Admissions Assistant

Chester Zoo; Chester; On-site; GBP 17,000 - 19,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Staff pass

Complimentary tickets for friends and

Complimentary tickets for friends and

Job summary

Chester Zoo is seeking an Admissions Assistant to be the first point of contact for visitors at admissions lanes and ticket sales windows, including email and phone enquiries. You will assist with selling and delivering commercial products and services, with evening shifts for Lanterns & Light events and light cleaning duties.

This temporary role supports weekends, bank holidays and evenings during busy periods, offering a varied and dynamic work environment at the UK's largest zoo.

Qualifications

• Passionate and engaging; deliver exceptional customer service face to face, over the phone and via email.
• Strong communication skills; both verbal and written.
• Organised with strong IT skills and a good working knowledge of Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Experience of EPOS systems and cash handling.
• Confident, flexible and approachable with a proactive, can-do attitude.
• Comfortable standing for long periods in an outdoor environment.
• Flexibility; weekends, mid-week, bank holidays and evenings until 10pm during events.

Responsibilities

• Welcoming visitors at admissions lanes and ticket sales windows or via email enquiries/phone calls.
• Involved in sale and delivery of commercial products and services.
• Evening work for Lanterns & Light event; some cleaning duties.

Skills

Customer service

Verbal communication

Written communication

Organization

IT skills (Word, Excel, Outlook)

EPOS systems

Cash handling

Flexibility and can-do attitude

Stamina for standing

Event hours availability

Tools

EPOS systems

Job description

Our working environment could not be more different from your usual setting - where else could you stroll among rare giraffes and tigers on your lunch break?

What makes Chester Zoo a great place to work?

As the UK's biggest and best zoo, we have ambitious goals, exciting plans and there's always lots going on here. We're an inclusive and diverse organisation, made up of over 600 permanent and 500 temporary team members.

Each year we have plenty of exciting temporary opportunities within our Admissions, Retail, Operations and Food and Beverage teams, undertaking a variety of tasks such as picking stock in our warehouse, stewarding the car parks, working in our gift shops, welcoming guests, or serving food and drinks to our 2 million visitors. No two days will be the same!

The Role

An Admissions Assistant is often the first person our visitors come into contact with at Chester Zoo; whether that be on the day at our Admission Lanes and Ticket Sales windows or via email enquiries and phone calls before a visit. Our Admissions Assistants are also involved in the sale and delivery of commercial products and services. This role includes evening work for our Lanterns & Light event as well as some cleaning duties.

The Package

• Temporary contract starting 1st November 2026 until 31st December 2026.
• Rate of pay of £12.71 per hour regardless of age.
• Working on a rota basis with a minimum of 8 hours per week up to a maximum of 40 hours per week. Hours will vary and can be significantly more during busy periods. This includes weekends, bank holidays and evenings.
• Annual leave which accrues based on hours of work.
• Staff pass so you can visit the zoo during your time off, plus complimentary tickets for your friends and family.

Our Requirements

• Passionate and engaging; able to deliver exceptional customer service face to face, over the phone and via email.
• Strong communication skills; both verbal and written.
• Organised, with strong IT skills and a good working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Experience of EPOS systems and cash handling.
• Confident, flexible and approachable with a proactive, "can do" attitude.
• Comfortable standing for long periods on your feet in a static outdoor environment.
• Flexibility in these roles is key as the working pattern will include weekends, mid-week, bank holidays and evenings until 10pm during events to cover all needs of the business.

More About Us

We're not just an amazing, award-winning visitor attraction that's home to 30,000 incredible animals inside 128 acres of stunning gardens. We're not just the UK's most popular zoo. We're a major wildlife charity that's committed to the recovery of endangered species, globally. And, as the world faces an extinction crisis, we're making a hugely significant contribution to conservation at a time when it's needed most. We are Chester Zoo and we prevent extinction.

Please be aware we reserve the right to close our vacancies earlier than the listed date if we have received a high level of applications. We would recommend that if you do wish to be considered that you complete the application as promptly as possible as shortlisting and interviews may be taking place whilst the advert is live.