Bingo caller
Bingo announcer
Bingo callers announce numbers during games and make sure sessions run smoothly. They also entertain customers during play.
Salary range: £13,000 to £17,000
How to become a bingo caller
You can get into this job through:
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
- applying directly
Apprenticeship
You can do a hospitality team member or customer service intermediate apprenticeship at a bingo venue.
Once working, your employer may give you training to become a bingo caller if you can show you have the right personality.
Entry requirements
You’ll usually need:
- some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
More information
Work
You can start as a bingo venue assistant, serving food, signing up new members and checking players’ numbers.
Your employer may give you training to become a bingo host or caller if you have a friendly, outgoing personality and the confidence to get up on stage.
Direct application
You can apply directly for jobs if you have the confidence and personality to work on stage in front of a crowd.
Experience in the gaming industry can be helpful but is not essential. Employers will be more interested in your personality and ability to entertain customers.
More information
Career tips
You can get some experience of entertaining an audience, which may help with job applications, by:
- working at a holiday camp or resort
- taking part in open-mic events
- performing in local clubs
Further information
You can find out more about working as a bingo caller from the Hospitality Guild.
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You’ll need:
- excellent verbal communication skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- customer service skills
- the ability to work on your own
- active listening skills
- the ability to understand people’s reactions
- the ability to work well with others
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
Restrictions and requirements
You’ll need to:
- be over 18 years of age
What you’ll do
Day-to-day tasks
Your day-to-day duties may include:
- checking bingo and sound equipment is working
- welcoming customers as they take their seats
- organising games and explaining the rules
- calling out numbers generated by a computer or bingo cage machine
- interacting with customers during bingo sessions
- checking and confirming winning numbers
- handing out prizes
- promoting future events to customers
- taking part in marketing activities for the venue or company
Working environment
You could work at a venue or at a social club.
Your working environment may be noisy.
You may need to wear a uniform.
Career path and progression
You could move into a supervisory role, managing bingo assistants on the floor, or become a venue deputy manager after further training.
With experience, you could become an area manager, with responsibility for several bingo venues across a region.
You might also use your stage skills to move into an entertainment career in the leisure or travel industries.