Casual Retail Assistant, RBO Shop

Casual pay rate: £14.80 per hour

Based in Covent Garden, London

The Royal Ballet and Opera continues to lead the way in opera, ballet, music and dance both live on stage and through multiple digital platforms, from live streaming to worldwide cinema screenings. Our Covent Garden theatre has been at the heart of London and British cultural life for three centuries. We are home to two world-class Companies: The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera.

The Royal Opera House describes the place we work, not who we are. The whole is always more than the sum of its parts – we may be a House, but three quarters of our audiences experience what we do outside this building. While our Covent Garden theatre is the nerve centre, the impact and influence of the organisation can be felt in every corner of the country, and around the world.

Thanks to the role played by our Audiences & Commercial (A&C) division we continue to push boundaries and explore new ways to tell our stories, helping encourage people to attend live performances, watch screenings at the cinema or performances streamed online, or simply come in to enjoy the shop, bars, and restaurants in our iconic Covent Garden building.

At the Royal Ballet and Opera, we are passionate about delivering world class customer service. We give our audiences and visitors the best possible experience with every visit.

We are looking for fantastic Retail Assistants to support our dedicated, friendly and professional team, during our busiest period of the year.

You must be available to work variable shift patterns between September 2026 to January 2027 including evenings, and weekends.

We would love to hear from you if you can demonstrate the following:

• Proven experience of providing excellent customer service to all customers – face to face, phone, or online.
• Ability to follow guidelines to pick and pack online orders as required to ensure they are processed efficiently and correctly.
• A commitment to providing an inclusive environment to colleagues and visitors.
• Excellent communication skills and a proactive approach.
• An eye for detail, excellent time keeping and are well-presented.
• Confidence in making sales and accurately reconciling takings and stock.
• Confidence in using technology such as point-of-sale software, ticket scanners, etc.

To apply, please submit your C.V. and a paragraph expressing your interest in working for RBO to: [email protected]

The Royal Ballet and Opera is one of the UK’s leading arts organisations and our aim is to inspire imagination, ignite emotion and make the extraordinary for everyone. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion underpin all that we do. We want our people to be representative of the diversity in the UK. We understand the creativity and innovation that diversity can bring and strive to create an inclusive environment in which everyone can thrive.

We encourage applications from people with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences and skills to join our teams. We particularly welcome applications from those who are from a global majority background and/or those who are disabled, as they are under-represented within our organisation.

We are a Disability Confident Employer, which means that we are actively working to ensure that candidates with disabilities and long-term health conditions feel supported, engaged and able to fulfil their potential in the workplace. We will endeavour to offer an interview to candidates who tell us they wish to participate in the scheme and who demonstrate in their application that they meet the essential criteria for the role, though sometimes due to the volume of qualified candidates with declarations this is not possible.

The RBO is also committed to safeguarding and protecting all children, young people, and adults and we implement robust safer recruitment practices. Due to our safeguarding promise, certain roles will be subject to a DBS check before commencing employment with us, which will be indicated in the advertising.

For more information about working with the Royal Ballet and Opera, please review the info pack here.

For a list of potential reasonable adjustments, please review this guidance document. If you have any access requirements for your application, please contact the retail team.

If you are applying as an internal candidate, you might find this guidance document helpful.

Closing date for applications: 11:59pm, 2nd August 2026

You must be available to attend an In-person Assessment Centre at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden on Friday 14th August 2026.

Applicants must have work authorisation for the UK. No agencies.