Butlin's seasonal team member interview guide
How Butlin's hires for one seasonal listing at Bognor Regis: an informal phone interview, a group recruitment session, a group assessment centre and a DBS step.
About Butlin's
Butlin's runs three beachside resorts: Bognor Regis in West Sussex, Minehead in Somerset and Skegness in Lincolnshire. It says it welcomes around 1.5 million guests per year.1 Its FY2024 results refer to "our 4,000 team members".1
For the year ended 31 December 2024, turnover was £287.5m, down 1.8% on £292.7m for 2023.1 Since September 2022, Butlin's has been owned by a newly formed company backed by the Harris family.1 Jon Hendry Pickup joined as Managing Director in July 2018 and has been Chief Executive since October 2022.2
The careers site groups jobs under four locations: Hemel, Bognor, Minehead and Skegness.3 If nothing suitable is open, you can register your interest so Butlin's can contact you when a role meeting your criteria comes along.3
How Butlin's hires seasonal team
Butlin's sets out the hiring process for one live listing: Seasonal Team, Leisure department, Bognor Regis, a fixed-term, full-time, onsite job.4, 5 Stages vary by job, so check the hiring process on the listing you apply for.6, 8
- Applied and review
Butlin's says it will review your application and be in touch soon.5
- Phone interview
"One of our Resourcing Team will be in touch to arrange an initial telephone interview with you." Butlin's describes it as "an informal chat to get to know you a little bit better."5
- Group recruitment sessionAround 3 hours
"We do our recruitment in groups and we will involve you in a few different activities on the day."5 The session "will last around 3 hours", and the recruitment teams will tell you what you need to know about the day.5
- Group assessment centre
The listing names a Group Assessment Centre as the next stage. It gives no description of it.5
- It's Decision Time!
After the recruitment session, Butlin's says it will be in touch to tell you whether you have been successful and what the next steps are.5
- DBS check
A DBS check may be required for some roles and if you choose to live on a resort. Butlin's says you will be advised on the process during the interview.5
- Hired
The final stage on the listing.5
Other Butlin's listings show different stages.6, 8
- Team Member Plus. This listing adds a Teams Interview after the phone interview, then a Group Recruitment Session of "around 3 hours".6 The job is permanent and full-time at Skegness, not seasonal.7
- Resort Safety SIA Team. This listing adds a Video Interview before the group recruitment session of around 3 hours, and a Teams Interview after it.8
What Butlin's looks for
On the Bognor Regis listing, Butlin's says: "Our recruitment sessions are all about finding out about you!" They are "designed to give you lots of opportunity to show your skills, behaviours and most importantly – your personality."5
The careers site lists three values.3
Butlin's links them to its culture: "We believe, that if we all Get Stuck In, all Create Smiles and all Care For Each Other, our culture at Butlin's will be More Fun, Altogether."3 It says that culture lets it "provide an altogether more entertaining and fun break for our guests."3
Questions to expect
Based on what Butlin's says each stage tests: getting to know you on the phone, then your skills, behaviours and personality in the group session.5 These practice questions are ours, not Butlin's.
Phone interview
Tell us a bit about yourself. What made you apply to a Butlin's resort?
Why does the Leisure team appeal to you?
Have you been to Butlin's, or a similar break, and what stuck with you?
What are you hoping to get out of a season with us?
Group recruitment session
Introduce yourself to the group in under a minute, with one thing nobody would guess about you.
Your group has a short task and someone is not joining in. What do you do?
When have you got stuck into a job that nobody else wanted to do?
Tell us about a time you made someone's day better.
How have you looked out for a teammate who was struggling?
Practical points
Would you want to live on the resort during the season?
Are you comfortable with a DBS check if the role needs one?
How to prepare
- Check your listing's stages first. Stages differ between jobs: Team Member Plus and Resort Safety SIA Team listings add Teams or video interviews.6, 8 Open the hiring process page for your job and plan for each step on it.
- Treat the phone call as a conversation. Butlin's calls it an informal chat to get to know you.5 Have a short answer ready on who you are and why you want this resort.
- Let your personality show. Butlin's says the group sessions are about showing your skills, behaviours and "most importantly – your personality."5 Join in with each activity and be yourself.
- Help the group, not just yourself. In group activities, include quieter people, share the work and keep things light. This is a natural way to show you care for each other, one of Butlin's three values.3
- Have one story per value. Get Stuck In, Create Smiles and Care For Each Other are the three values on the careers site.3 A real example from school, sport, volunteering or a past job works.
- Keep the day free. The group recruitment session lasts around 3 hours on this listing.5 Don't book anything tight around it.
- Ask about living on site. A DBS check may be required if you choose to live on a resort, and you will be advised on the process during the interview.5 Raise any questions then.
Worth mentioning in the interview
- Butlin's turned 90 in 2026. A press release on 2 March 2026 announced 3 nights of 90th birthday celebrations at Bognor Regis, Minehead and Skegness from Friday 10 April 2026, with a firework and laser display on Saturday 11 April to mark 90 years since Billy Butlin opened the Skegness site.9
- Butlin's calls its team the "most important" of the three pillars of its Investment Plan, which launched in 2023.1 Its Team Member Plus programme multi-skills team members, giving them the chance to learn more skills and earn more pay.1
- Butlin's is running a £150m capital investment programme across its three resorts, with £31m deployed in 2024.1
- In November 2025, Butlin's secured additional funding, cornerstoned by a £20m investment from its primary shareholder, with further headroom from its lenders over the period to 2028.1
Quick answers
What are the stages of the Butlin's seasonal team hiring process?
For its Seasonal Team listing in the Leisure department at Bognor Regis, Butlin's lists Applied, Review, Phone Interview, Group Recruitment Session, Group Assessment Centre, It's Decision Time!, DBS Check and Hired.5
How long is the Butlin's group recruitment session?
Butlin's says the group recruitment session will last around 3 hours, on both the Bognor Regis Seasonal Team listing and the Team Member Plus listing.5, 6
What is the Butlin's phone interview like?
On the Bognor Regis Seasonal Team listing, Butlin's says a member of its Resourcing Team arranges an initial telephone interview, which it describes as an informal chat to get to know you a little bit better.5
Does every Butlin's job have the same interview process?
No. The Team Member Plus listing adds a Teams Interview, and the Resort Safety SIA Team listing adds both a Video Interview and a Teams Interview.6, 8
Do you need a DBS check to work at Butlin's?
Butlin's says a DBS check may be required for some roles and if you choose to live on its resorts, and that you will be advised on the process during the interview.5
More interview guides
Sources
- Butlin's Skyline Limited: Butlin's sees continued strategic progress in long term investment planButlin's
- Jon Hendry Pickup, Chief Executive OfficerButlin's
- Jobs at Butlin's | Butlin's CareersButlin's Careers
- Seasonal Team | Butlin's CareersButlin's Careers
- Seasonal Team | Butlin's CareersButlin's Careers
- Team Member PlusButlin's Careers
- Team Member PlusButlin's Careers
- Resort Safety SIA TeamButlin's Careers
- Butlin's announces 90th birthday celebrations this easterButlin's · 2 Mar 2026
Spotted something out of date? Email hello@usetoby.ai.
