Careers

We are a small company based in Derbyshire but always on the look out for talented carpenters, gifted engineers, motivated sales staff, creative marketing staff, organised administrators and knowledgeable handover staff. If you have these skills, love working in a small team, like the idea of being near the canals for a living and willing to help our business grow then get in touch.

Benefits of working for Aqua Narrowboats:

  • Each person will have a full induction process with annual training & appraisal to ensure you are continually developing.
  • You will get 28 days annual leave (inclusive of Bank Holidays, pro-rota for reduced hour staff)
  • You will get Aqua Team clothing: shirts/ T-shirts/ sweater or jumpers and fleece
  • You will get an allowance for any heath and safety kit required.
  • You will get free parking onsite
  • We have a flexible working policy to allow late starts and early leaves for appointments.
  • Statutory sick pay is given where qualified.
  • We also operate a ‘time off in lieu system’ so you can work extra hours, and take it back later.
  • We have many ways of communicating with our team including meetings, staff intranet page with regular updates & posts, and welcome contributions by all employees.
  • We have a complimentary staff xmas ‘do’ and invite employees to any other events that may come our way!!

We operate from a new purpose built factory in Foston, just off the A50 giving great access and facilities for our staff.

Current Vacancies

Trainee/ Junior Marine Engineer (open application from 1st September to 30th September 2023)

If you have always loved fixing things, looking at engines, finding out how things work; then this would be a great job for you.

Where you will work: You will be working with a small team of engineers, joiners & handover staff based at The Boat House, Tomlinson Business Park, Woodyard Lane, Foston, DE65 5BU and Barton Turns Marina, Barton-under-Needwood, DE13 8DZ on handover days.

Salary: Salary will be dependent on candidates skill and experience.

Working hours: 30 hours (hours negotiable), Permanent.

Main Purpose of Job:         

You will be assisting in marine engineering for a company that specialises in bespoke, high quality narrowboat manufacturing as well as luxury narrowboat hire.

Working alongside the marine engineer supervisor, and using your eye for detail, you will assist with the boat build process: engine installation & commissioning, plumbing & pipework, electrical wiring & systems, to the required high specifications. In addition, you will assist the team to complete less skilled areas of work such as hull painting, varnishing and cleaning to ensure the boat build timeline is met.

You will also help our hire boat team on our hire boat turnaround days during the season from March to October, tasks include servicing engines, moving boats and helping with handovers.

You will use your problem-solving skills & methodical thinking to assist with the repairs & maintenance of our fleet of hire boats that we attend to. Therefore a background of narrowboats will be an advantage.

This is a hands on role and often working in narrowboat engine bays. You must be self-motivated to learn many aspects of the job, although training will be provided as necessary.

You will have direct contact with our customers and therefore you must have good communication skills and be friendly and polite.

Finally, you will be using your team & organizational skills for all jobs, listening carefully to instructions, interpreting job sheets and applying your constantly increasing engineering knowledge, whilst vigilantly following all health and safety procedures.

For this position you will be expected have completed an NVQ 2 or 3 or equivalent in performing hands on engineering operations and ready to try something new. You will already have gained a grade C/ level 4 or above in English and Maths GCSE. The ideal candidate will have a love of canals and engines, and we welcome candidates that would like to train in marine engineering in house.

This is position is for 30 hours per week. Working schedule is Monday to Friday, November to February and Tuesday to Saturday during the hire season March to October.

Handover Assistant for Hire Boats (open applications throughout the season 1st March to 30th September)

Do you love working with narrowboats? Like to feel proud of your work you’ve achieved, like to keep improving what you’re doing? If the answer is yes, then working at Aqua Narrowboats might be the job for you.

Where you will work: You will be working with a small team of handover staff and engineers, based at Barton Turns Marina, Barton-under-Needwood, DE13 8DZ.

2023 Pay:  £11.74/hour including holiday pay, min age is 18, preferably 21.

Working hours: Saturdays starting at approx. 8.30am for approx. 4 – 6 hours (dependent on guests training needs), March through October, but will be dependent on the number of boats being turned around. This is a zero hour contract and you may not work every Saturday, as such you are paid any hours worked along with any holiday pay you would be entitled to on a monthly basis by bank transfer.

Experience required: You will have narrowboat handling experience and ideally a good knowledge of the canals, we give full training and you will shadow other team members until you are confident in handovers. It is a busy day but a great team to work with.

Main Purpose of Job:         

To provide practical and verbal instruction on the safe operation of both hire boats and canal locks to ensure both novices and experienced customers alike have a safe and relaxing holiday. To communicate both courteously and patiently with customers to establish the individual’s training needs and requirements. To answer any questions or concerns that a customer may have.

Main duties and tasks:

  1. To thoroughly clean the outside of the craft and refill water.
  2. To offer a friendly welcome to customers boarding the craft.
  3. To carry out a thorough walkthrough of the craft ensuring that the customer is familiar with the workings of the boat and any daily checks that they are required to carry out.
  4. To work independently and as part of a team to meet timescales for the handover.
  5. To provide tuition and guidance to customers on the handling and safe navigation of the boat, including a demonstration of locks to novices.
  6. To provide guidance on the safe mooring of the craft.
  7. To adhere to health and safety procedures and risk assessments when working independently and as part of a team to ensure that all company procedures are adhered to.
  8. To ensure that a customer is confident in handling the boat and the operation of locks before the end of handover. This may involve spending extra time on board.
  9. Once underway to spend at least 20 minutes with experienced customers to ensure that they are completely happy with the craft.
  10. To deal with any complaints or queries from colleagues, customers or members of the public in a calm and considered approach.
  11. Any other duties as seen necessary for the post.

External Boat Cleaners (Open applications throughout the season 1st March to 30th September)

We are currently looking for help to join our friendly team turning around our fleet of hire boats at Barton Marina.

Where you will work: You will be working with a small team of handover staff and engineers, based at Barton Turns Marina, Barton-under-Needwood, DE13 8DZ.

2023 Pay: £8.44 (for 18 to 20 year olds) or £11.74 (21+) per hour including holiday pay

Working hours: Saturdays, starting at 8.30am for approx. 3 – 5 hours, March through October, but will be dependent on the number of boats being turned around. This is a zero hour contract and you may not work every Saturday, as such you are paid any hours worked along with any holiday pay you would be entitled to on a monthly basis by bank transfer. Must be over 18 years of age

Main Purpose of Job:         

To help clean the outside of boats ready for our new guests arrival. You may also be asked to carry out checks inside the boats to ensure everything is working correctly and move boats within the marina. No experience necessary as full training will be provided but you must be able to work at speed to a high standard, as our guests expect no less.

Main duties and tasks:

1. To thoroughly clean exterior areas of the boat to including windows, paintwork, chrome work and engine bays.
2. To carry out internal checks of systems and appliances (full training provided).
3. To notify of any breakages or damages noticed whilst working.
4. To work independently and as part of a team to meet timescales for the arrival of our guests.
5. To adhere to health and safety procedures and risk assessments when working independently and as part of a team to ensure that all company procedures are adhered to.
6. To deal with any complaints or queries from colleagues, customers or members of the public in a calm and considered approach.
7. Any other duties as seen necessary for the post as external cleaner.

If you think you can contribute your skills and friendly approach as part of our professional team please upload your CV below or get in touch. For a chat about this opportunity please Tel 01283 585718.

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