Here's how to get a job at a music festival – and keep it

If you've just returned from Glastonbury you're probably feeling the post-festival slump. If you didn't go, you might be looking forward to one of over 300 festivals happening in the UK this year. From bluegrass to techno-house to moombahton (or whatever else you're in to) - we've got enough fields in Britain to please everyone.

But festival season isn't just a time to get drunk and eat hog roast rolls. They're an integral calendar event for any festival, event management, journalism or communications student looking to get their foot on the ladder. They're ideal for gaining experience which, as everyone will tell you, is the best playing card.

So, how do you get a job at a festival?

The first step is applying. Applications usually open about five months before an event and it's a relatively straightforward process - you visit the festival's website, answer some multiple-choice questions, pay a deposit, send through some photo ID, and then you're good to go. This is the point of entry for students that are new to the game. But once you're in - make sure you network to reap the benefits.

Anthony Stockdale - who is helping run this year's Reggae Roast festival in London - brought his sound system to Nozstock after he made friends with the festival's curators at a previous event. By doing this he was able to gain 'invaluable experience in stage management - from helping to run a stage at a festival to networking into a few more events that summer.'

Small festivals - like Nozstock - are the best places for students to apply.

'You can definitely get your teeth into a lot more at the smaller festivals - you get involved with a lot more,' says Storme Gibson, who runs the box office at WOMAD. 'If I'm quiet but the press team have a queue a mile long - I'll get involved and help them out.'

So - you're inside the festival, you've got your work pass, and you're ready. What next? Be prepared to work above and beyond your work hours. Loz Lozza is the production manager at Caversham Festival which has an attendance of 25,000.

Lozza says: 'A hard work ethic is key - the music industry isn't a 9-5 role. You work until you've finished. Sometimes this means a 20-hour day. Stamina, a good diary system, clear communication and a plan B, C, and D as back-up, are all required.'

It's important to take on as much work as possible - after all you're there for work (not just fun). Hannah Colson - who graduated from the communications and media degree at Liverpool University and currently works at MTV - did a stint at Dimensions festival in Croatia in 2014 and found that asking for work reaped both experience and personal benefits.

Colson says: 'I asked the reps at the opening party if they had any extra work going - they did. In return they offered me a ticket to see Mount Kimbie, and also a week of free camping and extra food vouchers.'

But - once the party is over, how do you turn your festival weekend into a festival career? The most important thing to remember is to stay in touch - especially if you want to work there again - with more responsibility than just shepherding intoxicated people to the long-drops.

Stockdale says: 'Festivals work with so many different temp staff across different sites that I doubt they'd remember a great deal about who was doing what and where the year before. But if you know the person who offered you the role, then they tend to trust you with more than the guys who haven't been there before.'

Essentially, if you don't get to know the people who run the festivals, you'll continually be placed at the bottom of the pile, always working the car-park and never progressing to helping to manage a stage.

If you want to make it a career then festival season shouldn't end in the autumn. Show up at local shows, volunteer, put on events, and help bands tour the country. Even if you end up working the car-park for a few seasons before getting to a higher role, it definitely beats spending the summer sat inside Tesco while everyone ignores you because they're using the self-service machine.

Entities 0 Name: Nozstock Count: 2 1 Name: Liverpool University Count: 1 2 Name: Anthony Stockdale Count: 1 3 Name: Lozza Count: 1 4 Name: Glastonbury Count: 1 5 Name: WOMAD Count: 1 6 Name: Tesco Count: 1 7 Name: MTV Count: 1 8 Name: Britain Count: 1 9 Name: Reggae Roast Count: 1 10 Name: Loz Lozza Count: 1 11 Name: Colson Count: 1 12 Name: Hannah Colson Count: 1 13 Name: UK Count: 1 14 Name: Croatia Count: 1 15 Name: London Count: 1 16 Name: Caversham Festival Count: 1 17 Name: Storme Gibson Count: 1 18 Name: Mount Kimbie Count: 1 19 Name: Stockdale Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/UZdXQB Title: Bands, Crowds and Crazy: Photos From the UK's Biggest Music Festival Description: The United Kingdom's biggest music festival wrapped up on Sunday, but not before performances by everyone from Metallica to Dolly Parton. The Glastonbury Festival is a five-day celebration of performers and artists held in Somerset, England, where fans and onlookers camp out in much the same vein as the Bonnaroo festival in the United States.