Career Profile

Job Summary:

In this role it is your responsibility to ensure the smooth day-to-day running of the centre. You are the first port of call for staffing, scheduling, complaints, problems and management of every aspect of the centre. You will need to ensure staff records, staff training and health and safety documentation are to up-to-date. You are responsible for everything that takes place in the centre at all times, including making sure that company procedures are being adhered to.

Job Tasks:

Everything! From processing casual hours and  answering emails to working on the counter and instructing. You will never have two days the same in this job, but there are administrative tasks that you’ll need to complete with attention to detail. Tasks may include:

• Recruitment of staff
• Paperwork
• Health & safety compliance
• Maintaining records
• Scheduling staff / Staff rotas
• Coaching & Instructing
• Responding to enquiries
• Marketing your centre
• Dealing with bookings
• Organising events
• Delegating work effectively

Skills Needed for this Job:

You need to be organised and learn to deal with issues in a professional manner. You need to have excellent communication skills, an understanding of all the job roles within the centre and you need to be motivated. You should hold some climbing specific qualifications, a valid first aid certificate and have attended a safeguarding course.

Working Hours:

You need to be prepared to chip in and work long hours, if necessary, to make sure the centre runs smoothly.  Weekdays and weekends normally around 30-40 hours per week, on a rota. Flexibility is a must.

Income:

Salary depends on experience and the size of the climbing wall. Salaries tend to start at around £15,000 and could be as much as £50,000 for a very large centre, with many responsibilities, likely based in the South East. Openings for roles at the higher end are not common and usually come with extensive experience and specific expertise which that particular centre requires.

You are almost always employed by the centre, so holiday pay and sick pay are included, and your tax and national insurance are dealt with by your employer.

Training & Qualifications:

This depends.  Each centre will have specific qualifications that they want to see.  CWA/CWLA/SPA First Aid and Safeguarding Children and Young Adults

Getting into the this role:

To get into this role, you could consider gaining the following experience:

• Volunteering/ paid work at an indoor wall
• Working different roles in a climbing centre
• Managing or supervising staff
• Creating staff rotas
• Dealing with health & safety within an outdoors/ safety-critical business
• Customer Service
• Group climbing sessions
• Marketing
• IT: Competence using email, Word, Excel

If you’re unsure, speak to your local wall/s and ask exactly what experience they would like to see from an applicant.  You can then work to gain those experiences, ready to apply when the vacancy comes up.

Other Relevant Information:

To find out more about training routes and options, you can go to Mountain Training.

The Association of British Climbing Walls is a membership association for climbing walls.   There are currently over 130 members of the ABC and you can search the ABC map to find climbing walls.