62% of all students in the UK have a part-time job, be it to pay off their student loans, manage their living expenses or just to save for their futures. My name is Trisha and I’m going to take you on a deep dive into the lives of the real students of TimeTrap and explain why working at an escape room is one of the most fun student jobs you can have!
Working at an escape room has been the topic of many conversations that I’ve had with my friends and every time it comes up, they’re very jealous. As a second-year student who has worked at TimeTrap for just over a year, I have found the job to be entirely different to my expectations and it often doesn’t feel like work. Working as an Experience Maker offers a range of experiences; from learning how to run games and chatting with teams to making good friends with fellow TimeTrappers. Becoming an Experience Maker at TimeTrap is one of the best decisions I’ve made in my student life.
This job was the first one I had ever applied to and, to my surprise, I succeeded on my first try! To say I was excited to join the working world is an understatement. I was well and truly thrilled as this was my first step towards being a ‘real adult’. When I applied for the job, I had previously played two escape rooms and had some, albeit very basic, expectations of what it might be like to be a Games Master. I knew it would be customer facing and I knew that I’d be watching and giving clues to teams as and when necessary, but that was the extent of my knowledge of the role. As for my expectations of TimeTrap, I thought it would be similar to other escape rooms. On my first day as a TimeTrapper, my expectations were completely blown out of the water.
As a second-year student, I find that my workload consumes most of my time during the week. It is often the only thing I think about because there’s always something due to be handed in, a presentation to prepare for, or textbook pages to make notes on. Working at TimeTrap at the weekend often takes my mind off the stressful week. I can focus on having a good time with the lovely groups I run games for and the team that I’m working with. Having fun with my friends while working is often the highlight of any week. The friends I’ve made here are some of the funniest and closest I’ve had in a while. They’re a joy to work with and I thoroughly look forward to singing Frozen lyrics at the top of our lungs while shutting down on a Saturday night or laughing till our tummies hurt about something silly that happened, during our breaks.
TimeTrap for the student employee, as sappy as it may sound, is a haven. We’re encouraged to think creatively and pursue goals outside of our academic ones. For me, as someone doing a Law degree, TimeTrap gives me a creative outlet. One of my most proud achievements is getting my first ever art commission from TimeTrap! It was so exciting as someone who took Art A-Level as my only creative outlet, to have an art project come to me after so long! Since my first ever commission, I was then able to get some more commissions and I gained confidence in my skills!
It’s little things like this and training us on how to use the laser-cutter, getting us involved in game building, and letting us write blogs (like this one!) about our experiences, that take us out of routine and let us express our creativity. This, I feel, allows us to thrive in our roles and as people. At the end of the day, students are still developing into adulthood and having a wide variety of experiences and opportunities in a supportive and wholesome environment like TimeTrap allows us to do so.
Don’t just take my word for it – below I have a special interview with TimeTrap’s very own Rachel and Maja! Rachel is a PhD student who has been a TimeTrapper for over five years and Maja is a BA Languages student who has been working at TimeTrap for almost a year. I asked them some questions to see how they feel about working at TimeTrap and how that interacts with their student lives.
1) Why did you apply to TimeTrap?
Rachel: I thought finding a job would be a great way to help put down roots in a new country while developing skills relevant to my studies and future career paths. TimeTrap looked like a great opportunity to indulge in my interests (like puzzling and creative writing) while also being flexible enough to schedule around my schoolwork.
Maja: I applied to TimeTrap because I was in huge need of a job to survive in the adult world as a student. I found this role while job-hunting and loved the idea of providing joy to people as part of my job. I adore the people I work with and I love the whimsicality of the role.
2) Do you think TimeTrap has helped you develop new skills that you wouldn’t have developed otherwise?
Rachel: Absolutely! This job requires the wearing a lot of hats; technical, creative and interpersonal – some of them previously familiar and comfortable, and some not.
Maja: Yes! The DIY skills I’ve learnt will save me a lot of money on my apartment deposit. I would also say that I’ve gotten in touch with my artistic side as well as gaining interpersonal skills.
3) What does TimeTrap mean to you as a student?
Rachel: TimeTrap is a great place to prepare for my post-academic career, as well as being warm and welcoming environment to form great friendships.
Maja: TimeTrap to me is like ‘Ohana’ as a foreign student. It’s a place I can work in a lovely environment, surrounded by great people. I really like that we have each others’ backs on a daily basis and really care about each other.
This has been a look into the lives of the Real Students of TimeTrap. Having such a supportive culture at work lets us thrive and learn new things that we otherwise wouldn’t have had the opportunity to learn. To any student that might be wondering whether or not to apply for a job here, I can definitely say that this is the job for you!
We’re currently hiring. If you want to be part of the TimeTrap Team, you can find out more here.
