associate

merchandising associate

facilities associate

janitor

warehouse associate

Fort Worth Zoo

Typical Day:
A typical day at the Fort Worth Zoo can be described as hectic yet fun. Summer and Spring times are usually the busiest of the year, so there are days that are busy and days that are not. I worked in the food service department & let me tell you now, if you do not like putting in effort or going an extra mile for your job, then this is not for you. The work environment is really what you make it be, to me it was amazing! I loved working there, but at the end of the day, you do go home a little tired. 
Learned:
I learned a lot of things while working here, such as improving my communication skills, building good and stable relationships with my coworkers & how to balance work with other factors. While working here, I learned that the supervisors and overall management were very enthusiastic about achieving daily tasks. Each supervisor has different attitudes and ways of encouraging others so you do learn to adapt to new environments.
Management:
Management is great, the supervisors all know what needs to be done even though it may not seem like it. Some supervisors are more dedicated than others so that will explain the different type of attitudes each has. Without naming anyone, there is one supervisor who is very sweet and may not tell you in person to do an intermediate-hard task so they will write it down somewhere. Other supervisors will tell you right away what needs to be done and they tend to be the stricter supervisors. 
Workplace Culture:
Contrary to popular belief, the workplace culture is easy to adapt to. If there are any problems within coworkers, then it is appropriate to talk about it with the supervisors. Problems are easily solved and the environment at the zoo is relaxed. During the summer times, there tends to be a lot of high school students working so if you are not interested in being around 16-18-year-olds, then work during the fall/winter positions. 
Hardest Part:
The hardest part of this job is the walking distance to your working spot. Another is the lack of help you receive from the supervisors to help you with customer-related problems. It can get very busy at the zoo so the supervisors may also be busy doing other tasks, it can take up to half an hour for them to get to the working place you are at. 
Most Enjoyable Part:
The most enjoyable part of this job is the discounts you get on the food and merchandise! Food service workers are now getting paid up to $10.40 and it is great because, as previously mentioned, there are slow days & working all day is a piece of cake for those working. I also enjoyed the scenery, getting to pass by the animals in their exhibit provides us with a great view throughout our shifts. A lot of people who previously worked here complain about how they had a bad experience working there but that all falls in with interpersonal conflictions between other employees. Or it may also deal with having other issues such as not being able to control your emotions while attending a customer, or not liking the distance you have to walk to your post. I saw what these former employees saw and to me, it didn't affect me. Maybe it's just because I have a positive mindset but the tasks for the positions at the Fort worth zoo were not hard at all. I will say that if you are very sensitive to being in hot temperatures then you should not work in merchandise. Last, but not least, I also enjoyed how fun everyone is. The supervisors can be seen as "playing around" but that's only a tiny portion of their day, the majority of the time they are always on top of their game!

Working at the zoo is really easy, just scanning or selling tickets, so after a while it does honestly get boring. Hours vary depending on seasons, how the weather is, or how crowded the zoo may get. If you’re looking for overtime, they do have a few options you may volunteer in for extra hours. The coworkers are friendly, if you don’t want to be bothered though then just keep to yourself and no one will bother you, vice versa if you want work buddies. They are very gossipy, formed little cliques, so working with them is like a high school type of atmosphere. Managers are nice, really lenient, though I do wish they would keep up with their employees and reach out about things to you personally. Hardest part about working at the zoo would basically be dealing with rude customers. You’ll need a lot of patience and to be calm. Another thing, they did recently remove our portable coolers and heaters, not exactly sure why, so because of that you’ll need to be outside without either for the time being. You do have access to walking inside to either warm up, cool down, or just simply sit down and rest for a few minutes. A great thing about working there, is you do get a total of eight free tickets each year, as well as discounts both on tickets and throughout the zoo with your employee badge. We don’t work inside with the animals, but it is fun seeing them every day coming into work or at the end of the day.   

Working at the zoo is really easy, just scanning or selling tickets, so after a while it does honestly get boring. Hours vary depending on seasons, how the weather is, or how crowded the zoo may get. If you’re looking for overtime, they do have a few options you may volunteer in for extra hours. The coworkers are friendly, if you don’t want to be bothered though then just keep to yourself and no one will bother you, vice versa if you want work buddies. Managers are nice, really lenient. Hardest part about working at the zoo would basically be dealing with rude customers. If you’re sensitive or get angry too fast, it’s not really the place for you. You’ll need a lot of patience and to be calm. You do have access to walking inside to either warm up, cool down, or just simply sit down and rest for a few minutes. A great thing about working there, is you do get a total of eight free tickets each year, as well as discounts both on tickets and things inside throughout the zoo with your employee badge. We don’t work inside with the animals, but it is fun seeing them every day coming into work or at the end of the day.   

During the year, I work weekends as a supervisor for parties and activities held in the Education building. From 30-180 people per morning or afternoon time slots, I regulate hallway flow, act as a guide for animal handlers, and ensure the guests overall enjoyment of the facility. There is a 2 hour break between morning groups and afternoon groups where the reset can be grueling.  As an ambassador of the Zoo, I get to see how people love being in the building as the aspect is completely different that walking through the zoo. There is a more personal atmosphere where they feel very comfortable asking questions and receive more information.

In the summer, I act as Lead Teacher for summer camp. I assist with curriculum,  teachers, students, training volunteers, as well as disciplinary issues that can arise from having 250 children ages 3-10.The curriculum is given to the teachers, where they can manipulate and adapt the delivery of the information. I believe this freedom facilitates a FUN atmosphere for the campers and the teachers--- creativity, problem solving are all key components in any classroom, on any given day.

The job is extremely laid back and flexible. However you will have to fight for hours. This is a part time job but expect maybe 20 hours a week if you’re lucky. Most people I have worked with are willing to share the hours. For example if I got to work until closing but someone else had wanted it, I’d take a lower preference so they can get to stay next time we work together. The majority of my coworkers do this and makes it bearable. However we got someone who doesn’t do this at all so you have to fight them for hours. But if you do you’re risking leaving at the earliest time possible. So if you risk fighting for hours you will either stay most of the day or only get a 3 hour shift. Management knows about this but don’t do anything even though the entire department has an issue with this employee.

Overall it’s a good job if you don’t really NEED a lot of money and want something pretty low stress. But when you get those particular employees (it has been a handful of people since I’ve been here, not just one.) who don’t want to work with each other for hours then it can be miserable. Especially during the extreme hot or cold months when everyone gets low hours due to barely any customers coming in.

My day starts making sure cashiers get to locations, make sure locations are in order, cleaned and stocked through out the day. Attend to guest and employees needs. At the end of the day I help cashiers count out there cash drawers. I learned by working at the Zoo its a great place to work if you love animals, people, working outdoors and working in a team work environment. I also quickly found out that if you work hard you can gain advancement to a higher level. Co-workers usually consist of high school and college aged, there are a lot of older aged as well. People come and go, but you make friends, and you build a teamwork base. The hardest part is working during the long hot Texas summers also working long hours but no benefits. The job is a lot a fun and a great way to a paycheck if you are still living at home and in school.

It's like a typical job, where you have almost the same routine everyday but it actually doesn't feel like it; I wouldn't come home tired or sad, the people I worked with were always giddy, they were not only my co-workers but my friends too.
Management was great, I mean there's always one slip up but we all make mistakes, don't we?
Although the job was seemingly easy, the only thing I seem to struggle at was counting change fast, i could see how fast everyone could add up and give people change so quickly, I'm not super slow, it's just I don't want to mess up, so I double counted a few times, not that many but just a few.
The most enjoyable part was when it was empty and co-workers could bond over a task, such as walking across the work place to help deliver to another stand or place in the zoo, and being able to relax around everyone, most coworkers were quite comfortable with each other too.

Job doesn’t let you wear a bandage, asked me to take the bandage off without reason. Is strict about piercings to some people (they have favorites as others have piercings but say nothing to them about it when they are in the same faculty as them). Zoo provides no benefits if you have not been working at the zoo for atleast a year. Nothing really good about the zoo just if you’ve been working there long enough they will ignore if your breaking the rules they are strict with new workers about the rules hardest part is not most but this one manager is mean to employees as well as to other supervisor and acts totally different when around customers (they act all nice to customers)

I loved working at the fort worth zoo, that was probably due to the fact that I was only a cashier, all i did was take orders, clean and make drinks. I also had some really cool coworkers some of them I still talk to today. The best thing about the zoo is that it pays about 8.15 an hour which is pretty good for a highschooler....which I was at the time. One thing I can say about the zoo though is they are EXTREMELY strict like there are cameras everywhere and people get written up for some of the craziest things. If you lose a receipt that isore than 5 dollars even if the money already in zoo banklike really, its just a receipt. Maybe its a financial thing that I know nothing about which makes it seem so absurd to me but overall the zoo is a pretty cool place to work, id work there again and the pay is good for a high school teenager

I was excited to work here because of the pay. I guess they lure you in with the hourly pay then you set foot in this dump and realize why they pay you 10 an hour. The management is horrible, the food service supervisors like to sexually harass the coworkers, and just horse play in general. They think that because they are older that they can make you do things you don't need to do and things that are part of their jobs. They will take money out of your paycheck even if you did not take a break, and you'll be missing a hundred from each one, suspiciously. I worked a whole week during spring break and only made around 400 dollars. I do not recommend any one to work here. The customers are rude and the overall employees do not care about you.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Associate 3 salaries reported	$14.50 per hour
Merchandising associate 4 salaries reported	$14.44 per hour
Facilities associate 3 salaries reported	$14.50 per hour
Janitor 1 salary reported	$16.05 per hour
Warehouse associate 3 salaries reported	$15.52 per hour

Working at Fort Worth Zoo: Company Overview and Reviews

Fort Worth Zoo

Fort Worth Zoo Ratings

Popular jobs at Fort Worth Zoo

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected