Your floating hotel on the Canals and Rivers of the UK

Crew on Reed Boats in 2009.

Job Description.

N.B. First please note .....

1.. The job is to help operate a pair of narrowboats working as a traveling hotel on the inland waterways of the UK. We pay just over £200 a week and provide full board and lodging. You will get a chance to travel around the UK. BUT It is a full time job, you live on the boats and you will have very little separate social life.

2.. If you are interested then please read this job description very, very carefully, we have been repeatedly let down by people who because they do not take the time to read this have false ideas about the job. I know it is a long document and you will be tempted to just flip through it, but it is an unusual job so please read it all!

3.. We need one Assistant Cook now.

• First day Thursdday 28th May in Tamworth area. (Join boats previous night.)
• Last day Friday 7th August in Ely. (Leave boats on Saturday. )

This job description sets out the work to be covered by the crew and will form the basis of the contract of employment.

We operate with a full time staff of three, Owner/Operator, and two crew, one Assistant Cook, one outdoor. This job description relates to both crew jobs.

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The Work and Pay.

There are three elements to the work and its rewards.

• Basic work in return for pay.
• Housekeeping assistance in return for board and lodging.
• Days off.
  

1.. Basic Work.

Approximately 40 hours a week, in return for the current UK standard basic wage paid after deductions for N.I. and tax .(In October 2008 the hourly rate was set as £5.73 age 22 and over or £4.77 age 18 - 21.) As exact time keeping is impossible we pay for an average/nominal 40 hour week rather than calculating exact hours worked. (i.e. £229.20 or £190.80 for a unit of six working days before deduction of tax and NI.)

This consists of;

Outdoor crew, main responsibility to steer the butty, and operate locks. Also responsible for 40 minutes in the morning each day interior cleaning of the butty,

Assistant Cook main responsibility to cook and serve breakfast and lunch, as well as early morning tea, coffee break and afternoon cup of tea. Also responsible for the interior cleaning of the motor and when required assistance with operation of boats.

On guest change over days, (Turn round days), crew members are between them responsible for

• The laundry, we usually use service washes, so it usually just involves delivering, collecting, putting away.
• Cleaning inside both boats ready for new guests.
• Checking stock and assisting in shopping to replenish the boats.

2.. Housekeeping Assistance.

In a block of six working days.

• Outdoor crew member on four nights, sets up the lounge/dining room for dinner and washes up after dinner. Has other two nights off.
• Assistant Cook on two nights, sets up the lounge/dining room for dinner and washes up after dinner. On two nights, cooks dinner. Has other two nights off.

In return for the housekeeping assistance:-

• Accommodation is provided for the crew in the butty cabin on Ash, 8ft by 7ft, which is fairly basic, with two single bunks, 6ft by 2ft 3 inches, one above the other.. There is storage, a solid fuel stove and the privacy of an isolated rear deck. Washing facilities, toilet and shower, are on the other boat, Oak. A porta-potti style toilet is provided for optional use inside this cabin. ( In 2009 some of the time the indoor crew member can be accomodated in a cabin on the motor leaving the butty cabin to outdoor crew on their own.)
• Food, all of the same standard as the guests. Breakfast, lunch and four-course dinner with a glass of wine or beer.
• All crew laundry done with the boat laundry. Towels and bedding are supplied.

3.. Day's Off.

Crew members are entitled to one full day off in return for each six days worked. Sometimes we can fit in the odd day off, but generally we work continously storing up the days off.

Days off are normally taken either during the three breaks, see below, or as extra days paid for after finishing working with us.

In 2009 the breaks are;-

• Sunday 10th May till Saturday 16th May.
• Monday 6th July till Saturday 11th July.
• Wednesday 2nd September till Tuesday 8th September.

N.B.
1 .. Breaks start at 12.00 noon on the first date and finish at 12.00 noon on the last date.
2 .. During breaks the boats will be tied up in Warwick, crew can either stay on the boats or go away during this time.

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Typical Days.

Because of the varied nature of the canals and our guests there is no such thing as a standard day, but below we give some idea of the usual typical days, which fall into two categories.

• Cruise days, when we are travelling between destinations.
• Turn Round days, the day when one published cruise ends and another begins and most of the guests leave us and new guests join us.
  

Typical cruise day, Assistant Cook.

Be on duty at 7.50 a.m. ready to serve guests tea at 8.00 a.m.. Prepare and serve breakfast at 8.30 a.m., clear up and wash up afterwards. Serve morning coffee, then prepare and serve lunch clear up and wash up afterwards. Serve and clear up tea at 4.00 p.m.

Also responsible for the interior cleaning of the motor. As this crew member will also help with working locks when required, some weeks this will be a daily occurrence leading to just a basic clean. Other weeks outside work will only take place on one or two days allowing for extra cleaning on the others. In particularly heavily locked cruises more time will be required outside so the amount of cleaning will be reduced to compensate.

On two evenings set out and lay up the lounge/dining room for dinner and wash up after dinner. On two evenings cook the eving meal. (Two evenings off for every six days worked.)

Typical cruise day, outdoor crew.

Clean inside the butty 8.30 a.m. for 40 minutes. 9.30ish till 1.00ish, and 2.00ish until 5.00ish steer the butty and otherwise help navigate the boats.

On four evenings set out and lay up the lounge/dining room for dinner and wash up after dinner. (Two evenings off for every six days worked.)

Typical turn round day.

Assistant Cook

Be on duty at 7.50 a.m. ready to serve guests tea at 8.00 a.m.. Prepare and serve breakfast at 8.30 a.m.
(On the previous day the Indoor crew should have checked food and cleaning stock cupboards against a master list to produce a shopping list. )

Outdoor crew

When guests come over to Breakfast, strip beds and collect and bag all laundry. Put fresh towels and shower mats in shower rooms.

Between them the two crew also do ...

(Who does what is up to the crew!)

• Clear up and wash up after Breakfast.
• Go, in a taxi if required, to take laundry to laundrette for service wash.
• One crew member go with owner to a supermarket to shop, using a taxi bring shopping back to the boat help sort it and put it all away.
• Be on hand when the owner is off the boat to assist guests i.e. carry bags, make cups of tea/coffee etc.
• Cleaning of inside of butty and motor. (Involves remaking beds etc for new guests.)
• Go, in a taxi if required, to collecting laundry then sort and put it away.
• One crew member lay up for dinner at 7.00 then wash up afterwards.
  
  

(To complete the picture, remember that the owner/operator is responsible for:-
o Cleaning the outside of both boats each day.
o Steering the motor.
o Cooking the evening meal 4 out of 6 nights. Preparing some dishes before breakfast every day.
o Carrying out, with assistance as required, basic boat maintenance, obtaining diesel, coal, and gas and pumping out the toilets. Also in the Spring and Autumn seeing to the coal stove in the motor lounge.)

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General conditions.

• The boats are a non-smoking zone inside for everyone, and there is very restricted covered space outside for smoking sometimes none.

• Crew are not allowed to handle the boat or food under the influence of alcohol or drugs. (One glass with dinner at night is fine, it is excess, which is the problem.)

• If you are asked to come for interview you will be required to produce documents showing you are entitled to legally work in the UK.

• It will be useful if outdoor crew have some experience in the operation of canal boats but not essential as training will be given. However indoor crew must have some experience of at least ordinary domestic catering and cleaning. (Essentially cooking breakfast and following simple lunch time and evening dinner recipes.) Training will be provided in the way we operate the boats and in our catering and cleaning systems.

• Fitness is essential. Boat work requires a certain amount of physical effort, although skill replaces brute strength in most situations.

• Crew also need dexterity to be able to handle themselves safely while moving around the boats and between the boats and the shore.

• Crew will be required to supply their own clothing; they will need jeans, polo shirts, T-shirts, sweat shirts pullovers, etc. and non-slip shoes or boots for working the boats in sometimes cold and muddy conditions. They will also need separate tidy clothes for wearing in the evenings.

• Although Assistant Cook and outdoor crew are set out as separate jobs it is possible either for the crew to swap roles each week, or for a couple, by mutual agreement, to vary who does what work. Our only concern is that all the tasks set out are covered between the two crew members.

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Next ?

First explore this web site to find out more about the boats and where we are going this year. If you have any questions phone us on 07977 229103

Still interested and want to apply? Then send an email to martinreed@reedboats.co.uk which includes ...

• Your CV.
• A recent picture of you.
• A letter which sets out why you wish to work on the boats.