nice summer job if you’re in high school, lots of fun being outside all day and hanging out with other people your age. a lot of the guests can be rude (ex. parents trying to fake their child’s height so they can get on a ride (which is extremely dangerous and usually leads to a fight), smokers not understanding why they can’t smoke outside of the smoking zone, karens, and people who’re annoyed after waiting an hour in the sun) but the team is nice and management will 9/10 times stick up for you.

Pros

employee events, smile award, fun environment

Cons

having to stay in bad weather, rude guests, screaming kids

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Never work here

Rides Operator (Former Employee) - Calgary, AB - 4 March 2022

Genuinely the worst job in the world. The commute is long, shifts are very long, extremely short breaks that you have to walk long distances to get to, terrible management. I could go on and on about how much I hated that place. Everything about it is disgusting.

Pros

Nice coworkers, discount in the food lounge

Cons

Everything else

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Insights into Calaway Park

Based on 11 survey responses

What people like

Feeling of personal appreciation
Inclusive work environment
Supportive environment

Areas for improvement

General feeling of work happiness
Fair pay for job
Energizing work tasks

Long hours and bad management

Ride Operator (Former Employee) - Calgary, AB - 25 February 2022

Typical day of work included standing for 8 hours a day with one 30 minute break that was cut off to 20 minutes because of walking time. Management had favourites and treated their employees unfairly. The hardest part was when guests would yell at you and get angry and the long hours of continuous standing as they do not allow you to sit down whatsoever. Management was easily the worst part of this job. The best part was the people you would work with, I made a lot of friends that I am still in contact with today. You do not get paid enough to deal with all of the stuff you have to deal with in this position.

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Great Work Culture

Calaway Park Ride Operator (Former Employee) - Calgary, AB - 26 October 2021

I enjoyed the work culture that was part of the company. I made a lot of friends during my time of employment, and everyone was very friendly and great to be around. Management were very supportive and always made sure we were trained well. A con was the long hours that had to be worked and having to stand around in the sun. Overall, would recommend working there.

Pros

Employee events, friendly employees

Cons

Long hours, harsh weather conditions (eg. sun exposure, cold winds)

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If your a Millwright or mechanic don't work here, read my full review

Journeyman Millwright (Former Employee) - Maintenance - 3 October 2021

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.

Pros

Free tickets

Cons

Poor management, no vacation time in the summer, loss of many perks they used to give employees

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Great summer job lots of heat

Games team member (Former Employee) - Calgary, AB - 27 June 2021

Calaway Park is an amazing place to have a summer job. They pay well and are very very supportive. Employee discounts couldn't get better and the management is incredible. The games team leads are some of the best people you will ever work for. Calaway even offers transportation! Had I not gotten a job in my desired career field I would have stayed in my position here much longer. The only con to working at Calaway park is that hours can be long and you are outside with little to no protection from the sun. If you get hired here, prepare yourself for some heat, stay hydrated and don't forget the sunscreen. :)

Pros

Great management, employee discounts, fun place to be

Cons

long hours, no protection from sun

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Amazing and fun place to work, very caring environment

Games Team Member (Former Employee) - Calgary, AB - 6 November 2020

I didn't work at Calaway for very long. Due to covid-19, it was pretty slow compared to when I visited the park as a guest. I prefer a fast-paced environment. But while I was there I can happily say that that it was the best place I have ever worked. Employees are eager to work together and to make sure all staff and guests have an amazing time at the park. Calaway is the perfect summer job, especially if you're new to work because their training is very in-depth. Management is incredible when working with concerns from staff and guests.

Pros

Great management good pay fun environment great for a first job

Cons

none

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Fun Fast Paced Work Environment for High School Students and Grads

Cinemagic 3D Host (Former Employee) - Calgary, AB - 2 July 2020

Calaway Park is an extraordinary place to work. Operations at Calaway are fast-paced and exciting while remaining fun. Their expectations are high, but that helps their employees learn about the work environment. The management is friendly and approachable; they're always willing to listen and help with any issues that may arise. The workplace culture is welcoming; everyone is warm and friendly, and I made many friendships!

Pros

No day is the same

Cons

Very far away (high gas costs)

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Great First Time Job Management Needs Some Work

Retail and Admissions Team Member (Former Employee) - Calgary, AB - 10 May 2020

This is a great first job for high school students, learned a lot about being at the workplace. Pros: - Steady Paycheck - Lots of Training - Chance to learn everywhere you go - Continuous Guidance and supervision - Most of the guests are great and understand that this is your first job. Cons: - Management: Management is super unprofessional, they expect you to act like an adult while taking down at you and not fostering a culture of respect. Management will talk about you behind your back high-school style. - Other Workers Since a lot of workers are high schoolers there is a lot of drama to which you sometimes can't avoid. People will actively seek out drama and don't understand that you're there to work and not necessarily make friends (or enemies). - Some rude encounters with guests Like all other jobs that involve working with people, guests are sometimes entitled and don't want to follow park conduct.

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Needs work.

Ride Operator (Former Employee) - Calgary, AB - 10 March 2020

Working at Calaway was nothing but stress. Not to say there weren't any good times, but it was a very difficult job and the management was awful. Schedules were changed very often with little notice, and it was very often that we were understaffed due to the managers not booking enough people to work that day.

Pros

Good starter job, nice hours, a good place to make friends.

Cons

Poor schedule management, little notice when it came to the change of schedules.

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Fun yet unprofessional workplace

Retail & Admissions Team Member (Former Employee) - Calgary, AB - 18 January 2020

I worked here and they hired me because they mass hire teenagers, some of which are not qualified for their jobs, and they allow them to work until they fire half of them over the course of the summer, only to hire new people.

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fun work place

Customer service/concessions department (Former Employee) - Calgary, AB - 29 October 2019

very kind working environment, the staff and team management was amazing. I loved seeing the smile on kids and families faces while working. i learnl

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Fun workplace due to the other workers, but management is a nightmare

Food Prep (Current Employee) - Calgary, AB - 30 September 2019

Management wants you to commit everything to Calaway Park and does not seem to care if it interferes with important family matter. Also, the worker is always at fault for things that are uncontrollable.

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Management is not very understanding especially in the rides dept

SEASONAL (Former Employee) - Springbank AB - 12 September 2019

Management does not really care about family emergency as well there is a lot of contradicting rules management will say one thing and the next day they will change their mind and say the exact opposite of the first thing. as well you get yelled at a lot from guests and there is not much support for it. Personally I would recommend finding somewhere else to work!

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Terrible

Restaurant Team Member (Current Employee) - Calaway Park - 17 August 2019

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.

Pros

15 free tickets to calaway park for family and friends, free admission to the park on your free days, good hours

Cons

Toxic work environment, bad training, constant drama, very short breaks, long commute, etc

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Fun summertime job

Games Associate (Former Employee) - Calgary, AB - 16 August 2019

I worked at Calaway park just out of highschool, and it was a great first job! You're guaranteed to get nearly fulltime hours even if you're part time, and it's a joy to work with kids and bring them a fun experience with their family. I personally worked in the games district, and aside from the strange and hectic break schedule, I loved it! I loved setting up the games before opening and watching the guest run towards my game with excitement. Some days are much busier than others, but there's always someone to give a hand if you're feeling overwhelmed. The employee perks were also great, and I loved the after work events that were scheduled outside of work hours. Calaway park strives to give all their employees and guests a fun experience!

Pros

free park entry/discounts for friends and family, good hours, great management

Cons

odd break schedule/too short lunch break, transit to/from park is far

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Great summer job

Entertainer (Former Employee) - Calgary, AB - 8 June 2019

I worked at Calaway Park for two summers as part of the Street Cast team, and there was never a dull moment. The team that I worked with was very friendly and welcoming, and the chemistry was outstanding. The employee events were tons of fun and the management was very easily approachable. The only downside is the number of work days that were lost due to the unpredictable weather.

Pros

friendly environment, approachable management

Cons

lost hours due to rainy days

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eh

Restaurants team member (Former Employee) - Calgary, AB - 6 May 2019

I do not recommend the people show favoritism a lot so if you arent sucking up to you most likely won't be getting raises or promotions. and there is too much drama

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Not my favourite

Games Operator (Former Employee) - Calgary, AB - 2 May 2019

The hours were very long and tough in the hot weather. They would "forget" to let me on my break at times which was awful. The management was mean, and very strict which made the job which one would think should be fun a nightmare.

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Fun with lots of opportunity to make lots of friends.

CONCESSIONS SENIOR TEAM (Former Employee) - Calgary, AB - 21 April 2019

This was not a typical come and go type of job, there is much encouragement to be part of and grow better relations with coworkers. When working concessions, we were not allowed to keep tips, with the explanation that they were used towards 'events' that clearly cost them little to nothing. Was not payed any overtime, even when asked to stay longer to clean, etc. Awards and such were not always given out to hard workers and rather to those who were clearly just sucking up to management, most awards seemed completely useless, didn't get you anything apart from a picture.

Pros

fun atmosphere

Cons

no tips, no overtime

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Worst culture I've ever experienced.

Guest Services (Former Employee) - Calgary, AB - 25 March 2019

The culture of Calaway is horrid. Any teenager/young adult given an ounce of supervisory power act incredibly stuck up to teens working their first jobs. I will never forget working in guest services when my "lead" waltzes in on shift with a plate of fries and eats them in front of the desk (in front of customers), at the same time reprimanding one of our team for having a granola bar. Absolutely terrible.