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JOB DESCRIPTIONS, PAY RATES AND SHIFTS

These are the basic descriptions of the positions we have available. They'll give you an idea of what's involved in each job and what their pay rate and shift times are.

Pay rates and shift times are described next. If you're already familiar with those things, or would like to find out about the jobs first, you can skip directly to the job descriptions index.

PAY RATES

The basic pay rates are the same for almost all positions:

      $6.00/hour first shift;

      $6.50/hour second shift;

      $7.00/hour third.

There are exceptions: Event Staff is $7.00 first, $8.00 second, $9.00 third shift; Parking is $7.00 first and $8.00 second; and Sanitation pay rates are $7.00 per hour first and second shift.

Festival employees also receive event t-shirts, concerts wristband, and those who live 50 miles or more from Detroit Lakes, Minnesota can camp for free.

Employee camping: There are three main things to be aware of when it comes to employee camping:

    1) You have to live 50 miles or more from Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, in order to receive an employee camping pass.

    2) There are designated employee camping areas within the campgrounds where we have employee camping. Everyone who receives an employee camping pass needs to camp in those areas.

    If you're hired and have friends coming to the festival, but not working, that have campground vehicle and camping permits, they can use those permits to stay with you in those employee camping areas, but you can not use your employee vehicle permit and camping pass to stay with them in their campground. If they have a campground vehicle permit (for any campground), you are welcome to purchase a camping permit for that campground and stay with them, but you can't "trade your employee passes" for other campground passes.

    3) Anyone hired to work as part of the Camping Staff or as a Camping Cashier will camp or park (if not camping) in the campground in which they're assigned to work.

Those things are important to be aware of when it comes to making plans with friends you may want to camp with during the festival. It's also to important to be aware that Camping Staff and Camping Cashiers begin working at least one day before everyone working in "Concert Area" positions (see below).

SHIFT TIMES

All the positions we have fit into two broad categories: Camping and Concert Area. Camping consists of Camping Staff and Camping Cashiers. All other positions are in or near the Concert Area.

Soo Pass Ranch

Most Camping Staff and Camping Cashiers begin working at least one day before Concert Area Staff (campgrounds open at least one day before the festival begins and the concert area opens). That will vary depending on which shift a person's working, but it's a good rule of thumb to go by when making plans: Anyone hired in a camping-related position needs to plan to be at Soo Pass Ranch at least one day earlier than people working in the concert area.

There are three, eight-hour Camping Staff shifts. These times are approximate. The actual shift times are set by Camping supervisors and managers:

      1 = 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

      2 = 3:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

      3 = 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.

Camping Cashiers work in two 12-hour shifts. These times are also approximate. The actual shift times are set by Camping Cashier and Ticket Office supervisors:

      1 = 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

      2 = 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.

In almost all cases there are two Concert Area shifts:

      1 = 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

      2 = 6:00 p.m. to closing (usually around 1:00 a.m.).

Exact starting times for some jobs will vary depending on how the area managers need to do things, but that's the basic rule-of-thumb.

In general, most Camping Staff people put in three or four shifts. Camping Cashiers tend to work two or three shifts (campgrounds are 90% filled by the end of the second day).

Most Concert Area Staff work three shifts.

If hired you'll receive information specific to your particular job's shift times, but this should give you enough of an idea about which "shift preference" box to check on the application.

Again: These (brief) job descriptions, pay rates and shift explanations are only intended to provide a basic idea to make it easier to make your first, second and third choice of jobs on the application. If you apply, and we call to interview you, we can give you more of the details for whatever job(s) you're interested in.

POSITIONS WE DON'T FILL

We don't do the hiring (or refer people) for emergency medical services (EMS), security, backstage production, bartending, or any food services positions. Those areas are all taken care of via "contracted services": People/organizations that specialize in those areas who hire their own people. And we don't provide contact information for those service providers or refer individuals to them unless those providers request it.

With the exception of a few Event Staff positions, we have no "pre-fest" jobs so don't hire anyone to work before the festival.

IT DOESN'T HAPPEN OFTEN, BUT...

Everyone hired to work at any festival should be aware that it's sometimes necessary to move people from one position to another, regardless of what position they were hired to work in. Most times it's temporary (to help cover overloads happening in one area or another), but sometimes it's permanent (if, at festival time, we're overstaffed in one area, understaffed in another). It doesn't happen often, but it does happen, and we want everyone to know that and be prepared to go wherever people are needed to do whatever needs to be done, should it be necessary.

JOB DESCRIPTIONS INDEX

Scroll through the descriptions below or click a specific job.

Beer

Camping

Cleanup

Event Staff

Gates

Parking


Sanitation

Tickets

Ushers

Pay and Shifts

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Beer
BEER POURERS & KEG HAULERS

Beer Pourers serve beer in concert area booths, alternating between pouring it and serving it to customers at the booth windows, and helping out with other beer booth jobs.

Keg Haulers handle kegs in semi-truck trailers behind the beer booths, unhook tapper hoses from empty kegs and hook them up to full ones. Lifting involved.

Important 10,000 Lakes Festival note: Because of the way in which beer sales are done at the 10KLF, there are a more limited number of Beer Pouring and Keg Hauling positions available. If you make either of those positions your first choice on your application, be mindful of that and be sure to give careful consideration to your second and third choices.

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CAMPING

Camping Staff: Front: Work at the campground entrance, check in people, exchange tickets for wristbands, and assist campers, answer questions, give directions, etc., after campground is settled.

Camping Staff: Back: Spot campers at campsites, circulate through the campground assisting campers and helping maintain campground's infrastructure (check water tanks and toilets, communicate any problems, etc.).

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Camping

Cleanup
CLEANUP (limited WE Fest Cleanup positions available)

Help keep the concert and adjacent areas clean.

Day cleanup (10KLF only - shift 1) begins on the first day of the festival that bands are playing on the main stage. The hours are from approximately noon or 1:00 p.m. until about about an hour before sundown (7:00 or 8:00 p.m.).

Evening cleanup (10KLF only - shift 2) is set up and run in a way that makes it possible for everyone to: A) get the work done; AND B) be able to take in a lot of the music. What that means is too much to explain here, but it works well (for everyone). Approximate hours are 7:00 p.m. to midnight.

Campground cleanup. We have small crews that work in the campgrounds to help campers keep things clean and get their trash and recyling where it needs to go. The shift times work a little differently than most other jobs, but, in general, the work is done at various times between 8:00 or 9:00 a.m. and approximately 7:00 or 8:00 p.m.

Night cleanup (10KLF only - shift 3) begins the night before the bands start playing on the main stage (the night of the "pre-fest" party), and consists of three nights of cleaning up (there's no night cleanup the last night of the festival). Even though there is still another band playing on the "field stage" in the bowl, the work begins right after the main stage shows end (about midnight), and continues until the work is done (usually three to four hours).

After-fest cleanup consists of cleaning the concert and adjacent areas, as well as the campgrounds, and requires a three-day commitment.

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EVENT STAFF

The fancy term we use to describe this job is "pedestrian traffic flow managment." What that means is helping to keep the thousands who come to the festival safe and moving in the right direction as they make their way around the festival grounds. Event Staff people are stationed at walkway intersections, or service road entrances and crosswalks, watching out for and guiding people along their way.

You should be aware that this job calls for spending a fair amount of time in the sun and, if you decide to apply for the position and are hired, plan accordingly (bring along some sun screen, a hat and a decent refillable water bottle).

That's the potentially disturbing news. The better news is, in may cases, you will find yourself "in the middle of things," and the pay rates on these positions are $1.00 per-hour higher than most others: $7.00/hour first shift; $8.00 second shift; $9.00 third shift.

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Event Staff

Gates
Gates

Greeter: Welcome, direct, assist people, help ensure food and beverage containers are empty prior to entering concert area.

Checker: Check wristbands, help ensure food & beverage containers are empty.

Exit Gate: Watch exit gates, assist exiting concert goers, help Greeters & Checkers occasionally.

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PARKING

Park vehicles, direct vehicle and pedestrian traffic and help keep things flowing, tend gates, maintain fire lanes and exit paths, assist concert goers. Like Event Staff, Parking can be a hot and dusty job, but it too pays better than most others: $7.00 per hour first shift, $8.00/hour second shift.

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Parking

Sanitation
SANITATION

Keep bathrooms clean and swept, keep paper supplies well stocked, help ensure fixtures keep operating properly. Higher than average pay rate starting at $7.00 per hour first and second shifts.

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TICKET SELLING

Prior experience with handling money (balancing cash drawers, etc.) a big plus in all Ticket Sales positions.

Admissions: Sell concert wristbands and food and beverage tickets at ticket booth.

Food & Beverage: Sell food and beverage tickets from booths at locations in and around the concert area.

Pre-fest: Sell wristbands outside of ticket booths prior to concerts.

Camping Cashiers: Sell or exchange camping and concert tickets for camping/concert wristbands, sell food and beverage tickets at campground entrance booth. 12-hour shifts (1 & 2).

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Tickets

Ushers
USHERS

Box Seat Usher (WE Fest only): Directing people to their box seats, maintaining the area in front of the stage.

Reserved Lawn Seating Usher: Directing people to their seats, maintaining the lawn seating area.

Note: When it comes to making your "top three job choices" on the application and getting the position you want, be aware that Box and Reserved Lawn Seat Ushering jobs are among the "most popular" positions and they can difficult to get if you've never worked with us before (and even if you have worked with us before). Most of those positions are filled every year by people who've worked them in the past. The are SOME openings every year, but it's something to bear in mind when making those job choices on your app.

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