Are you tired of your humdrum
life? Do you want to get involved in something different and exciting? Do you
like sports and travel? You may have the opportunity to do both! How? You could
work or volunteer at the next Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The games will be
held in 2010, but the work has already begun. Staging the Olympic and
Paralympic Games is an enormously complicated task. The organization in charge
of creating the 2010 Winter Olympics is the Vancouver Organizing Committee for
the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). The Committee's mandate
is to support and promote the development of sport in Canada by financing,
planning, organizing, and staging the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
VANOC needs lots
of help. It’s a big
organization, with a $1.7 billion operating budget. During the games VANOC will
employ over 1,500 paid staff and 25,000 volunteers.
What kinds of jobs
are needed before and during the games? VANOC is divided into functional areas,
each requiring staff and volunteers with specialized skills and experience. The
functional areas are:
• Accommodation
• Accreditation
• Administration
• Anti-Doping
• Ceremonies
• Commercial Rights Management
• Communications
• Community Relations
• Cultural Olympiad
• Editorial
Services/Online Communications
• Event Services
• Finance
• Food & Beverage
• Government
Relations
• International
Client Services (ICS)
• Media Relations
• Medical Services
• NOC/NPC Services
(assist delegations)
• Olympic and
Paralympic Villages
• Paralympic Planning
• Press Operations
• Risk Management
& Assurance Services
• Sponsorship and
Servicing
• Sport and Sport
Events
• Sustainability
• Technology
• Ticketing
• Torch Relay
• Transportation
• Venue Management
• Workforce
How do I apply for
a job?
VANOC has an online
résumé submission system. You can apply for specific job postings as well as
create a personal account to download and update your employment information.
You can also receive notification about new job postings.
Do I have to apply
for a specific job?
Not necessarily. If
you are not sure how your skills may be put to use, you can submit your résumé
to the general candidate pool by selecting "submit résumé." You can
also set up your account to be notified about job postings from functional
areas in which you have specified an interest.
Do I have to speak
French?
VANOC says that
French is definitely an asset but it is not a requirement unless otherwise specified
for the position for which you are applying.
How about
volunteering?
VANOC is looking for
25,000 volunteers who are available before, during, and after the 2010 Winter
Games. The more time and flexibility you have, the more opportunities there may
be for you to get involved. But you can’t just show up—you need to apply
online. You should also be proactive about finding accommodations. VANOC says that
if you pre-arrange your own accommodations you’re more likely to be awarded a
volunteer job.
What’s the age
limit?
To apply for a
volunteer role, you must be 19 years old on or before September 1, 2008.
If you love winter
sports and can take a few months off to work in Vancouver, you should check out
opportunities at the 2010 Winter Games!
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