Volunteering for the Olympics

[IanDG]

I volunteer my services as a beam for the women's gymnastics

[Regulator]

I volunteer my services as a beam for the women's gymnastics

That's a bit boastful Windy... 

[IanDG]

 

[longers]

A colleague said he'd heard or read that volunteers were to be given Blackberries. As there's been no mention of that here, did he mishear/misread that?

He mentioned it because he was amazed if it were to be on a permanent basis.

[Riggers]

That'll depend if they're in season at that time Longers. Our plums are, and they're delicious!

[Mr Larrington]

The Moscow olympics 1980 are one of the few that seem to have left a lasting (30 years!) legacy of symbols and souvenirs. What this says about capitalism, socialism  and marketitng, if anything, I'm not sure.

The Moscow games turned a mate of mine into a life-long Republican.  He'd been first reserve on the US track team in Montreal, and had been selected for Moscow when Jimmy Carter said the US couldn't play...

[itsbruce]

He became a Republican because he didn't get to play with the communists? 

[andygates]

Having a flounce out of spite is pretty Republican behaviour, maybe he just realized he'd come home once he was there. 

[Redlight]

I can't be the only London resident who wishes some other city had won.  Going to be chaos.

I am seriously considering a cycling tour tour during the Olympics.

The Olympic Park sits between me and my office.  Whether I'm on my bike or public transport, it will not be fun.
 

Ditto. We' ve arranged a house swap with a family from....the south of France    Should be a nice ride there and back too.

[Mr Larrington]

He became a Republican because he didn't get to play with the communists? 

Or possibly because he didn't get the chance to kick their Commie asses

[Wowbagger]

A chap I used to teach with was selected for the Gb team last time the games were in London. He didn't take part because he couldn't afford the fare from Aberdeen.

[Valiant]

Argh makes me angry, why can't they pay accommodation or expenses considering the ammount of money involved in the Olympics and the ammount pumped into it by taking it from other sectors? They can fuck right off.

Sorry.

[David Martin]

Argh makes me angry, why can't they pay accommodation or expenses considering the ammount of money involved in the Olympics and the ammount pumped into it by taking it from other sectors? They can fuck right off.

Sorry.

It would be nice to have even a token payment towards expenses. But there will be a lot of volunteers (tens to hundreds of thousands) which pushes payments etc up considerably. Though 10-20 million in the scale of the overall budget is not a huge amount.

[Greenbank]

I'm unequivocally positive. I want the games to be a huge success and am prepared to give a few days of my time to help that happen.

Same here.

If you want a freebie jaunt down into Londonium with accommodation and/or expenses paid then volunteering for the Olympics or Paralympics is probably not for you.

[padbeat]

I would happily offer my time, expertise and enthusiasm for the 10 days, but one of the things about volunteering is that you shouldn't be out of pocket. I gave up 8 days leave this year to take scouts to camp and my wife gave up 3 days to assist with with setting up and breaking camp. I was offererd (and declined) petrol money, but I didn't have to pay for my food or pitch fees, or for any of the other stuff we did.

I think you might be right about the armed forces being canvassed for 'volunteers', but a couple of freebie tickets shouldn't be beyond the pale. Especially given the numbers of empty seats there'll be because corporate freeloaders hospitality guests can't be arsed making their way out of the Pimms pavillion.

[gordon taylor]

Was there a more up-to-date thread about Olympic volunteers? If so, I can't find it, sorry.

I registered as a potential volunteer ages and ages ago. I've had word today that my interview is at Warwick University at the end of June. I'm being considered for the Ticketing Team.

200,000 applied, 70,000 will be selected.

Anyone else been to a selection event? Anything positive I need to know?

[Tourist Tony]

We are banned from volunteering, and foreign holiday prices---ANY holiday prices--are irrelevant, because all leave is cancelled.

[CAMRAMan]

I volunteered and offered my Swedish language skills as my main asset.

I'm still hoping that I can chaperone the Swedish women's beach volleyball team for the duration...

[David Martin]

Yes, been there.

Expect:
A lot of free cadburys mini chocolates.
A silly game
A lot of waiting around

The one on one interview is 15 mins and has a formula for the interviewer to follow - they ask for various examples of things like - give an example of when you had to work as a team to achieve something. Give an example of when you have to overcome a particular problem, and similar.
There are also questions on motivation and experience - if you have been chosen for a particular team then the interviewer may be directed to focus more on specific questions.
Some may be repetitive - try to have multiple examples.

The interviewer then grades various aspects of each response on a scale of 1-4 (it helps being able to read upside down).

Things to remember - the interviewer is also a volunteer - don't give them a hard time.
They have to express your responses in a particular way. They have 'sub questions' they can use to tease out different aspects - it is worth working with your interviewer as someone who is helping you to complete the interview form rather than seeing them as an interrogator.
They have 15mins per interview - if you don't work together then this can be a difficult target to meet.

Hope this helps.

[gordon taylor]

Thanks David, that was helpful. I had my volunteer interview at Warwick University this afternoon and was all primed with examples of "when I went the extra mile" etc.  The people were pleasant, and unfailingly positive about the games, like me.  We had lots of chocolate, but no silly games.

I enjoyed the afternoon, despite nearly laughing out loud at one candidate who moaned and complained from the second that the clock ticked past 17:00 until I heard her demanding a feedback form from the poor girl on the souvenir shop counter an hour and a bit later.  

If I'm selected, I'll be in the Ticketing Team.  

Slightly OT: I travelled by train and took a folder for the bits at each end. Surely that is the most civilised form of transport yet invented? Most of the others had used the M6, and arrived looking decidedly ragged.  

[Charlotte]

I'm glad you're so enthusiastic about this Gordy.  But my opinion on the matter hasn't changed much since page one.

People are usually asked to volunteer to support sporting events when they're run on a shoestring, for the love of the game.  I've stood on my fair share of street corners, marshalling road races and so forth because I wanted to give something back to an event that was run by amateur officials for amateur athletes.

But the Olympic games isn't about amateur sport any more.  It's mutated into the sort of rancid commercialism that would have had Pierre de Coubertin spinning in his grave.  When people are paying hundreds and sometimes thousands of pounds to buy a ticket to watch an Olympic event, I think it's massively cynical and exploitative for LOCOG to be trying to recruit so many volunteers.

[Wowbagger]

Did they ask those construction companies who have spent the past 5 years erecting the buildings to work for nothing?

[gordon taylor]

I'm glad you're so enthusiastic about this Gordy.  

My enthusiasm started the very instant that the guy read out "London" from the envelope and I bounced round the room, punching the air and yelling my head off.

The Olympics is huge, it's in Britain this time and I want it to be a global success. So I volunteered to help.

The sponsorship and commercialisation which transfixes the opponents (see above) doesn't phase me; I don't really see how you can put on "the greatest show on Earth" without commercial interests... but TBH I'm just not bothered by that side. I want to be welcoming to visitors and athletes from all over the world and share a bit of the electrifying buzz that happy humans create when the big stuff happens.

I also think that getting over 200,000 people to apply to become Olympic volunteers says quite a lot about the country. Are all those people naive and being exploited? Or are we actually a group of optimistic, positive, outward-looking, contented, time-rich people with useful skills to offer? Or somewhere in between.

I really hope I get selected to be one of the 70,000 volunteers. I reckon they'll be quite a special bunch.

[CAMRAMan]

My interview's next month in Coventry, Gordy. I do feel uneasy about the terms, so I'll only put myself down for the football in Coventry. I've a feeling that my Swedish language skills are what got me an interview though, so if they offer a London-based role, I'll have to decline, as there's no way I'm funding two weeks' accommodation myself.

[gordon taylor]

Update - I've been offered a volunteer role in the ticketing team for the equestrian events and some modern pentathlon stuff at Greenwich Park.

That's not at all what I was expecting, but I've accepted. The family (supportive as always) thinks it's bonkers and hilarious. 

I have a vague plan to camp somewhere 20 to 30 miles away in Kent and cycle-commute in every day.