As any parent knows, keeping children entertained on holiday is no easy feat. Here, kids’ entertainer Millie Bicknelle gives us an insight into her typical working day at Club Mac resort in Alcudia, Majorca.
My typical day at work involves . . .
I love starting the day with some yoga as it makes me feel a lot fresher and more prepared for the day. Then I make a cup of tea, have some breakfast and head off to the kids’ club.
The first thing I do is put some music on; my day starts so much better when I play music and it not only motivates the team, but it also encourages more children to come in and see what we have on offer. The kids’ club team has a morning meeting to delegate jobs and then we start to prepare the activities.
Activities start at 10am for two hours, followed by a meet-and-greet session with our mascots Lollo and Bernie or an After Beach session for toddlers until 1pm, when we break for lunch.
During my lunch I like to go for a walk, have a swim, do some doodling in my sketchbook, or have a power nap. We’re back in work for 2.30pm to prepare the afternoon sessions. We’ll finish any paperwork before a kids’ club party from 7pm. I’m normally finished for the day by 10pm.
My daily duties involve…
A huge variety of things; I could be running creative sessions, hosting a sports tournament, chatting to guests around the pool, promoting our kids’ club and parties, or taking Lollo and Bernie for a walk.
How do Lollo and Bernie fit into kids’ club?
They’re at the centre of everything in the kids’ club. Everything revolves around them – all of our merchandise and branding, the activity themes, parties, even the colouring books. The children adore them.
I became a kids’ club rep because…
As a child the reps made my holiday. My parents loved to relax and I loved to explore and meet new people, so I spent most of my time in the hotel kids’ club. There was a rep called Nancy we always used to go to in Greece and I remember looking up to her because she made my holidays the most fun they could be. When I was thinking about my career, I wanted to make a child’s holiday as fun and exciting as the reps made mine.
The most rewarding part of my job is…
The connections I make with the children. I mainly work with the older children, so I get the opportunity to really get to know them. Occasionally I get letters and gifts sent to me once they’ve left.
The most challenging part is…
As cheesy as it sounds, the hardest part is saying goodbye to the families I connect with. We spend so much time with them and get to know each other, so saying goodbye, knowing I will probably never see them again, can be really emotional.
My favourite destination is…
Both Greece and Lapland are beautiful, and I’ve loved my summer in Majorca.
The most common question I am asked is…
‘What kind of thing do you do here?’ We have so much going every day that answering this question can take some time.
To relax I like to…
Draw, write, read, go for a bike ride, walk up the mountains or chill by the pool.