[Viper.IRT]

Hello Everyone,

I want to welcome you to a new year, well at least how it pertains to Anime Central and IRT. This year we are starting the application process early. The application is now live and accepting applications. If you want to work for IRT, please fill out the application by clicking on the link in this email. Everyone who wants to apply needs to apply, THAT INCLUDES VETS. Who are VETS you ask? Well, VETS are former and current IRT operatives that have worked directly for IRT. No, this does not include Gophers aka Volunteers. We are also looking for fresh new faces to fill our ranks. If you know of anyone who wants to work for Anime Central’s IRT Department, please send them the link for this application. For Vets, you will not have to worry about re-interviewing for IRT. However, for new recruits aka greens, we will be setting up interviews at a date still to be determined. The application is very straightforward. If you should have any questions, please email me offline at viper.irt@gmail.com. I look forward to seeing returning VETS and I look forward to meeting fresh new faces. Let’s see if we can make ACEN 2010 a bigger success. See you on the front lines.

IRT Application: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?fo...RSzcwZDJxUVE6MA

Viper
IRT Supervisor
Anime Central
5yr Veteran

[Shay]

Viper.IRT, on Jul 1 2009, 03:30 AM, said:

IRT Application: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?fo...RSzcwZDJxUVE6MA

I already sent in mine for this next year... I can't wait to be on IRT again!

[Lord Warhammer]

what is the difference between the departments?

[Shay]

Lord Warhammer, on Jul 1 2009, 12:02 PM, said:

what is the difference between the departments?

My understanding of the Sub-Departments in IRT:

Concerts/Dances: These Ops are specifically assigned to work the concerts & dances, to help with crowd control both inside and outside of these venues.

Dispatch: Our lines of communication... both between Ops and also to the outside world. Dispatch keeps track of all conversations on the radio and where the Ops are, and send us where we need to be.

Escorts: Escorts are in charge of making sure that the Guests get where they need to go safely and on time. Most people never see Escorts... we are the Black Ops of IRT.

Management: The DH, ADH, Shift Commanders & Supervisors.

Standard Operative: these are the people you see most often, on floor duty, checking badges, doing prop checks. Standard Ops are split into 3 shifts (Days, Midshift & Nights) and do everything from respond to noise complaints, find missing children, assist EMRT (if necessary) with medical emergencies (usually by keeping people at a safe distance), along with tons of other things. They also assist with crowd control/lines. They do everything!

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Disclaimer: I've been a member of IRT for one year, and these descriptions are from my understanding of each sub-department. If I am incorrect in any way, please let me know and I'll happily correct my post. For more specific information, email Viper at viper.irt@gmail.com



Hope that helps!

~Pocky~

[Valkyrie]

Got mine in for Escorting! XD

[Lord Warhammer]

how many parties have you guys had to visit?

[Shay]

Lord Warhammer, on Jul 1 2009, 05:18 PM, said:

how many parties have you guys had to visit?

Don't know totals... not information that I would have but we don't go visit a party unless we have a really good reason (noise complaint or suspicion/complaint of underage drinking) so that's not one of the things we deal with most. That's probably the issue we deal with the least.

And Escorts don't respond to noise complaints so I didn't have to deal with it personally at all.

[SyaoranFan85]

Woohoo for early starts on recruiting!

Put mine in for Escorts again... yay for being Supervisor in Training!

[Lynx]

Gonna do escorts again and I've already recruited 4 friends!

[Lord Warhammer]

Kat7, on Jul 1 2009, 06:31 PM, said:

Gonna do escorts again and I've already recruited 4 friends!

how did you persuade them?

[Lynx]

Lord Warhammer, on Jul 1 2009, 05:36 PM, said:

how did you persuade them?

I told them how awesome Irt was and how much fun I had. Two of them have never even been to acen!

[Nyappy]

Hmm, I'm debating between Escorts and just a general operative.

(I want to stay with reg, but I've been curious about IRT for years now)

[TheRabbi]

Nyappy, on Jul 3 2009, 12:28 PM, said:

Hmm, I'm debating between Escorts and just a general operative.

(I want to stay with reg, but I've been curious about IRT for years now)

While the guest escorts team does have a lot of fun, they also are on call all the time and have to deal with guests and - more frustratingly - managers. They are often out of contact with the rest of the con, and they don't get to see any of it at all except for from the back hallways - not as glamorous as you might think. If you can't smile for three days straight and go hungry for half a day, and if you're not okay with using your free time to sit down and ice your knees rather than, say, going to the dealer's room, escorts is not for you.

[TheRabbi]

(Sorry for the DP. My post above is a reply. This is a new subtopic.)

Here are descriptions of the sub-departments. It should be noted that I am the Dispatch Supervisor, and hence think that Dispatch rocks, but I've done my time on each of the sub-departments and attempt to present a neutral view here. IRT needs people in all its sub-departments to function well, and I would hope that applicants choose the one that fits them best.

Rules Enforcement (Standard Operative): This is the IRT you think of when you think of IRT. Rules Enforcement ops check props, roam the hotel and convention center, handle crowd control situations, direct lines, assist EMRT (ACen's emergency medical response team), check badges, find missing children, answer questions, help congoers and do a myriad other tasks. Rules Enforcement is the largest contingent of IRT, and is split into three shifts - mornings, mids, and nights.
Pros: Predictable hours and meals, more breaks on duty, more interaction with the congoers, more varied duties, greater flexibility to see the parts of the con you want to see.
Cons: Lots of walking, some shifts can be frustratingly slow, tighter management.
If you have experience in customer service, can relate to the congoers well, can deal with a broad range of situations, and don't mind walking, Rules Enforcement is for you.

Dances/Concerts: This sub-department is responsible for controlling the crowds inside and the lines outside our concerts and dances. They check badges, manage the flow in and out of special events, keep track of how many people are in certain rooms, and are responsible for keeping the lines safe, happy, and informed.
Pros: Less constant work, predictable meals, less walking, most duties in the afternoon and evening, a good amount of downtime.
Cons: Longer shift with no breaks, more irate congoers, policies can change several times on shift (usually due to the fire marshal)
If you don't mind loud music, want to keep congoers orderly and happy while they wait for events, can dodge around ravers and see in the dark, and can withstand a rush on the stage, Dances/Concerts is for you.

Guest Escorts: Also termed "Tunnel Rats", operatives assigned to guest escorts are assigned to a guest and are personal crowd control for that guest. This duty is their first and foremost, but they are also called on to procure things for those guests and must manage the guest's entourage while maintaining a flawless customer service attitude at all times.
Pros: Get to work with the guests (a pro to some), loosest management, tends to involve lots of fun, can access the back hallways of the hotel.
Cons: Fewer breaks, sometimes hard to get meals, guests (or their entourages) can be difficult, often cut off in communications, barely any time to enjoy the con itself.
Note: Operatives are not allowed to join Guest Escorts until their second year.
If you are good with people, want to work with the guests, have feet of steel, and don't mind doing everything on the go, Guest Escorts is for you.

Dispatch: The nerve center of IRT and IRT's gateway to the rest of the convention. Dispatch organizes and details operatives to their respective routes and assignments, is responsible for ensuring that protocol and procedure are followed in critical situations, and is a source of information of all kinds for ops in the field. There is a saying in IRT: "If you don't know, ask Dispatch."
Pros: Nearly no walking, extremely flexible hours and shifts, get to see a lot of the con, more interaction with other departments, more interaction with other ops.
Cons: Not a lot of opportunity to get out in the field, extra reading and training required, sometimes extra hours are required.
If you can keep a cool head in a crisis and help others do the same, keep an entire baseball game in your head, be flexible, and participate in three conversations at once, Dispatch is for you.

[Lynx]

To all interested in doing escorts, rabbi is correct. Escorts have very little free time. Between thursday to Sunday, I think I got down to the exihibit hall twice and one of those times was to escort a guest around. It is a lot of fun and I do plan on doing it for 2010; if I did the math correctly (I probally didn't because I hate math) I had a vest on for at least 60 hours.
I wouldnt say any escorts went hungry, if it wasn't gyu (guest escort supervisor) forcing us to eat at least 4 meals a day it was green room staff.

[Nyappy]

Escorts actually sounds like my cup of tea, surprisingly. I sent in an application, so now all I can do is wait. Seeing the con isn't really a priority for me, I'd much rather devote myself to staffing ^^ I had more fun on staff this year than I did when I attended the con before that.

[Lord Warhammer]

for something like dispatch, it says extra training is required. when does that training take place?

[Valkyrie]

I could live without a lot of free time. As it was, much of my free time this time around was spent one of three ways: 1) sleeping in the room I shared with friends, 2) working on a friend's costume in said room, and 3) resting while enjoying the fine staff-dining *lol* I only shopped around the dealer's room once during the entire con, and that was on Saturday afternoon. And really, that was enough for me; I saw the vendors I wanted to see, got to shake Scott Ramsoomair's hand (*squee!*), and left it at that.

The way I see it, the less time I spend mucking around the Vendor Tables of Temptation, the more money I get to save. ^^

[Nyappy]

Well...hmm.

What do we do if we've sent in an app for a position, but want to change it to another one later on? Like, what if I want to do Guest Escorts now, but when thinking about it later, decide I'd rather do something like dispatch?

[Itachi-kun]

This sounds like it could be really fun but I have a couple question if I may if chosen to become Irt would I get to keep the totally cool vest ? Yeah kind of a stupid question lol. And second is it cheaper at all for the price of a room?

[jsieczkar]

jonkalucard666, on Jul 3 2009, 10:26 PM, said:

This sounds like it could be really fun but I have a couple question if I may if chosen to become Irt would I get to keep the totally cool vest ? Yeah kind of a stupid question lol. And second is it cheaper at all for the price of a room?

No you don't get to keep the vest, they are swapped in between people during the con. As for housing, for IRT housing is free but you will be hot bunking with three other people.

[TheRabbi]

Lord Warhammer, on Jul 3 2009, 07:14 PM, said:

for something like dispatch, it says extra training is required. when does that training take place?

The extra training dispatchers have to go through is mostly on their own time - there's more material that a dispatcher has to know cold than a floor op, as it's Dispatch that the floor ops ask when they're not sure. We may have an extra meeting sometime before con as well, and there is a special meeting before the convention starts. It's not too onerous, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

Nyappy, on Jul 3 2009, 08:03 PM, said:

Well...hmm.

What do we do if we've sent in an app for a position, but want to change it to another one later on? Like, what if I want to do Guest Escorts now, but when thinking about it later, decide I'd rather do something like dispatch?

This shouldn't be a problem. We just want to know what each applicant's first choice is. If that's changed, mention it during your interview.

jonkalucard666, on Jul 3 2009, 09:26 PM, said:

This sounds like it could be really fun but I have a couple question if I may if chosen to become Irt would I get to keep the totally cool vest ? Yeah kind of a stupid question lol. And second is it cheaper at all for the price of a room?

There is currently no policy on ops keeping vests - they are the property of Anime Central and are returned at the end of each shift to be used by the next shift.

IRT operatives get rooms provided by the con like all other staffers. Due to the large staff of IRT, however, rooms for ops tend to have more people staying in them than usual, though those people are spread out amongst the shifts. Ops are welcome to arrange their own room as well - in fact, this is a boon to IRT, because we have less people staying in our rooms.

[Lynx]

Nyappy, on Jul 3 2009, 08:03 PM, said:

Well...hmm.

What do we do if we've sent in an app for a position, but want to change it to another one later on? Like, what if I want to do Guest Escorts now, but when thinking about it later, decide I'd rather do something like dispatch?

Well you still have to go through the interview process, so at the interveiw you would mention it there. And there are also plenty of staff meeting before con that you could bring it up to a higher up.
Right now there are only about 10 of us escorts but I think our supervisor wants a few more so there are a couple of positions open.
Also rooming for escorts, we room with other escorts because we don't have set shifts.

[SyaoranFan85]

I would even go so far as to say that Escorts NEED to bunk with on other GEs, since we pretty much get up and go to bed at roughly the same time. However, I know there were some situations that required a few Escorts staying on later than everyone else (such as if a Guest needs an Escort later than normal, which almost always seemed to involve off-site trips).

Also, a lot of Guest Escorts seems to be on the fly. Maybe that was just this past year, but just in case, don't apply if you can't handle things constantly changing. Schedules change FREQUENTLY.

[Bloo09]

I'd like to remind staff who are applying for IRT who are not currently IRT (reg people ) to inform your current departments DH that you are leaving the department. Remember you stay on staff every year until you quit or are fired.

[Nyappy]

Bloo09, on Jul 4 2009, 12:14 PM, said:

I'd like to remind staff who are applying for IRT who are not currently IRT (reg people ) to inform your current departments DH that you are leaving the department. Remember you stay on staff every year until you quit or are fired.

Is it possible to technically stay a part of registration until I know whether I've been accepted into IRT or not?

[Zabet]

Just a heads up for all those applying to Escorts:

If you have not worked for IRT before (aka: would be a Green in 2010), you are not eligible to apply for Escorts, even if you have worked at ACen for another department.
Because we do not have a normal shift, work for long/unpredictable hours and in unpredictable situations, we prefer to use veteran IRT who have shown to be hardworking and dedicated to fill the ranks. But if you are interested in working as a normal operative, we would be more than happy to have you and you would be more than welcome to apply for Escorts for your second year if you choose to return!
We aren't trying to dissuade anyone from applying, but we want to make sure everyone understands our procedures for this year.
Thanks for your time and understanding - we still hope to see a lot of you come out for IRT in 2010!

[Valkyrie]

That works! Thanks for giving the heads-up.

Quick question, though, just out of curiosity: if we can't transfer into Escorts, would we be able to do something like Dispatch? Or are we strictly limited to being standard operatives?

[Nyappy]

Zabet, on Jul 5 2009, 09:38 PM, said:

Just a heads up for all those applying to Escorts:

If you have not worked for IRT before (aka: would be a Green in 2010), you are not eligible to apply for Escorts, even if you have worked at ACen for another department.
Because we do not have a normal shift, work for long/unpredictable hours and in unpredictable situations, we prefer to use veteran IRT who have shown to be hardworking and dedicated to fill the ranks. But if you are interested in working as a normal operative, we would be more than happy to have you and you would be more than welcome to apply for Escorts for your second year if you choose to return!
We aren't trying to dissuade anyone from applying, but we want to make sure everyone understands our procedures for this year.
Thanks for your time and understanding - we still hope to see a lot of you come out for IRT in 2010!

So does that mean, then, that since I'm not eligable and that's what I applied for, that I should email and say that I want to switch to applying for Dispatch? Or, like Saphrinka asked, are we not allowed to apply for that as a 1st year IRT?

[okaonos]

Is an application required for other departments? If so, when will those be available?