Susan Wokoma
Commercial Operations Assistant
“I joined in November of last year as part of my gap year plans, after a friend who works at Tussauds recommended I give it a go and I haven't looked back since! As I came to the end of my A-levels I wanted to find a special job for the following year - I knew I didn't want to be stuck in an office somewhere, shredding paper and making tea, so I started to look for something a bit different. I wanted to work with fun, enthusiastic people from all over the world and was lucky enough to find Madame Tussauds, which ticked all of those boxes.
Working with your best friends
“There are two parts to my job – I spend one week in retail and the next in photography and rotate like so. In retail, it's pretty much like working in any store, only you sell more popcorn and singing turds! Whenever I work on photography I always enjoy myself and it's really funny seeing the reactions of the customers when they turn the corner and bump into their favourite celebritites. I'm lucky enough to be able to capture that moment on camera, which makes for some interesting pictures, I can tell you! The best thing about my job, though, has to be the team that I work with. It's just like working with your best friends. I'm the sort of person who doesn't like to be serious all the time – I love a bit of spontaneity and my position accommodates that. I also love variety of customers you meet and I often feel as though I've travelled around the world, even though I've been in the one place.
“It works out you spend a quarter of your life at work, so why shouldn't it be enjoyable? It beats a lot of other boring jobs hands down. Madame Tussauds is always changing and it's really modern, which makes it easier for people to have a laugh, rather than being stuck in a corner or behind a till or desk all your working life.
Being part of the magic
“If you're not enjoying your job the customers will spot it a mile off and it could really impact on their day. If we, as staff, deliver with 100% enthusiasm then it's an amazing experience for everyone - I always put myself in the position of the customers and try to give them what I would want from a day out. One day there was a flu bug going around and instead of being negative we all put glitter hats on and just went for it! Our Manager gave us Magic Miles, which are prizes for staff, and it turned out to be a really fun day. Even when things aren't going so well, we always do our best to create the magic!”
