community assistant

laborer

swim instructor

clerk

planner

City of Surrey

I worked with the city for 3 years before moving into my lifelong career. I was in university at the time and found it immensely helpful that I could take an auxiliary position and could collaborate with the rest of the auxiliary staff/management on hours to pick up for the season. I miss working there as it was a fun job and I was good at what I did. I got promoted to a CSA 3 within a month because I was really reliable and always picked up hours wherever I could. I really valued taking care of the skate shops and ended up running as a lead for 2 of the arenas skate shops which helped immensely in getting extra hours. It does get a little crazy driving around to the 5 different ice rinks in surrey but if you have a reliable efficient commuter car it's no big deal. I often did split shifts and it helped keep me debt free in my tuition and helped pay rent with the support of my partner, which would not have been possible without all the work they had available before COVID hit. 

I wish I could go back every year for Ice palace but unfortunately have been injured and can't participate (they offer to keep you on the email chain for an annual invitation even if you don't pickup throughout the year) but I cannot recommend city of surrey enough. Always lots of hours in arenas if you are willing to pick up shifts quickly and commute. My managers were chill, way better than working retail in my opinion. 

I wish all my former coworkers the best, workplace mostly consists of a younger crowd but it was always fun seeing some more experienced staff who were doing the  customer service facing jobs closer to retirement. If you like building community connections with regulars and are a natural leader they are great at promoting from within. Depending what you study I could easily see folks working their way up. I went with healthcare so it didn't work for me, but have seen it for others :) 

My typical work day is done by guarding the pool, working alongside co-workers to insure the safety of the general public. Serving the needs of the public and making sure to prevent injuries or any unsafe behaviour that may lead to an emergency. I've learned how to manage my emotions and how to handle every medical emergency that presents itself to me as a professional for the City of Surrey. Management could be better, they are not out on the pool deck nor do they understand the job of a lifeguard. Staff morale is not important to them. They are more concerned with scheduling (often over book and overlapping) and making a profit. Often they make mistakes with shift scheduling. They do not know how to treat staff with respect, we are given 1 day of a year, yet they do not inform us that we are given 9 family days. I know this from the grapevine, not from upper management. When I call in sick, I am expected to present a doctor's note, which is fine; however, the problem lies not within presenting, but how I am treated until I present a doctor's note. They basically think I am lying up until presentation. I find this rude and unfair, I do not disrespect the system, when I call in sick it is legitimate. I will get a doctor's note, but until that time I expect to be treated with decency, which I am not. Upper management doesn't consider us important, they have treated us like we are liars. This is the hardest part of the job, but I truly love serving the public and doing everything in my ability to keep the pool a safe and enjoyable place for all community members.

I would never recommend to anyone to work here. This is probably my worst experience ever working under such a toxic management and work environment. Never expect any help or support from any level of management. Management there is not for help, support instead they are their to kick on your a** for making you work and get their productivity and job done. For that they literally squeeze you out for their work. And they don't care about your physical capacity. They expect you to get to the productivity right after one week of joining and to get their different people from management keep coming to you asking for productivity. Sometime 3 or more people in a shift. That is kind of sucks. That shows how they keep kicking your a** for work. And to be honest you have to work like a machine to get to that productivity and to keep up with that. it is doubled the effort to get that than you loose it if you take rest just for few minutes, let's say 5 minutes. That is because their standards for productivity are set so high and accordingly that either can machine achieve or may be human if they work like a machine. if you somehow get productivity and maintain it than no one come to you to appreciate. That is even a bitter fact. So, they only come to you to kick you. And if you are working peacefully there are always those people who never let you work. I mean if you are doing stowing someone keeps coming you to ask you to stowing this and that rather let you do stowing whatever you are.

Employees at guildford rec are welcoming and very helpful especially to new hires. Since i am a new hire that really helped me transition into a new workplace. Our initial training excluded items we needed to know in order to complete certain tasks like; bulkhead moves, moving flags, sauna steam room clean, fecal matter procedures, dolphins, little things like that. However, it was manageable because all the existing staff were super helpful and took their time to teach you and supervisors were very understanding. Because of my low seniority it's normal to not get scheduled any shifts for your first season but there are plenty of shifts to pick up which is great. Overall, super awesome work environment!!! Some cons, programmers and head guards often make a bunch of mistakes when covering shifts which can be stressful. For example, I RFL (request for leave) a day and it got confirmed but on that day they called me and asked why im late for my shift but it was supposed to be covered, turns out there was miscommunication. Another time I picked up a shift they texted out for example, 5:00-9:00 but on the way to work they were like why arent you here you shift starts at 4:30 im like but they sent out 5:00 and then you have to provide all this proof like the voicemail whatnot when it's not even your fault. I wish they would have a better system that would prevent all these errors. great pay, great people,   super fun!!!!!!!

Worked here for almost 5 years. When I first got hired most people warned me about how management isn't the best and they pick favourites. I was probably a favourite for a few years because I never had issues at first. It wasn't until they started hiring external people in supervisor positions when I noticed the mistreatment. They want to hire young new people constantly so they can manipulate them into doing whatever they want them to do. They treat people who actually stand up for themselves and draw boundaries poorly and try to push them into quitting. They were severely understaffed when I left. Their expectations are confusing and contradictory. There is no reward for hard work just further exploitation. Very difficult to get a day off, however it is nice that you can choose your shifts seasonally and in advance. The job itself was super fun and enjoyable however the management made it miserable and not worth it. The pay is good for a job fresh out of high school but not worth the mental stress. 

The job itself pays well with clear identifiable tasks - however, there is a tendency for staff, particularly auxiliary to feel overworked. Management style is fear based and due to the system utilized, most of the management staff have previously been promoted from unrelated positions, and therefore aren't necessarily suited to managing employees. Everyone is trying to watch their back and avoid punishment - being likeable and having strong leadership skills (genuine or not) can avoid punishment where it is due, and result in undeserved promotion. The City staff occasionally make strong efforts to implement the City's values through various initiatives, staff meetings (sometimes disciplinary). Staff must stand up for themselves and take precaution when performing tasks as sometimes City staff are asked to perform dangerous duties for which they are not trained/equipped - for example, mixing litres of bleach and splashing it around to clean facilities etc.

Working at the north surrey rec centre pool was probably the most horrible work experience. There is no scope for growth here if you are not a favourite with the coordinator/programmer. There is blatant favouritism despite hours being by seniority and it being a unionized position. Moreover, the programmer, coordinator, and management rarely acknowledge positive performance. Rather, they are so quick to confront you and call you into meetings for the pettiest things. Meetings are full of hearsay and questionable accusations. Rarely anything solid. I would definitely not recommend picking the NSIP as a choice for pool if you pass the interviews. It is a small facility with BIG amounts of drama. The people behind the glass windows in the office are literally so bored they will call you out on anything. Whether it’s uniform, the way you’re standing to guard, probably even how you breathe. 

Stay away.

I worked for Surrey for almost five years. During the entire time I worked there, we were in a constant state of being critically understaffed. Paid overtime was not permitted but unpaid overtime was the expectation in my department.  At one time, three people were on stress leave at the same time.

Political interference was also an issue and the former mayor’s chief but unofficial backer was in closed door meetings with certain managers on the regular at a time this individual claimed in the media to have no business dealing with the City.

While there were a few nice people, most people in my department were miserable and didn’t talk to one another.

Management seemed inept and made several mistakes during my time there that resulted in a worse work environment and worse outcomes for the City’s clients and it’s citizens.

I took a pay cut to leave but it was the best career decision I have ever made. Stay away from the City of Surrey.

Overall working here is wonderful. The pay is really good, the staff are super friendly and easy to get along with, and the benefits are nice. However, it is difficult sometimes to get the shift you want because the system is based off of seniority. So if you're new you get stuck doing all teaching, which can get a bit rough if you're prone to getting cold. The pool space is also very limited when trying to teach class which can be difficult.

The best part of the job though, is being able to help your students learn, and see how much joy it brings them. This is an extremely important job, and it is definitely rewarding.

When a system is based on an ever-expanding budget rather than making profit, there is little drive to remain efficient. Nobody here takes any pride in their work. Management's salaries remain the same whether or not budgets are met. Once a single job is complete and on the books, the days work is over, whether it's noon or 3 o'clock. If you want to feel as though you've accomplished something meaningful, move along. This is a wasteland, showcasing dark examples of human nature. You can't blame the workers. Nobody is watching; ensuring the tax payers dollar is being put to good use. What would you do if all you had to do is show up? 

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Community assistant 24 salaries reported	$27.96 per hour
Laborer 12 salaries reported	$29.84 per hour
Swim instructor 6 salaries reported	$26.40 per hour
Clerk 10 salaries reported	$32.49 per hour
Planner 17 salaries reported	$54.11 per hour

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