Job Lot: The parking warden

By AIDAN RASMUSSEN

Carol White, or officer 544, has been a parking officer for two-and-a-half years. The 38-year-old is paid around $30,000 a year for her service to Auckland City, and says she does not receive a commission for handing out tickets.

What sort of experience/qualifications do you need to be a parking warden?

A high standard of oral/written English and maths is a prerequisite. A minimum of School Certification is preferred. Experience in customer service is beneficial. On- the-job training is given once hired. We also have a police and medical check before we're employed. .

What sort of qualities do you need?

You must be a team player, conscientious, friendly and have an outgoing personality, a positive attitude and be able to communicate with a diverse group of people.

Do you need to sit some kind of test before you can become a parking officer?

During the interviews you have to sit an English and math test and a psychometric personality test. After three weeks of training on the job, you have to sit an exam on what you have learnt during the training. The training is a combination of classroom work (law and theory) and on-the-road experience.

What sort of people does the job attract?

A diverse range of people apply for the job from a variety of occupational backgrounds.

What are the parking warden's duties?

To ensure the safe and free flow of goods and passenger traffic, protection of assets such as the footpaths and grass verges, equitable turnover of the limited on-street parking spaces, educating the public on various parking management practices.

Why did you become a parking warden?

The job sounded interesting and I enjoy working outside and meeting people ... the customer service side of it.

Do you enjoy what you do? Why?

Yes, I enjoy my job. I get a lot of satisfaction from effectively enforcing the area assigned to me. Making sure that everyone has a fair chance of getting a park for a limited time is important. I also enjoy assisting people with their questions. My job is not just about handing out tickets.

What's the biggest buzz about the job?

Providing solutions/answers to a variety of problems/questions that are both parking-related and general information.

How do you feel about handing out tickets?

It's part of the job. If it isn't done, people become complacent, and this leads to an increase in parking problems such as overstaying.

Do you sometimes fear for your life when an irate motorist takes exception to being ticketed?

I don't fear for my life but I have been in some scary situations. Conflict resolution is part of my job and I have to try to calm the irate person down. Sometimes you have to let the abuse (verbal) go over your head and try to ignore it. I do worry about my safety at times, especially when dealing with an aggressive person.

What is the scariest situation you've been in while on the job?

There have been a couple. When you see someone tensing up and see their muscles start to twitch, you really start to worry about being hit. That's always scary. I have been hit. A passenger in a vehicle that I was ticketing came out of a shop and hit me from behind. I didn't see it coming. It made me a bit apprehensive for a couple of days.

Generally speaking, how does the public treat you?

We are generally ignored, sometimes people deliberately try to knock into us. Occasionally I will come across a friendly person, but they are usually friendly because they understand the nature of our job. Generally, the role of a parking officer is not understood and we are often looked on as the bad guys, when in fact there are legitimate reasons as to why we are giving out a ticket. We are not revenue-gatherers for the council.