# Become a Legend - GW career



## Zodd (Jul 27, 2009)

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/c...oryId=&section=&pIndex=0&aId=10900004&start=1

I think this could be a golden oppotunity for some.

But this part saddens me;

quote:
If you are not a hobbyist, don't worry because it's the skills and attitude that are important! :end quote

I know, i shouldn't be surpriced. But i don't think i have seen this before in public; we don't need our black/red/blue shirts to know anything about the hobby, we just need them to push the grey plastic-crack.


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## GrizBe (May 12, 2010)

Its why I like my local stores ones... they actually know what they're talking about for the most part. 

Thing is though its the starting wages... they're ridiculously low. I can get the same ammount pretty much being a shelf stacker anywhere else in my town... Its why they're not getting the right sort of people for the most part. 

Heck, if it was more like £15K, I'd sign up to be a trainee as admittedly, I don't know as much as I could about the hobby.

But then too you'll always get the problem of, they'll want you to work at a store in a town you don't live in.


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## bitsandkits (Mar 18, 2008)

Wow those wages are so far off the pace its almost laughable, just done a check on uk averages, a store manager for my area (yorkshire) would average £25k and the uk average is £27k ,basic retail staff in my area (shop assistants) can expect 17k. 
Still i suppose we cant complain, if they put the wages up guess what else would go up? infact i think they are paid far too much


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

bitsandkits said:


> Wow those wages are so far off the pace its almost laughable....


Unless they have made changes, you make up for your wages being lower with the wonderful discounts on GW product.

Of course that means you work for them in exchange for you increasing their profits but we all love models more than food anyway


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## nocturnalK (Jun 15, 2010)

yeah i would agree with the wages being a joke, i would love to work in a GW store but there is not a chance i could afford to. these jobs are for people whom still live at home lol.
Plus i cant really by into the bonus of saving on GW products as you could still get better deals from other retailers.
Apparently GW products are sold at 60% of the RRP to retailers, now if you was getting those proces as GW staff then yup i can see part of the benifit.
lol, though if they are seeling at 60% RRP and still making a profit i would be intrested to find out how much % profit they get though GW sales


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## Marneus Calgar (Dec 5, 2007)

GW must be making incredible profits, paying their shop workers minimal amounts, and selling the products at sky high prices? Seems a bit weird. Maybe if they reduced priced they'd sell more and they'd make bigger profits? Maybe.. 

Plus, I don't need to become a legend. Because I am a Legend...


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## Bubblematrix (Jun 4, 2009)

That low wage + relocation an advantage (read essential here) and I stopped reading.

The plus is its pitched as a job with no academic requirements, the reality is that anyone not passing well in their training sessions would likely be dropped pretty quickly.

As a good comparison, an un-named burger establishment with large golden Ms offers £18.5k to its trainee managers, true they will have a harder time of it and they (for some reason) require a degree in 'something', but I don't expect the GW lot to be very forgiving in thier staff training.

For someone who just needs a job right now and wants a kick start its probably a good oportunity to work with a product you love, but I think you will sweat blood to advance far up the chain as you are working with/against a whole load of peoplw who also want to work for GW. I don't think this is for anyone without balls of steel or those already in any kind of career and it is certainly not going to be playing games and painting stuff


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## GrizBe (May 12, 2010)

Yeah as said... my area is a low wage place due to the demand for jobs, and even I can get better wages then that for skivvy work, which is traditionally the bottom of the food chain wage wise.

Having to move as you would... yeah, a discount doesn't make up for that, nore does the 'health benefits' they offer... hell, as said, you can get all that at a certain fast food chain doing grunt work.


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## Katie Drake (Nov 28, 2007)

Twelve weeks of brainwashing and mind scrubbing to work for GW! I can't wait. :laugh:


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## neilbatte (Jan 2, 2008)

How is getting paid half as much with more resonsibility and finding the costs of moving somewhere miles away (There's only 1 GW in norfolk and it already has a boss)make me legendary more like really stupid.
If I spent half my income on GW products then I'd break even.
This is definately not a job for a family man.


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## Cadian81st (Dec 24, 2006)

Quite frankly, even if GW raised the wages, most of it would be reabsorbed come pay day.


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## OIIIIIIO (Dec 16, 2009)

Simple ... get the job buy all of your paycheck in GW shit then sell on ebay and make your money that way ...


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## Katie Drake (Nov 28, 2007)

Talthewicked said:


> Simple ... get the job buy all of your paycheck in GW shit then sell on ebay and make your money that way ...


That's actually why GW cut down on the discount they gave their employees, because they'd buy tons of Spearhead boxes and sell them on eBay before their street release date and make a killing. I'd know, a friend of mine did it.


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## Deneris (Jul 23, 2008)

Katie Drake said:


> Twelve weeks of brainwashing and mind scrubbing to work for GW! I can't wait. :laugh:


And don't forget the bionic upgrades and organ implants... :laugh:


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## gen.ahab (Dec 22, 2009)

I think I will stick to the medical field, thanks. Those wages are crap. If I was rich as fuck, maybe, but considering I am not..... hell no.


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## Cadian81st (Dec 24, 2006)

Katie Drake said:


> That's actually why GW cut down on the discount they gave their employees, because they'd buy tons of Spearhead boxes and sell them on eBay before their street release date and make a killing. I'd know, a friend of mine did it.


Out of curiosity, whats the current discount?


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## Katie Drake (Nov 28, 2007)

Cadian81st said:


> Out of curiosity, whats the current discount?


Couldn't tell you. I want to say 50% but I think that was the discount a few years ago and I recall it going down. This is just in Canadian stores mind you, I can't speak for other countries.


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## aquatic_foible (Mar 17, 2010)

the chaps in my local GW store are [understandably?] cagey about disclosing the exact amount of the discount they get, but i did badger one of them to admit that it's in the ball park of 40-50%. 

that, combined with the wages, would not be enough to get me to relocate to some dark and horrible part of England, as you'd probably end up having to do!


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## Pssyche (Mar 21, 2009)

"If you are not a hobbyist, don't worry because it's the skills and attitude that are important!"

Surely that should read 
"If you are a hobbyist, don't worry because we'll drill it out of you..."


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## betrayer01 (Mar 21, 2009)

GW staff discount is 50%, back in the day you used to get 'weight order' which was: you did a mail order and you just paid the postage.... a land raider would cost about £5.00 but it was stopped becuse the non-EU staff didnt get the same benefit.

I have been to many full-timer meetings in Nottingham and low wages always get brought up, and the answer is always 'you get discount'.

The average full-timer wage is £8,900 - go figure!


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## DonFer (Apr 23, 2010)

betrayer01 said:


> GW staff discount is 50%, back in the day you used to get 'weight order' which was: you did a mail order and you just paid the postage.... a land raider would cost about £5.00 but it was stopped becuse the non-EU staff didnt get the same benefit.
> 
> I have been to many full-timer meetings in Nottingham and low wages always get brought up, and the answer is always 'you get discount'.
> 
> The average full-timer wage is £8,900 - go figure!


Just out of curiosity what would be an average and acceptable full-timer wage?


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## normtheunsavoury (Mar 20, 2008)

I applied to this a couple of years back and got as far as the interview stage. I have a reasonable background in retail as it tends to be what I fall back on when not working as a chef. 
The interview process was a joke, not once was I asked about anything to do with selling or even the hobby itself. Instead we had to solve some puzzles in groups, then make a non alcoholic cocktail then do a presentation on something that was nothing to do with GW. About half way through I got fed up with being spoken at like a three year old and unsurprisingly I wasn't successful in my application.
If that's the interview process I'm actually pretty glad it didn't go any further, being patronised is not one of my favourite hobbies.


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## Necrontyr Slaver (Jun 30, 2010)

I would prefer to be a game-mechanic or scenariomaker, not a store manager. If you want to make your work as your hobby, why become a salesman?


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## nocturnalK (Jun 15, 2010)

normtheunsavoury said:


> I applied to this a couple of years back and got as far as the interview stage. I have a reasonable background in retail as it tends to be what I fall back on when not working as a chef.
> The interview process was a joke, not once was I asked about anything to do with selling or even the hobby itself. Instead we had to solve some puzzles in groups, then make a non alcoholic cocktail then do a presentation on something that was nothing to do with GW. About half way through I got fed up with being spoken at like a three year old and unsurprisingly I wasn't successful in my application.
> If that's the interview process I'm actually pretty glad it didn't go any further, being patronised is not one of my favourite hobbies.


Yeah thats a Psychometric interview, they seem to be the in thing at the moment.
I have to go though 4 of those in the past, they use it gage how you interact with people and what sort of personality you have.

lol, but they are only between 60-80% accurate most of the time and half the the time the observers dont have a clue what they are suppose to be doing.

I did one for where i work now where we had a 2 hr interview and then we had to sit in a group round a table and resolve a make belive problem for an hour, there was a Shrink behine each of us 1 per every interviewie taking notes on our interactions.....

But at the end of the day for a job in that pay bracket its not worth it.

9k per annum?, if that is right and its for a 37.5 hr week then thats not even legal lol, unless you are be classed as a "trainnie"


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## SeerKarandras (Jun 24, 2010)

Having worked For GW here in the States I can say they are not pleasant to work for. The wages are crap and there are no benefits. The discount was ok back when I worked in 2000. 60% and then .05 cents per gram for metal. Sent in baggies kind of like crack .

The big thing is though yo must conform to their way of things totally. Any thought except for what they tell you is a fireable offense.
It was so bad I was discouraged very firmly to not play any other games except what they make.

Its kind of like joining a cult but without the special koolaide.


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## LTP (Apr 15, 2009)

nocturnalK said:


> Yeah thats a Psychometric interview, they seem to be the in thing at the moment.
> I have to go though 4 of those in the past, they use it gage how you interact with people and what sort of personality you have.
> 
> lol, but they are only between 60-80% accurate most of the time and half the the time the observers dont have a clue what they are suppose to be doing.
> ...


I wish my interview was that easy! I had a 2 Day interview. The first i had to do a run, 5 physical tests and medicals. Then we did an icebreaker which is standing up and introducung yourself (confidence test) then i had to do 5 group command tasks and then i had to sit in the office and tell thus colonel fella why i wanted the job. 

Anyway i wouldnt mind doing my hobby as a job but i cant be arsed with all the bs. I doubt they would let me take my battlefoam case to work or take any vallejo paints etc and the wages are shite.


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## nocturnalK (Jun 15, 2010)

ROLF, yeah im not expected to do any running 

what you just said about the "confidence test" lol, it remined me of the one of the courses i got put on for managin people.. i had to explain to the group (20 people) what 5 animals cover human personalitys , i got up and acted out the animals ROLF., it was hilarious at the time. Got my point accross very well though


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## Adeptus (Aug 12, 2009)

Luckily im too young to work full time but even i know how f***ked over anyone working for GW is . Come on i love 40k and fantasy as much as anyone on this forum but 9K a year is a joke . Thats 12K in euros . The discount at least makes you feel a bit better but its still an excuse from GW to keep your wages down . 

P.S Sorry if me ranting isnt what ye want to hear . Tou can just tell mke to quieten down if you want .


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## nocturnalK (Jun 15, 2010)

lol, thats okay, if these people are working 40hrs per week am actualy sure there under the min wage


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## GrizBe (May 12, 2010)

Minimum wage for someone my age in the UK (anyone 22 or over) Is £5.80. Soo, for a 40 hour week I'd be expected to earn £232 before tax etc. So for a year, thats £12,064.


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## nocturnalK (Jun 15, 2010)

yup so ether these guys are unber 18 or they are not evening get full hours.
if they are not contracted for 37.5-40 hrs then there part time which means they only get what ever hours there asked to do...

Now that sucks


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## LTP (Apr 15, 2009)

nocturnalK said:


> lol, thats okay, if these people are working 40hrs per week am actualy sure there under the min wage


Oh yeah by far. And lol on your animal impressions i wish i could of seen that haha.


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## nocturnalK (Jun 15, 2010)

lol, yup on thing i don't lack is confidence and the ability to make a prat out of myself to get a point across


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## jigplums (Dec 15, 2006)

the wages start at 13,500 not 9 grand


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## Too_hot_to_handle (Jan 4, 2007)

One thing that makes me laugh is that in this thread half the people slagging off gw, its wages, its interview process etc... are people turned down by gw. Bitter prehaps?

As someone who has worked for gw, i feel the people that don't like the way people treat it staff, are generally the lazy, or incompetant staff that make all the rest look bad on places like heresy. you know the guys that you lot all slag off for being "salesmen" or trying to pimp marines, or making up shit because they dont know what there talking about.

For me I found working for gw awesome, as although the wages aren't great, the training is awesome if you engage with it and the job is really rewarding. You actually get to make a difference, get respect and recognition for your hard work and have an enormous influence on the hobby in your community. If you become a manager for workshop you will easily be able to transfer skills to lots of other areas and i know alot of ex-workshop manager that earn very good money in other areas due to the training they got while at gw. All of them still wish they worked for gw as well, as there are very few people out there who go to work and actually enjoy what they do


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## Cyklown (Feb 8, 2010)

$21k a year USD equivalent, ignoring the fact that the pound's buying power does not properly reflect it's exchange value is... terrible, if you're managing a store. And, of course, if you get behind (and it's salary) you're putting OT in left and right, if their retail stores are anything like retail outlets here in the states.

Hah. You can make that much in some outsourced call centers.

Sure, the discount is probably awesome. But... if I can get 1/3 of that discount just by being choosy about where I buy, then a big chunk of that value disappears.

I'd love to get into certain aspects of the gaming world, but working retail has no appeal for me. If it did I wouldn't still be unemployed.


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## GrizBe (May 12, 2010)

jigplums said:


> the wages start at 13,500 not 9 grand


If you read, thats WITH London weighting... meaning elsewhere in the country you'd get much less.. London being the capital, they have to pay you more as even a crappy little tiny studio appartment in a bad part of the city will costs you £300 a week, without electricity etc.

I could literallly make the £13,500 doing skivvy work in a store warehouse in my town which is completely unskilled labour and doesn't require any knowledge or selling skills.


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## betrayer01 (Mar 21, 2009)

Sorry if I was unclear, the £8'900 I mentioned was in regards to the full timer salary a few years back.


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## jigplums (Dec 15, 2006)

no 13,500 is the starting wage, plus london weighting.

a store manager starts at 15,000 but thats for a 1 man store and goes up based on the takings and staff of the store.


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