Belgian theme parks begin big recruitment drive for summer

Belgium’s amusement parks are wasting no time in preparing for the next operating season, with Walibi, Pairi Daiza and other parks recruiting en masse.

Parks are looking to hire ride operators, kitchen assistants, hotel staff, plumbers, kitchen assistants, security guards, reception staff, actors, agricultural mechanics, gardeners and other roles, saying that a wide range of profiles are in demand.

Not all positions are temporary for only summer, either. The theme park season generally starts at the end of March (from 10 February for Pairi Daiza) and finishes after Halloween on 31 October.

Job offers therefore concern jobs that can be spread over the whole season, or just the highlights.

“We're recruiting 300 seasonal workers who will be working from April to September,” said Antoine Stasse, head of recruitment at Walibi. "They'll be aimed more at jobseekers, as well as 300 more occasional student jobs throughout the season.

“In addition to these 600 positions, we will be recruiting people for the high season. It's a lot, but it's necessary to keep the park running.”

Stasse said that around 180 positions would be filled by “regulars” who return every year.

Bellewaerde, another Belgian park, is already offering job vacancies on its website. At Pairi Daiza, there are job openings for as many as 200 seasonal workers, who will be working throughout the opening period, and 200 students for the peak periods.

Some positions at the various parks require a solid command of Dutch, but that is not the case for all jobs.

According to Walibi, most Belgian theme parks base pay on “the scale of the joint tourism commission, which is between €12 and €15 gross per hour”.