In return for your work, PGP provides free accommodation in a flat in central Edinburgh, basic food (cereal, bread, juice etc.) for breakfast each day, and an allowance for food and drink in our cafe or snack bar. We may also pay for you to attend training (such as Food Hygiene Certificate courses) before you come to Edinburgh. Shift times are varied during the week so that you will get a chance to get out to see the City and all that is going on during the Festival; unless we have a lot of staff absent or ill, you will also get a full day off each week. There are also arrangements by which PGP staff can get complimentary tickets to almost any of the shows in our venues.
Training is provided on the day after you arrive to work for PGP. We hope that this will provide you with all the information you need to start working for PGP. It is inevitable that an amount of on the job training will need to be provided.
Flats
PGP provides accommodation for all of its volunteers in a number of rented flats in central Edinburgh. We endeavour to ensure that all the flats we rent are close together; they are usually in the Marchmont area of the city, which is a pleasant walk of 15 minutes or so across the Meadows from the venues.
Most rooms are shared. We will do our best to accomodate couples in a double room, and to ensure that friends are placed together in the same room and/or flat though we cannot always guarantee this. On change-over nights (i.e. the nights when new staff arrive for the following weeks) it may also be necessary for some people to spend one night in a sleeping bag on a floor or sofa.
We provide all the bedding you will require (but not towels).
Food
There is a daily allowance for food and drink in our cafe, -- sufficient for at least one full meal and tea / coffee / fruit squash all day. Note that there are some "luxury" items which are not included in the allowance (crisps, chocolate, canned drinks, etc).
Essentials for the flats (eg toilet rolls) and some provisions for breakfast (cereal, juice, margarine etc.) are bought centrally and distributed to the flats at the start of each week. Other basics such as milk and bread are bought by the residents of the flat and these costs can be reimbursed by our office.
Tickets for Shows
We offer a "reciprocal ticket" scheme whereby anyone working in (or performing in) our venues can get a free standby ticket to any show performing at either venue. Tickets are released on a first come first served basis about 5 minutes before each performance starts, providing there are seats available. Staff are positively encouraged to participate in this scheme, to become more involved with, and support, the shows in the venues.
Travel
Volunteers are responsible for arranging and paying for their own travel to and from Edinburgh. The only exception to this is staff travelling to Edinburgh at the start of week 0, or leaving Edinburgh at the end of 4, for whom it may be possible to provide transport from/to the Yorkshire area.