ride operator

retail sales associate

mécanicien de chantier à l'entretien

ride attendant

journeyperson

Calaway Park

This job was insane. I worked here for 2.5 summers, and I started off loving it. However, in my third summer I started to feel incredibly destroyed from the job. It was always a long way to go and made it so that my workdays were around 11 hours long. Even though it was out of the house for that long, I was only paid for 7.5 of those hours. I was expected to be on my feet in the sun for 8-hour days and was not allowed to sit or even lean. Doing so had the potential to get me in trouble. My first two summers they had provided ice bags for us to stay cool, however, they took that away in my third year which led to me getting heat stroke a bunch. Although that was not completely the fault of the park, the removal of the ice bags did not help. 
Besides the long days, there was times when they booked people 10 days in a row. I had 8 days in a row my first year and it was awful. This only stopped happening to me because I requested Sundays off due to my religion. However, I kept hearing of people having to work an insane number of days in a row. My work weeks ended up being around 57.5 hours long and I was only paid for 37.5 of those. These long weeks really took a hit on my mental health.
The job was great at first. I was enjoying every aspect of my job, and it seemed like leadership enjoyed me too. I was constantly getting raises and was promoted in my first year. However, the longer I was there the less I felt like I was getting paid for my work. I was on the relief team, which were in charge of giving the breaks. We would be given a sheet telling us which games to break and when, but they were not the best when I was there. They would give us no walking time and expect us to make it from one end of the park to the other. If we were late too many times, we had the potential to be demoted. There always seemed to be this underline threat of demotion on the relief team.
For my final summer, I had applied to be on the leadership team but did not get the job. Despite this, leadership kept expecting me to work as hard as if I was a part of leadership. I was expected to address issues that should have been brought to a higher up, I had to ensure that other workers were doing their job and was expected to perform to a higher standard. All of this additional work was not included in my job description and did not come with any sort of pay raise. I was being given tasks that should have been leaderships without the pay of being a lead. 
I was also continually pestered by leadership trying to convince me to stay after I had put my two weeks in. Almost every shift I was asked if I had considered part-time more or if I would continue to work through the summer. There was a constant pressure on me to change to part-time even though the job had destroyed my physical body and my mental health. I had some of my worst panic attacks as a result of this job. Friendly reminder, I am nineteen. 
Considering that they hirer mainly high school students, they do not provide a safe place for them. There is an expectation to carry heavy objects around as well as supporting 5 pounds of coins on your shoulders and back. Even though it is an incredibly physically demanding job, you are not allowed to sit at all, as mentioned earlier. I left halfway through August and am still feeling the damage that it has had on my back. There are also the guests who usually get upset with the workers very quickly, and Calaway does little to help this. They provide no real training about how to deal with these kinds of guests, nor do they provide any help from leadership when faced with these guests. You are expected to take it, and then continue on with your workday.

Most people there are very friendly. You will make lots of friends and they have special events for team members a few times per season. You are paid a little over minimum wage and you will be scheduled a good amount of times during the season. With that being said here are some of the negative things about this job. First of all, the shifts are very long. They are 9 1/2 hours (9:45-7:15) except on Fridays (formerly Fridays and Saturdays) in July, where it is 11 1/2 hours (9:45-9:15). If you are planning on taking the bus to and from work and you live in east Calgary, expect to get home at least an hour and a half after your shift ends. Secondly the breaks. You do get 3 30 minute breaks but trust me, you need them to cool off and eat. And 1/3 of the break time is spent walking to and from the break room because they don’t give you walking time. Thirdly the organization. It’s all done on pen and paper and your schedule is a spreadsheet posted on a Wordpress website that you are expected to log into and check regularly. They do not notify you in any way if your schedule has changed and you are expected to check it to make sure. They say that they have a policy where you cannot work more than 5 days in a week and no more than 6 days in a row, but I have heard first hand of people working 12 days straight. Fourth of all, it is very hard work. You are outside for at least 8 hours, rain or shine. I have heard of and even seen employees collapse or begin to hallucinate from heat exhaustion. Unless you are willing to stand out in +30° running around checking ride restraints and yelling the rules every few minutes, this job is not for you. Fifth of all, dealing with guests. Guests at calaway park very often get upset when told that the ride is closed, their kid is too short, the line has begun closing ect. Very often (daily) you’ll be dealing with these people and trying to solve resolve their anger. They often use profanity and loud voices to express their anger. Very rarely although not unheard of, guests have gotten physically violent towards employees. Last but not least, the meetings. Once a month or so, they make you attend a 2 hour meeting after work where they go over the same false scenarios and what you can do to resolve them. At the end they have a part where you can make suggestions (which they have never implemented). 

P.S. the money from the tip jars at the concession stands are not given to employees. The park pockets the money and if an employee is caught receiving a tip they could be fired. 

Working at Calaway Park felt more like attending a dystopian summer camp than a job. The training consisted of very little hands-on work and felt more performative than anything, but you learn most of it as you go. However, the soft opening they call "dress rehearsal" and the actual opening weekend are trainwrecks since most employees are new. I remember them putting signs around the park telling guests to be understanding of this fact. 

I wouldn't say it was a difficult job considering that there are about five unique food items you're responsible for making, but a lot of aspects felt unnecessary. Depending on when your shift started, you could be expected to attend a daily briefing that rarely added anything of value to your day. Sometimes, you would get assigned "admin" and have no idea where you're working until you attend the briefing, only for no one to show up. 

Working in restaurants was simultaneously stressful and boring. Whenever Calaway Park did a food voucher thing, people would casually order 10 chicken strip combos and 5 burger combos. When it was slow, there was nothing better to do than to fold poutine boxes and contemplate life. 

Calaway Park also exudes stinginess because you can't have any free meals despite literally working in restaurants. You have to take unpaid breaks at the most inconvenient times, and it can take up to 8 minutes just to walk to the lounge, which chips away at your break. Due to the nature of the shifts, sometimes you'll be stranded at Calaway waiting for a bus that comes in an hour while not getting paid. Calaway also does OEOs which are essentially worker assessments done by the team captains. It's exhausting how many of them you have to do for an entry-level job, and I truly believe it would make no difference to the quality of customer service if they were removed. 

A few of my coworkers were really earnest Calaway Park enthusiasts while most people didn't care that much. This is probably a good first job for making friends if you're a teenager, but the employee turnover rate is so high you might not be seeing them for long.


A typical day at work was a lot of parents getting mad that you wouldn't break your rules to make their angry kid happy. Didn't love being constantly yelled at by middle aged people when I'm a 17 year old trying to just get through the nine hour day. Was an okay place to work though. Just wanted to get some sort of good first job so I could get a better job when school started. Good place to make friends in your department but leads and captains would take their job too seriously and be too strict over little things. Sometimes they'd make you feel bad and also totally tease you with ideas of being promoted and then never do it. Was just a weird summer honestly, glad I got the experience and the money but probably wouldn't return. Breaks were pretty short especially to walk across the park, break was cut super short and they say you get walking time but senior team member would write you as late and say you got back at the time after they count float so when they're behind its your fault. Even if its three minutes late. So then you get in trouble and leads don't try and understand your side. Also, the commute was horrible because they provide the buses but then you get there 1.5 hours early and just have to sit there, not allowed to clock in until 14 minutes before you start. And then on the way back, same sort of wait for the bus and sometimes you'd miss the bus if no one came quick enough to count you out etc. Was fun at the time, but now looking back I probably wouldn't go back, enjoy my current job a lot more. Would suggest working here just to get experience for a first job.

Working at Calaway Park is awful, I would not recommend it to anyone. Your hard work gets barely any attention unless you are a serious brown noser or a loudmouth about how much work you do. They offer "promotions" to some members to become senior team but the promotion means nothing basically because there's no extra benefit such as increased pay or authority. You only get one or two half hour breaks and the clock starts as soon as you leave the location, not when you get to the lounge. That means that 1/3 of your break is spent walking to the lounge, which is the only place you are allowed to take your break. The environment is also extremely toxic. It isn't uncommon for people to quit because they've been bullied by the other team members, who get off without even a talking to. There was even one employee who would constantly be blatantly r acist towards the other employees (eg. calling them racist slurs) and the leadership did nothing about it. Employees would take money and the leadership didn't fire them, they only moved them to do food prep instead. While you do get good hours, most of your time will be spent commuting and working, leaving little time to do much else. Your days at work will likely be you and a few others carrying the rest of the team, who don't do their jobs. It is nearly impossible to book time off when you get promoted to senior team or beyond because they only let two people book it off at a time. 

In general: Just don't choose Calaway Park unless you have no other option.

This job is definitely not for the weak. Weather conditions make it difficult to maintain positive attitudes especially being as though they don’t have much they can really do to help with it. They are quite stingy as if you take transportation with the park you’re arriving an hour before and leaving an hour after your shift resulting in a 10 hour day only being paid for 7 hours. And if you drive you’re required to still clock in 14 minutes before your shift but not 15 minutes because they don’t want to pay you extra. You’re considered late if you arrive at your scheduled time instead of the 14 minutes before it. People are mostly friendly but as it’s all teens it feels like a high school environment with all the gossip. And a majority of your job is standing in one place all day being given tasks that take less than 5 minutes resulting in you still being excruciatingly bored. But if you’re into little kids and you don’t mind standing and doing quite literally nothing all day this job might be for you. And if anyone from calaway is reading this. I’d opt to reconsider some of the stinginess to your guy’s rules. If you want someone there 14 mins earlier put that time on their schedule. If you want them there for 2 extra hours help accommodate the 10 hours they aren’t being paid for with maybe a free meal. Idk this parks Falling apart I don’t see it lasting more than maybe 15 more years

When I first started here I really enjoyed the job, that was until they hired a nightmare of a manager. First day he started we had a meeting, he told us how easy it is to fire and replace all of us, nice first impression. He uses his position to bully employees and constantly threatens to fire people. The morale level in the shop was always pretty low after one of his unmotivating morning meetings. The best and most productive days we had were the days he wasn't there. We worked very hard to bring the park up to a better maintenance standard, this was done due to the hard work and skill of the Millwrights, contrary to what upper management believes. We had an amazing maintenance team, but due to one person making it such a miserable place to work, he destroyed in a short period of time, a team that took years to build. In the past year in one of the worst job markets Alberta has seen, several long term employees quit as a direct result of just being sick of going to work, and having to deal with a boss that treated everyone so poorly. If upper management can't see that, then be prepared for a constant revolving door of employees, and watch your down time steadily increase year over year. People don't leave jobs, they leave managers.

Working at Calaway Park could be stressful depending on the individual, it could also be fun! Everyday you work you have 3 shifts and two 45 minute breaks. I learned that one should always make the guest feel at home, and that its always great to interact with the guests and to ensure that they are enjoying their day and you should always try to help them with something, even if it is just directing them to the guest service booth for more info, just anything to make them happy. The management i feel is great and knows how to reward the employees at the park. The working hours at the park are not really favorable. If you do not drive then you are waking up early and getting home late which leaves little time for you to do things outside of work. The most enjoyable part of the job has to be connecting with the co workers after a shift or after the day ends, because if you're having a bad day they could really cheer you up and they could give advice on what to do and what not to do for you to do a better job at your work station.

A typical day at Calaway Park involves working in various positions such as the Village Gift Shop, Sweet Toothe Candy Shop, Season Pass Scanning, Admissions, Exit Gate, Glitter Tattoos, Carts, or as a Floater. The job provides valuable experience by allowing employees to rotate through different roles, which helps develop strong customer service and teamwork skills. Leads and captains were generally helpful and supportive, though communication and consistency in recognition could be improved. Policies such as no phones or smartwatches and limited personal items are enforced, which can make shifts feel strict at times, especially during long hours in hot or cold weather. Employee events, including park nights and free food, along with 15 complimentary tickets and transportation options, were appreciated benefits. Overall, working at Calaway Park is a good learning opportunity for those seeking seasonal work and a chance to gain experience in a team-oriented and fast-paced environment.

Typical day - Bus takes you there approx. 30 min-1 hour before your shift, clock in and go to morning brief. Usual tasks would include sweeping, cleaning the bathrooms, taking out garbage and cleaning the lids (also extra tasks if you’re assigned). Two 30 minute breaks that start immediately but they give you extra time depending how long it’ll take you to walk to the team lounge (only place you’re allowed to take break). If you are on a closing shift (12pm-8pm), you will have to do parks sweep meaning everyone gets together at the end of the shift and does a general sweep of the park and the parking lot. 
- the management (leads and captains) are very nice and friendly. They are very accommodating and understanding if you need something and are always willing to help.
- the hardest part is the physical aspect; during peak season, you are working 8 hours a day in 25+ degree weather and some times tasks can be overwhelming. However, the people are very friendly and funny so it makes working a little easier. 

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Ride operator 4 salaries reported	$15.25 per hour
Retail sales associate 3 salaries reported	$15.00 per hour
Mécanicien de chantier à l'entretien 6 salaries reported	$38.67 per hour
Ride attendant 4 salaries reported	$15.25 per hour
Journeyperson 3 salaries reported	$34.00 per hour

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