Volunteer at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2025. Paid, offline, with a chance to interact with authors. Apply by November 10!
About the Opportunity
The Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) 2025 is looking for passionate volunteers to help bring this iconic event to life. Whether you’re a college student eager to gain hands-on experience or a working professional curious about the behind-the-scenes operations of a major international festival, volunteering at JLF offers an unmatched opportunity for learning and growth.
But before you jump into filling out the volunteer application form, we have some crucial insights to share. With thousands of applications pouring in each year, standing out from the crowd can be challenging. To help you submit a strong application, we’ve put together this guide. Follow these tips, and you’ll be one step closer to joining the JLF team.
Why Volunteer?
JLF is seeking enthusiastic individuals who are committed to making the festival a success. As a volunteer, you’ll play an integral role in ensuring that the event runs smoothly. This is a great chance to learn event management skills, network with industry professionals, and experience the festival from a unique perspective.
Who is the ideal volunteer? JLF welcomes both college students and working professionals. A love for literature is certainly a bonus, but even more important is your dedication to working hard, your ability to communicate effectively, and your interest in event management.
Tips for a Successful Application
- Genuine Responses Matter: When filling out the form, take time to reflect on why you want to volunteer. Avoid generic responses or copy-pasting answers from the internet. JLF is looking for personal, authentic motivations that set you apart from other applicants.
- Maintain a Professional Tone: This is a professional opportunity, so your application should reflect that. Avoid using abbreviations, informal language, or emoticons. Treat this as your first step into the professional world.
- Accurate Birthdate and Email: If you’re under 18, you unfortunately won’t be eligible to apply. Make sure to enter your birthdate accurately. Also, use a professional email address for communication—it will be the primary means of contact with the JLF team.
- Concise and Clear Communication: When writing your statement of purpose, be succinct. Express your intent clearly without going overboard. JLF receives a high volume of applications, and being concise will help your application stand out.
- Language Preference: The application form is available in both English and Hindi. Choose the language you are most comfortable with to express your thoughts clearly. JLF requires volunteers to be proficient in at least one of these languages.
Departments
If you’re chosen as a volunteer, you will need to commit to a 9-10 day journey that includes pre-festival on-ground training, festival volunteering, and wrap-up duties. Volunteers are expected to arrive on January 26, 2025, and remain until February 4, 2025. It’s a busy schedule, but you’ll walk away with new skills, great memories, and lifelong connections.
Author Liaison
Volunteers in this department will receive the author(s) and ensure they are prepared and at the venue for their session. You will be based in the Authors’ Lounge, offering warmth and hospitality and ensuring the age-old Indian adage ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ (‘the guest is God’) by making sure our authors are comfortable and relaxed.
Audio Visual Wing
As an AV volunteer at JLF, you’ll be responsible for managing the Audio Visual desk at each venue. Beyond that, you’ll need patience for reviewing footage, skills in content creation, and a knack for identifying key moments. Tech-savviness, stamina for long hours, and strong communication skills are essential. Familiarity with MS Office (Adobe is a plus) and a good understanding of video content are also required since the AV department oscillates between the creative and the technical.
Book Signing
Each venue has a dedicated book signing area where speakers will arrive following their session to sign books for their legions of fans. It will be your job to make sure the area is ready and equipped with everything required. You will also need to make sure orderly queues are formed and that the signings proceed calmly.
Book Store
Every year at the Jaipur Literature Festival, we showcase our very own library and bookstore. Book inventory, helping the audience locate their next read, manning the bookstore as well as making sales will be your responsibility. This role can be more physically demanding and requires being on your feet.
Digital Payment Solution
In this day and age, it’s all about going cashless. The department was introduced in 2018 and saw the Festival go cashless across the board. Volunteers in this department will be required to work with unwavering focus and attention as they will be dealing with transactions.
Food and Beverage and Lounge Management
Volunteers in the department will need to ensure our lounges are stocked with refreshments, venues provided with adequate bottles of water and meals laid out on time. Volunteers will also need to help manage crowds during peak hours. This is an ideal role for hotel management and hospitality students.
Friends of the Festival Management
The Friends of the Festival experience that is offered at the Festival is one-of-its-kind. Volunteers will be responsible for managing the guest lounge and ensuring that Friends of the Festival are looked after. This includes manning the enquiry desk in the lounge, closely working with Food and Beverage volunteers, and escorting them to the Transport Desk. Volunteers may also be assigned the responsibility to go to the Heritage Events.
Heritage Events
In addition to sessions at the main festival venue and the Jaipur Music Stage, there are additional events hosted by the Festival, which in the past have included performances at Amber Fort and Albert Hall. Volunteers assigned to this role will need to get the venue ready, usher people in and help manage crowds and invites.
Information Desk
Volunteers working at the Information Desk will be required to literally know-it-all. But without the attitude of a know-it-all! You’ll need to know the venues and schedule like the back of your hand and keep up to date with any programme changes. You will also manage the sale of brochures as well as the lost and found.
IT-Technical
This department is key in running and connecting the Festival to the world. Volunteers will be required to work with the IT representative from Teamwork Arts to ensure technical errors don’t hamper the Festival and there is internet connectivity at all times. If you are pursuing B. Tech specialising in computers and electronics, this is an ideal position for you!
Jaipur Music Stage
Volunteers will be responsible for ensuring the set-up of the Jaipur Music Stage and sound checks are carried out according to schedule. Music Stage Volunteers will also be the Artist Liaisons for the morning music programme at the Jaipur Literature Festival.
Logistics (Transport & Accommodation)
One of the most stimulating albeit most challenging departments, this job requires meticulous time keeping and organisational skills. Our self-motivated volunteers are responsible for taking care of our authors’ travel itineraries, having them picked up and dropped to and from specific locations and making sure their accommodation is ready for their arrival. Volunteers working in this department will need to be quick on their feet, ready to tackle any problem, and of course, be courteous at all times.
Merchandise
Volunteers will be responsible for managing the merchandise store, which includes assisting the vendors in setting up the store, billing, making payments, and ensuring smooth running of a cashless system. This is a great opportunity for people with a design and/or marketing background. This role can be more physically demanding and requires being on your feet.
Outreach
The primary objective of the Outreach Programme is to widen the scope of the Festival by reaching out to educational institutes through comprehensive sessions and workshops with authors with the aim of cultivating a penchant for reading among children. The Volunteers will be required to coordinate with the school, authors, and logistics team to ensure that the process is carried out smoothly.
Press & Media
Press and Media volunteers will be based at the Press Area where they will work closely with the Festival PR team to coordinate interviews with the speakers. You will also be responsible for assisting media persons with any festival-related queries. In addition, you’ll also need to make sure the Press Terrace is ready to receive authors for their interviews.
Registration
Your responsibility will be to receive the audience and check identity cards/documents as well as register our Friends of the Festival, authors, press, and artists separately. You’ll be the ‘face’ of the Festival, making first contact with our audiences and speakers as they make their way to the venue so if you’re tech-savvy, quick to learn, calm under pressure, and can keep a smile on your face, this is the job for you!
Security
You will be the eyes and ears of the Jaipur Literature Festival by ensuring there is smooth coordination and interaction between the security guards, bouncers, and the audience attending the Festival and the Jaipur Music Stage where artist security will take prime precedence. The Security Volunteers will work with security agencies and assist their team members and Teamwork Arts Security Team Leader during VVIP visits and be aware of any unwanted or anti-social activities.
Social Media
Do you live and breathe social media? This is a great opportunity for you to work alongside our digital team and hone in your photography and content writing skills. Volunteers will be required to work on the ground to capture the ambience of the Festival, behind-the-scenes activities, and key sessions to generate online content for the Festival. Applicants with a background or interest in photography, advertising, branding, and digital media are encouraged to apply. Having a DSLR is an additional advantage, so please do mention this in your application form!
Sponsor Management
Volunteers are assigned different venues where they will coordinate with the venue managers, technical staff, and the sponsorship team to make sure that branding as promised to sponsors is displayed correctly. This is a great opportunity for marketing students or those with similar experience.
Venue Management
Your main responsibilities will be to make sure your assigned venue is ready prior to every session and help your Venue Managers with managing the crowds and any other task that may arise. As with most other roles, you’ll need to be quick on your feet, patient and courteous; crowd management is going to be one of the key tasks allocated to you as a venue volunteer. While you may have a front-row seat to watching some of the world’s greatest writers and thinkers, you will have to prioritize and ensure your venue functions smoothly.
How to Apply?
Interested applicants can apply through this link.
Deadline
The deadline for submission of applications is November 10, 2024.
Contact
If you have any additional questions, feel free to reach out to the team at volunteers[at]teamworkarts[dot]com.
One Response
I hv had the opportunity to attend the the festival & came back enlightened literally! The information provided above regarding the the immense efforts made to organise such a show is immaculate. Thanks & wish a great festival ahead.