Why The Ferry House

FOR YOUR NEXT CAREER STEP

“Hospitality can be hard work over long, anti-social hours. In order to enjoy this type of work, we believe a good working environment is key. We strive to provide the best facilities & tools we can to enable our team to thrive & enjoy their work. We reinvest in our ‘back of house’ facilities as much as possible & are constantly looking for ways to improve working life for our Ferry House family. As the owners we work every day alongside our team & hope to make them all feel valued as individuals but also as part of something ‘bigger’. We are a rapidly developing company & encourage employee creativity & input into our future journey.”

Alex & Victoria Burden – Owners.

THE PERKS

Staff enjoy up to 40% off dining, drinks, overnight stays & treatments, a birthday gift & 4% pension. Unusually for a restaurant we close for at least five days over Christmas, so our team can enjoy the festive period with their families. Social events throughout the year are open to anyone who wishes to come along & we have two annual 'get togethers' for the whole team.

TRAINING

Training is available to all permanent staff, including personal development, HR practices, people management & job specific skills. We have clear progression paths for all staff who wish to move up to the next levels, or change career in another department when they want a fresh challenge, but don't want to leave the business.

FLEDGLING STAFF

Many of our part time/weekend staff are under 21 & working alongside their studies. We aim to get them started in the job world with a skill set that can be used in many professions, with a hard working attitude & customer service focused mentality. It is very satisfying seeing our team members recommend us for work to their friends & family. It reaffirms we are getting this right!

CAREER PROGRESSION

We are passionate about 'home grown talent' & take immense pride in being able to support our guys to flourish. Our leadership team have all been promoted from within the business & we have several senior positions held by employees who have grown into those roles, with our help. We've shown some examples below - if you've got the drive, we will help you get where you want to go.

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

As well as celebrating our team's successes with £100 going to our Employee of the Month, we also like to make a big deal of Employee of the Year. Announced at our 'Jan-mas' party, it's the perfect opportunity for the team to express their gratitude for their colleagues with comments such as "I honestly don't know anyone that works as hard as them", "their knowledge of the business, approachable manner, great customer focus and humour shines through" and "I love working every shift with them, inside and out they are an amazing person".

Career Progression Stories

ELLIE • WEDDING ASSISTANT

"Working at The Ferry House has made me grow in confidence and I am doing things I never thought I could. Having started as a food runner, The Ferry House has managed to help me grow and evolve into now being Weddings Assistant. The team have became another big family to me and helped me through the years to progress in my job as well as having a laugh while doing so."

SAM • WEDDING COORDINATOR

"Since starting at the Ferry House over a year ago I have seen so many couples enjoy their wedding, and it is an absolute pleasure to be part of their special day. Previous venues I have worked at I only got to meet couples on the day of their wedding but working here I get to build up a relationship with the couples during planning meetings, learn to gain their trust before running their big day, which is so important to me and the couple to have a familiar face.

The team are so lovely, and we are all treated as part of a family not just an employee. All staff doesn’t matter what department are always willing to get involved to help with whatever is needed. Any new ideas I have are always listened to and taken seriously no matter how big or small.

I really do enjoy my job and no day is ever the same "

Georgina • Client Relationship Executive

"I started working at the Ferry House in 2018, after taking a few years out from working to be a stay at home mum to my three young children. I started my Ferry House journey as a waitress mainly working on weddings, which I loved and it did so much for my confidence! After two years of working as a waitress and behind the bar on so many beautiful weddings I got asked to become part of the weddings team as a sales executive, I was so excited to start my next chapter."

"The support I have received has been amazing and I would never of dreamed this could of happened when I started my part time role as a waitress. Working at the Ferry House has been such an amazing experience, not only do I get to work at a beautiful place I get to work with lovely people who have supported me and help me achieve my goals. I love my job and the challenges it gives me to better myself in my career."

James • Head Chef

"I began here part time, before joining as a full time Sous, then was promoted to head chef after 18 months. I like the potential here, the sense that business has true momentum, and it's the same thing that everyone says when they come here, it could be something truly special. Which is true of a lot of places, but here it feels achievable, that there's the resources in the right places, with people heading it that are willing to do what needs to be done... and I wanted be part of somewhere that was willing to grow."

"As a chef, the resources are the biggest boon, the farm, the garden, the estate, the local suppliers, now new things likes the butchery, getting in whole animals, the curing cabinet, those are all things that few places have any of, let alone all of them,
I certainly feel like I'm listened to, and my opinions are considered."

"To be in an environment with a lot of culinary resources, that supports my ideas, allows me free reign, and with what I perceive to be no real "limit" any time soon allows me to grow and develop a style of my own, which is really important to me. I like to be challenged and I like to learn, so being in an environment that is always progressing will always yield new challenges and new opportunities to overcome."

An Extra Word

FROM PAST EMPLOYEES

Whilst we are very lucky to retain some fabulous people in our team for many years (some exceeding 10 years service) it is inevitable that some will ‘fly the nest’. Our aim is for all employees to move on with more skills than they arrived with.

So, if you are a 6th form student looking for a weekend job before you go to Uni, you will leave with life skills and great people skills that you can put to use in any career field you choose. For management level staff there is personal development opportunities, including management and HR training. For chefs not only culinary betterment but management skills and kitchen garden knowledge.

During exit interviews we have a 100% positive response to ‘would you return to work here again?’ and almost all of our recruiting is via recommendation/word of mouth. The comments we receive in exit interviews/resignations are great affirmations that we are providing a nice place to work.

"I will definitely miss being part of the BB4 family."

"...a large stepping stone in my career..."

"…so grateful for all the opportunities to better myself and my skills."

"I am walking away with fond memories and friendships."

"I really enjoyed working and being part of The Ferry House Team, and I am grateful for all the help and kindness that I have received during my time with you."

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