not everyone can keep coming back year on year, we are always pleased to welcome team members back to Edinburgh, whether as team members or as visiting alumni, and to facilitate additional skills training and/or a more responsible role for those returning as team members, and a warm welcome back for alumni, however brief their visit. We also offer support to alumni wishing to bring their own shows or creative work to C venues.

Support network

A peer and managerial support network is available to all volunteers throughout and after the Festival.

Parties and get-togethers

Regular parties and get-togethers for team members and companies, so that you can have fun, relax and get to know other members of the C family.

Branded clothing

We will provide team members with C venues t-shirts to wear during and after the Festival. You can also order custom branded items at cost.

Accommodation

We offer accommodation in Edinburgh to full-time festival volunteers. Flats are generally within 30 minutes walk of the venue and many are spacious traditional Edinburgh flats. Flats are shared with other team members, and sometimes with companies and artists performing at the venues or other C guests. Rooms are generally shared, and you will be offered a bed (permanent bed or folding bed) or mattress to sleep on. A typical larger bedroom might be for two or three people, with one permanent bed and one or more folding beds or mattresses. Bedding is provided. Each flat has a kitchen with cooking facilities, and a communal area, which may be the kitchen or another room, and a washing machine for your clothes. We provide basics such as washing powder, washing up liquid, toilet rolls and cleaning supplies for the flats. We will do our best to accommodate reasonable requests and access requirements.

Food

We provide basic foodstuffs at the flats, including bread, breakfast cereal, milk, juice, tea, coffee, cooking staples such as tinned tomatoes and beans, pasta, rice, cous cous and cooking oil. We provide other items such as fresh fruit and vegetables on request. We also provide some snack food for volunteers at venues, including healthy snacks, and water, juice, tea and coffee. We will do our best to accommodate food preferences and allergies/intolerances on request.

Subsistence

We provide volunteers with a small contribution to subsistence expenses. We would like to be able to offer more, but simply don’t have the budget.