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Travel Jobs Around the World: Club Med
This post was written by expert vagabond, Ana, from The Art of Epic Living!
The Job Description
Club Med (Club Mediterranee) is a French-based all-inclusive hotel chain, which has resort “villages” in over 90 beautiful locations around the world. Club Med is different than most resorts, as it encourages- or requires- its employees to be much more interactive with the guests in contrast to other hotel companies.
A Club Med employee is known as G.O. (Gentil Organisateur) which is a French, Club Med-specific term, used to name its employees as “ambassadors of the Club Med spirit”. A Club Med G.O. can hold one of a number of positions within the resort. There are job opportunities in all departments with positions such as:
Reception
Kid’s Club Counselor
Bartender and Server
Sail Instructor
Trapeze Artist, Dance Instructor, Fitness Team
Animation Team
Chef and Culinary Team
Your primary duties will be specific to your position, but your secondary duties will include participating in shows and performances, mingling/dancing/dining with the resort guests on a daily basis, and participating in “crazy signs” every night- which are choreographed Club Med dances (…I am not joking!).
Employees have their own dormitory style employee building on the property, with access to all of the amenities within the resort! This means that you will have a gourmet buffet of food for every meal, beach and pool access and fitness center, yoga classes, etc. at your disposal!
As far as living conditions are concerned, you will most likely have a 2 bedroom, shared bathroom set up with another same-sex roommate. My bedroom has a full-size bed, small closet, desk and TV. The living quarters were small, but perfectly fine.
Everyone who works at Club Med has a very energetic, social, outgoing type of character. The majority of the people I worked with were between 18-30, and all of us were work-hard, play-hard types! Between our dorm-style set-up, and the good vibes all around, it was kind of like being in college again.
This job is very unique and allows for an exciting lifestyle in beautiful international locations. However, this job also has low wages and very long and oftentimes exhausting hours.
You definitely need to be an energetic, people-person if you want to succeed with a position at Club Med.
When I worked at Club Med, I was a Kid’s Club Counselor. The main part of my work day was spent at the “Kid’s Club” from 8-5 every day (minus Wednesday, our single day off), which was basically run like a day camp. Our schedule included activities such as swimming, art class, dance class, trapeze/circus school, sailing and sports.
We also were required to eat dinner with the kids, and put on nightly events and performances for the kids and resort guest- SO yes, my Friday nights were spent dressed up like a pirate and mermaid for a “Barney” style play we had to put on every weekend.
Around 9 pm, after our nightly performances and activities were over, we would be required to mingle with guests at the resort bar and …then…. we were required to tear up the dance floor during “crazy signs”.
It was very long day of work, all day, every day, but luckily my job description and co-workers were fun!
Where I’ve Worked as a Club Med G.O.
I personally worked in Florida at the “Sandpiper Bay” Village when I did a season with Club Med. If you are an American, it is likely that you will be placed in the US for your first and second season before you are able to apply for a transfer to an International Resort village.
Where in the World the Job Exists
This job exists wherever there is a Club Med Resort! Locations range from pristine beaches to rainforests to snowcapped mountains all around the world. There are Club Med resorts in:
The Caribbean
Mexico
Florida
Europe & Mediterranean
The Alps
South America
Africa
The Indian Ocean
How to Get a Job as a Club Med G.O.
In order to apply for the job, you must fill out the online application, which will ask you basic past employment experience, skill and personal information.
Once you have done that, you will be prompted for a phone or Skype interview with the HR team. If you are successful with that interview, you will be invited to a recruitment session at a major city.
If you visit the Club Med Employment page you will be able to learn more detail!
Depending on the position that you are going for, you should try to highlight relevant skills from your previous employment or education experience.
Once you fill out the general application and have submitted your resume, you will be given questionnaires and other position-specific applications. I remember that my Kid’s Club application included very specific questions, such as: How would you handle a dispute between two toddlers fighting over a toy?”- HA.
Another tip that I have with applying for this job, is to be patient. When I received my follow-up email for a position, it was months after I had applied! I was in Croatia working in a hostel at the time that I received a response email, and ended up filing out my questionnaires in hostels and doing my Skype interviews in internet cafes.
Although I couldn’t make it to a recruitment session, I think the fact that I was abroad actually made me stick out from other potential employees, and positioned me as a person who would fit in well with an internationally diverse team of workers.
If you are interested in networking with past G.O.’s or would like to find out more information on what to expect as an employee, you can visit the
Club Med employee forum. This is a great resource for those who are new to the company!
If you get a position in Club Med, but would like to transfer to another department, there are opportunities to practice working in other departments so that you are able to switch roles for the upcoming season.
For example, one of my friends in the Kid’s Club trained with the Circus Team in her free time, and ended up working as a trapeze artist for the following seasons!
What Qualifications They Are Looking For
The qualifications will depend on the job you are applying for. If you would like to be a chef for example, cooking experience is probably a requirement; or if you would like to be a sail instructor, hopefully you will have some sailing experience under your belt.
CPR and safety training is a definite plus, and so is the ability to speak multiple languages. Because this is a French-based company with many international locations, there are guests from all over the world.
When I worked at Club Med, we were given complimentary access to Rosetta Stone to practice and learn languages..not that we really had the time in our schedule to take advantage of it!
I think that travel experience will also make you stand out.
Traveling exposes you to new cultures, and demonstrates your desire for adventure. It will position you as an ideal member to a multicultural team.
Availability & Pay as a Club Med G.O.
Club Med employees sign seasonal contracts, which can range from 3-8 months depending on location, although job availability is year-round. I worked a 5-month season, beginning in the start of December and ending at the end of April, but we were able to extend our stay for the upcoming term.
If you renew your contract for another consecutive season, you will pretty much be guaranteed placement since you will understand the lifestyle and work culture. After you have worked a season or two, you will also have the ability to transfer to other international resorts.
The pay is fairly low, but keep in mind that you will have no expenses! You will not have to pay for airfare, rent, food or any bills associated with the cost of living. There is also value in the resort amenities that you will have access to.
When I was working as an entry level Kid’s Club Counselor in the US, I was getting around $840/month. I believe that wages in other countries can be lower at times!
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