In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, a seasonworker (also called a holiday rep or a saisonaire) is a person who spends either their summers or winters working abroad for a

tour operator A tour operator is a business that typically combines and organizes accommodations, meals, sightseeing and transportation components, in order to create a package tour. They advertise and produce brochures to promote their products, holidays and ...

Overview

A seasonworker can spend up to eight months abroad; as a result, the job is often filled by those on a gap year, students, or those looking for a career break. The jobs are usually low-paid, but accommodation is generally included, as are perks such as ski passes for winter seasons. Seasonworkers usually benefit from much free time, discounts around the resort at which they are based, and the chance to learn about new cultures. Among the activities a seasonworker might be involved in providing are kids club daycare, a dance party, a pool party, and general party planning such as hosting nightlife events,

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

and nightclub acts,

singles event A singles event is an activity or program made available specifically to the romantically unattached, often with the underlying or explicit purpose of fostering dating or relationships among attendees. A singles event with a cocktail party-type a ...

s, yoga classes, aerobics classes, and other outdoor activities. Ibiza Rocks Venue 2020

Due to the holiday-like conditions they live in, seasonworkers can have a reputation for being rowdy and irresponsible and encouraging acts such as

binge-drinking Binge drinking, or heavy episodic drinking, is drinking alcoholic beverages with an intention of becoming intoxicated by heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time, but definitions ( see below) vary considerably. Binge drinking i ...

, an image largely promoted by British television programmes such as '' Ibiza Uncovered'', ''

Ibiza Weekender ''Ibiza Weekender'' is a British reality television series that premiered on ITV2 on 6 January 2013. The series follows a group of 18-24 year olds spending a weekend at a hotel resort on the island of Ibiza, Spain. From series 1–3, it was tit ...

'', and ''

Club Reps ''Club Reps'' is a factual entertainment programme made for ITV by STV Studios (''then known as "SMG TV Productions"''). It ran from 2001 to 2004. The programme has been repeated on Sky Real Lives, Pick and STV local channels STV Edinburgh ...

''. This led to a backlash against many "Brits abroad" holidays by the police and other authorities. Seasonworkers who work for family camping companies such as

Canvas Holidays Canvas Holidays is a company which offers camping holidays across Europe. Founded 50 years ago by the Cuthbert family, it was the pioneer in the sited tent market. Canvas Holidays - which has its headquarters in Dunfermline, Scotland - has camps ...

Eurocamp Eurocamp is a British holiday company based in Cheshire that provides pre-sited outdoor holidays in Europe to over 500,000 holidaymakers each year. The company works with third party partner campsites and holiday villages to offer beach, city a ...

, Camping Life, and

Keycamp Eurocamp is a British holiday company based in Cheshire that provides pre-sited outdoor holidays in Europe to over 500,000 holidaymakers each year. The company works with third party partner campsites and holiday villages to offer beach, city an ...

may be somewhat unhappy being associated with the word "rep" and so go by the traditional title of "courier". Being a seasonworker can be enjoyable but there are times when hard work is required, usually on changeover days when everything needs to be cleaned. Also, on many campsites, owners insist that "live tents" are generally situated in the worst location i.e. next to rubbish containers or cesspits. Camping seasonworkers will generally have to wear brightly coloured uniforms consisting of shorts, T-shirts, tracksuit bottoms, fleeces, and caps. The colours of the uniforms reflect each company's unique branding. Some seasonal work, such as sailing and jetskiing instruction, requires staff to attain a qualification.

References

{{reflist Labour in the United Kingdom Employment classifications Hospitality occupations People in tourism Precarious work Sports coaches Temporary employment agencies Temporary employment Yoga teachers