Life on Centre
Living and working 'on centre' certainly has its perks. For starters, the commute to work is normally in the region of 30 seconds to 5 minutes! However the true benefits of living on centre go far beyond this. There's a real community spirit and a fantastic sense of camaraderie amongst our staff team.
Your Accommodation
You'll find that living and working with your new friends and colleagues creates a fantastic environment of camaraderie, team work and friendships - many of which last for life. Whilst the vast majority of our staff accommodation is shared, you don't actually spend that much time in your room other than when sleeping!
Our accommodation varies greatly depending on the location.
At our centres in the UK and Northern France, staff accommodation is indoors, either within part of the main house or in staff accommodation blocks. Some centres have en suite bathrooms whereas others will have bathroom facilities shared between a group of staff. All centres have staff rooms with tv and usually a DVD player. There are designated smoking areas at all sites.
At our centres in Southern France and Spain, accommodation is in large-framed chalet-style tents usually shared between two or sometimes three people. Tents have a permanent floor, electric plug socket and metal framed beds. Our staff make their tents their own with some innovative adaptations to interior design!
The key success of living and working so closely with your friends and colleagues is to talk about any potential worries before they become issues Similarly, respecting each others' space and personal views can really help to make a difference.
For a full breakdown of centre facilities, please view each centre page>
Meals
We offer a meal package option for our staff. This is free of charge for people enrolled on our PGL Apprentice programme as part of the apprentice package. Our experienced staff, earning the National Minimum wage appropriate to your age, can receive a comprehensive meal package of three meals a day, seven days a week (including your day off) which works out at just £5.42 per day. There are always several options available at each meal time, including a cooked breakfast, fresh fruit, salad bar as well as unlimited tea and coffee.
Menus are rotated on a two or three week rota depending on location. To get an idea of the type of meals we offer, download our sample menus>
Your Welfare
PGL centre life can sometimes be demanding, both physically and psychologically! One of our key aims is for our team to be safe, have fun and enjoy their time with PGL. As a company, we have a duty care towards our staff and recognise that many of our team will be living away from home for the first time.
We also want you to be safe and happy outside of your working hours. Whilst this is technically your free time, we are still concerned with your wellbeing and produce the PGL Staff Information Guide for you, packed with useful information about being part of PGL as well as helpful contacts and advice about staying safe and getting the most from your experience.
Staff Social Events
All centres organise special events for staff: karaoke evenings, themed fancy dress nights in the bar (bin bag ball anyone?!), barbecues, live music, quiz nights and pool/table football tournaments.
There are regular paddling events and trips for staff. Experienced paddlers have even been as far afield as Nepal and India on discounted expeditions.
Most centres hold an end of season ball or party, giving everyone the chance to dress up in their finest attire.
Some centres even hold PGL Christmas parties...on June 25!
Your centre may also organise off-centre visits to theme parks, water parks, tourist attractions and places of interest. If you have an idea of a place or activity that would make a good staff social experience, make sure you suggest this to your line manager!
You can find out more about staff socials, including some charity fundraising events within our staff magazines>
Sports Teams
Across the PGL Estate there are teams competing in a variety of events at a local level. Over the last few years, there have been 5 a-side football teams, full 11 a-side football teams, cricket, volleyball, netball and also basketball teams. If you are already a member of a local team and need time off to play, we'll do what we can to facilitate this but sometimes this isn't always possible.
Towards the end of each season, we hold an annual 5-a-side football tournament at Château de Grande Romaine which all centres are invited to send teams to, at a minimal cost for participants.
Your Feedback
Each season, we gather feedback anonymously from our staff team, regardless of whether they are still working with us or have left. We take this info and work to identify trends and implement changes to ensure our team are happy. You'll be given the opportunity to tell us your feedback using online questionnaires before and after you have completed your time with us.