Stewarding: Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions and the Application Process:

• Q1. Which festivals can I apply for?
• Please see the recruitment figures table on the front page for stewarding and campaigning opportunities. Please note - you cannot apply to steward and campaign at the same festival.
  
  
• Q2. Have you started recruiting stewards yet?
• Priority Applications will be open from 17th March 2008 for 2 weeks to anyone who has stewarded for us in 2005, 2006 or 2007, and also to regular supporters of Oxfam. After that, any remaining places will be made available to the public on 31st March 2008. These will stay open until we have filled all our festivals.
  
  
• Q3. What is a "regular supporter of Oxfam"?
• A regular supporter of Oxfam is: monthly donors, shop volunteers, campaigns or office volunteers, and events participants. Donating your clothes regularly to an Oxfam shop or buying your clothes from an Oxfam shop, whilst being most appreciated, does not count here.
  
  
• Q4. Have you started recruiting campaigners yet?
• No. We have decided to stagger the recruitment of campaigners and stewards. Campaigners will be emailed shortly with application instructions. We will be inviting applications from priority applicants from 7th April, and will offer any remaining places to the general public on 21st April.
  
  
• Q5. What is the difference between a steward and a campaigner?
• Oxfam is paid by festivals to provide volunteer stewards who are expected to perform a vital service. The role of stewarding forms an integral part of the festival safety system, and failure to work our shifts or fulfil our duties can seriously compromise the safety and welfare of both the festival public and other workers.
  
  Oxfam is also able to bring a number of voluntary campaigners to each festival who help co-ordinate and promote a variety of fun, interactive Oxfam initiatives, aimed at encouraging festival-goers to get involved with us. In the past campaigners may have asked festival-goers to sign petitions, upload photos to our festival gallery or simply visit our marquee and get involved with Oxfam.
  
  
• Q6. How do I apply to be a campaigner?
• We only have a limited number of places for campaigners and there is a selection criteria in order to help us match the skills required for the role. If you're proactive, upbeat, energetic, fun-loving and happy to go out into the crowd and talk to people about Oxfam then you'll enjoy the exciting plans we have for this year's festival campaigners. Priority places will be offered to previous campaigners from 7th April. Should we have any remaining places to fill, we will open these up from 21st April.
  
  As with the stewarding, we will be recruiting campaigners on-line this year. Please follow the instructions on the web page to access the application form.
  
  Aside from the additional box asking you to tell us why you would make a great campaigner, all the other elements of the stewarding application will apply to the campaigners application, i.e photos, paying a deposit, getting a refund, cancellation etc.
  
  
• Q7. Do Campaigners have to be on site for as long as stewards?
• No. Generally, we need campaigners to arrive on site in time for opening to the public, which is usually Thursday or Friday, til Sunday. Campaigners do not work 24 hours, but at the festivals where we staff a music marquee, the shifts may run up til 4am.
  
  Campaigners will be expected to work three 6 hour shifts (whereas stewards work three 8 hour shifts). The shifts are shorter because the work is so much more intense.
  
  
• Q8. When is the closing date for application forms?
• Applications for each festival will close as the festival fills, however, sometimes we need to re-open recruitment, so if you are interested in stewarding at a closed festival, please add your name to the Waiting List and also keep an eye on the website.
  
  
• Q9. How do I apply?
• This year you will only be able to apply for stewarding/campaigning on-line. If you don't have a computer, we recommend you go to your local library or internet café.
  
  
• Q10. What information will I need to apply to steward?
• Please make sure you are available for the full period of the festival. You will need to upload a photograph, know the names and dates of birth of any friends or family you want to work with, know how you are planning to travel to the festival, have your doctors details, have a referee's name and contact details (particularly email address) and have a credit or debit card available to pay your refundable deposit. You may also need to select a training session, so having your diary will be useful!
  
  If you are a priority applicant and wish to apply from the 17th March, then you will also need your Steward ID, which you can get from the steward's office, if you have been identified as a priority applicant.
  
  Once you have started the process, you can save a partially completed application for up to 30 days, as long as you use the same computer and same browser when continuing with your application. saving your application does not submitt it, and festivals may become full during the time you take to complete the form.
  
  
• Q11. How do I save & reload my application form if I come out of it?
• At the bottom of each of the web pages there is a save for later button, you can click this button wherever it appears during the application process. Then close your browser.
  
  Saving your form uses cookies, so you can only save one application form at a time. Do not save your form on shared or public computers, because if someone else tries to write a stewarding application on the same computer, they will get access to your information, and you will lose your form.
  
  To reload your partially completed application, you will need to go back to www.oxfam.org.uk/applications/festivals. Click on the steward or campaigner button, then move to the bottom of the page that appears and click on "load from before". Your saved application should reappear.
  
  
• Q12. What will happen to the information I give you?
• Once we receive your application, the information will be stored on our database. We will use the information to allocate you to festivals and roles, and to facilitate your attendance at the festivals. We will be sharing your names with the organisers of the festivals you are going to for passes purposes, and for them to monitor our stewards. For some festivals we will share your name and date of birth with the police to allow them to carry out PNC checks. You are asked to agree to this on your application form.
  
  If you have expressed an interest in finding out more about Oxfam, we will share your details with other departments within Oxfam. We will not share your personal information with anyone else.
  
  
• Q13. How do I upload a photo?

• Photos need to be 4.5 × 3.5 cm.

  To upload your photo, click on browse in Stage one of the application form, under the Please supply a photo. You will then need to find where the photo has been saved on the computer and click OK. Please note if the photo is too big, more than 4.5 cm (height) and 3.5 cm (width), the form will not accept it. You will need to resize or crop your photo, see below and then upload it.

  Cropping will remove part of the photo, i.e. other people in the photo, or your body, leaving only your head. Resizing will make the whole photo a different size.
  
  

  To resize your photo

  Open Word, click INSERT, click PICTURE, click FROM FILE, this gets your photo into the new Word document.
  Right click on the picture (boxes will appear around the edge of the photo). Choose FORMAT PICTURE, click SIZE tab.
  
  Select: Height as 4.5 cm and width as 3.5 cm. Ensure lock aspect ratio box is ticked (to stop it distorting).
  
  Then save this photo (under an new name) and you’ll be able to browse for it at the right point of the application form.
  
  

  For guidelines on how to crop your image click on a link below:

  
  
  • Crop your image using MS Word
  • Crop your image using Photoshop
  
  
• Q14.(a) How long will it be before I find out whether I have been accepted?
• If you enter your email address correctly, you will immediately receive a confirmation email to let you know we have received your application form, and your training details. You will then receive a second email to let you know that your payment has been processed. If your payment has been unsuccessful, you will need to re-apply in full, presenting a second credit or debit card.
  
  
• Q14.(b) 'I've not had any confirmation emails from you, but I thought my application had gone through OK'.
• Firstly check your Spam/Junk folder, as the email(s) may be there. You should then add these addresses to your contacts so that future emails will be accepted into your In box.
  
  If the email is not there, but you received a Confirmation page, which stated your WorldPay transaction number, then your application and payment will have been received. You can double check this by emailing stewards@oxfam.org.uk.
  
  If you didn't receive a Confirmation page with a WorldPay transaction number, then please call 0300 200 1266 to discuss.
• Q15. I haven't got my own email address so I always use my partner's, is that ok?
• We cannot accept two stewards using one email address, so if you share another steward's email, please set yourself up with a free yahoo or hotmail account for the purposes of this application, or ask a non-stewarding friend to let you use theirs. Otherwise we won't be able to give you the information you will need to know about your application, or about attending festivals you have applied for.
  
  
• Q16. How many festivals can I apply for?
• As many as you like, as long as they don't clash. There are three weekends where two festivals are running simultaneously.
  
  
• Q17. How does the waiting list work?
• If a festival fills up, you can ask to put yourself on the waiting list. Your details will be stored on a separate database, and if for any reason we get a high drop-out rate, or we are asked to provide more stewards, we will contact you directly. If you are really keen to work at a certain festival, keep the dates free, as we could call you anytime up to the week before.
  
  
• Q18. If I want to apply for more than one festival do I have to pay twice?
• You will not be asked for a second deposit as long as we have received your first deposit, this can take up to 3 working days. This one deposit will be held for each festival, and refunded after you have satisfactorily completed your last festival of the season.
  
  
• Q19. How old do you need to be to work as a steward / campaigner?
• You must be 18 when you arrive on the festival site, but you can attend training aged 17. There is no upper age limit!
  
  
• Q20. Who can apply to volunteer to be an Oxfam steward?
• You need to be an Oxfam supporter (volunteer, past steward, regular donor etc) or provide a reliable reference.
  
  You may be police checked for suitability.
  
  
• Q21. Who can apply to volunteer as an Oxfam campaigner?
• Ideally you will be an Oxfam supporter, an activist, or belong to an Oxfam group. We will encourage applications from face-to-face fundraisers, or anyone who has worked in the past on promotional activities or customer-faced marketing. We need up-beat, fun people who love to talk to strangers and are passionate about spreading the word about Oxfam's work.
  
  
• Q22. Why do you need to know my shift partner's date of birth?
• With so many stewards now on our database, we have quite a few with the same names. To make sure you are paired up with the right person, we need this additional piece of information.
  
  
• Q23. Who can be my referee?
• Similar to applying for a job, we don't want you to give your mum or your housemate. We would consider a college lecturer, employer, or someone who knows you in a formal capacity to be appropriate. Your referee will be emailed with a proforma to return to us stating their relationship to you, and whether they consider you to be suitable to act as an Oxfam steward. If we fail to get a satisfactory response, we will contact you.
  
  
• Q24. What does stewarding involve?
• You will be required to work 3 eight-hour shifts - usually one will be in the morning, one in the afternoon/evening and one overnight. You will NOT be doing any security work, crowd control, expulsions etc. You can read about the specific duties at each festival on the festival pages of this website, however our duties generally involve staffing gates, checking tickets & passes, monitoring the campsites and keeping an eye on overcrowding and safety in the arena.
  
  
• Q25. What does campaigning involve?
• In 2008, we will not be running a specific campaign, but will instead be focusing on engaging people in Oxfam's work and promoting Oxfam's image. You will be working in pairs or small teams going out into the crowds, or based in the campaigns marquee, talking to people and encouraging them to get involved or take an action that will contribute to a bigger festival picture.
  
  
• Q26. How many stewards do you need?
• This varies from festival to festival. For the latest numbers please click on the Dates tab on the stewards homepage.
  
  
• Q27. How many campaigners do you need?
• The above applies, but please be aware that we take a very small number of campaigners compared to the numbers of stewards we have at each festival, for e.g. at Glastonbury we need 70 campaigners. We will only be recruiting about 300 campaigners for the festival season.
  
  
• Q28. Do I need to wear a specific uniform?
• Stewards will be asked to wear a high-visibility Oxfam tabard, which we will supply. This needs to be over your clothes and any bags you are carrying so you are visible at all times.
  
  Campaigners will be asked to wear a specific Oxfam t-shirt. We will contact you once you have been accepted to find out your t-shirt size.
  
  
• Q29. I am a person with disabilities, can I still apply to steward?
• Please indicate what your disability is on your application form so that we can give you an appropriate job. There are a small number of roles at the festivals that do not require you to stand for long periods.
  
  We work in liaison with an organisation called “Attitude is Everything” who “improve disabled people's access to live music” at Glastonbury, Leeds and Reading festivals and they recruit stewards to work with us. For further information about them, please check out www.artsline.org.uk/attitude or contact stewards@oxfam.org.uk to discuss your needs.  If you have a medical problem which requires medication/specific treatment, please highlight this with us also, so we can ensure that the facilities you require are available on site.
  
  
• Q30. Is it true that if I'm colour blind I can't apply to steward?
• No. We need to know if you are colour-blind because we have had problems in the past with asking people who are colour blind to check tickets. If you do have colour blindness, please let us know, so we can allocate you to a role that does not require you to differentiate colour variations, or spot for forgeries.
  
  
• Q31. I am pregnant, can I still steward?
• You can steward, although we would request that you consult with your midwife closer to the time of the festival, and get them to sign to say they support your decision to attend the festival. There are considerably more health & safety issues related to pregnant workers, and regarding the facilities we as your temporary employer would need to provide. Therefore, if you are going to be more than 4 months pregnant at the festival, please call the stewards office 0117 9166483 so we can discuss your needs.
  
  
• Q32. I would like to bring my 13 year old and 3 year old children, is this possible?
• Please refer to the specific festival you wish to attend to see their child regulations, however our general policy on children is:
  • Each working adult can bring 2 children under the age of 13, as long as they can arrange for childcare whilst they are working their shift. We will require you to fill out a children’s form, which we will post to you once we have received your application form.
  • No children can accompany their parents on shift.
  • No child is to be left unsupervised in the Oxfam camping area.
  • If any steward’s child is found to be disruptive or disturbing other stewards you may be asked to camp elsewhere in the festival.
  • Any children brought onto site are the responsibility of their parents/guardians.
  • No child under the age of 18 can be involved in stewarding work.
  • Children may be required to wear specific wristbands/laminates to identify them as children of stewards.
  If you wish to bring your children, but need to work opposite shifts to your shift partner, we can arrange this, so please contact us at the stewarding office stewards@oxfam.org.uk
  
  In addition, each working adult may also bring up to 2 children between the ages of 13-18 if they have purchased a festival ticket, to camp in the stewards area. You will also need to indicate this on the children's form.
  
  
• Q33. Can I bring my dog/cat/budgie/ferret/pet rat etc?
• Most festivals are pet-free zones, so please do not bring animals on site. You will not be able to bring a pet into the car park for fear that they may be left in the car. The RSPCA are always on alert at festivals.
  
  
• Q34. How can I get in touch with other people who are stewarding at the same festival as me?
• Data protection states that we can’t put you in touch with other stewards, but there are opportunities to talk to other stewards, arrange lift shares and get handy tips on the stewards forum: http://www.oxfam-stewards.org.uk/forum.
  
  

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