Do you want to become a Theme Park/Fairground Worker? Here is some information to help point you in the right direction:
Job Description - 
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Working as a ride operator in theme parks, fairgrounds and visitor attractions involves operating and supervising rides. Tasks include helping people on and off the rides, making sure rides are not overloaded and that people are sitting safely, and collecting money or tokens.
An important part of the job is to make sure that customers enjoy their time at the park. Ride operators must always be aware of potential troublemakers. Safety is also an important part of the job, and experienced operators carry out daily safety checks on the rides, often before the theme park is open.
If they work with travelling fairs, workers also need to help to dismantle rides, loading them for transportation, and reassembling them at the next site.
Working hours can be long, and for some workers a 40-hour week is normal. Jobs in theme parks are often part time and can include weekend, evening and shift work. Most travelling fairs are only open in the evenings and at weekends.
The work usually involves being outdoors in all kinds of weather, and conditions can be noisy and crowded. Much of the time is spent standing or walking.
Salaries start at around £8,800, and can rise to £15,000 or more.
Theme park or fairground workers should:
There are about 140 theme, amusement and leisure parks in the UK, employing about 23,000 people. Many theme, amusement and leisure parks are located in the countryside or near seaside resorts. Students make up a relatively high proportion of the workforce. About 200 travelling fairs are held each week in the UK.
There are no set qualifications for operating rides or attractions at theme parks or fairgrounds, although to operate a ride the law says workers must be at least 18 years old. Apprenticeships, covering the engineering and maintenance side of theme park work, are available. There is no upper age limit for this kind of work.
Bigger parks offer structured training, covering areas such as health and safety, maintenance and customer care. There are NVQs/SVQs in the Operation of Mechanical Rides as well as customer care, catering or sales. Training at fairgrounds is usually carried out on the job by shadowing more experienced workers, and learning through experience.
There are opportunities to move up to supervisory posts, or to train for management positions. In fairgrounds, there are limited opportunities to move up to a supervisory role such as foreman, or to become self-employed and buy one's own ride.
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