We deeply value assistants. We aim to:
- treat each assistant with respect and appreciation before, during, and after tournaments.
- compensate each assistant as best we can based on experience and skill given the constraints of the business.
- pay assistants via direct deposit in a timely way shortly after the end of a tournament.
- make tournaments staffed sufficiently so assistants aren't overworked.
- make tournaments as enjoyable as possible by keeping things light-hearted and efficient.
- minimize communication problems by keeping everyone up-to-date on the latest information by using a combination of texts, emails, and now, for the first time in 2025, shared photographer and assistant information on our website.
In return, we need assistants to help.
- Be timely in responding to requests for tournament availability, travel, and lodging by making postings via our new app.
- From time to time assisting us in locating other assistants you know who would help at tournaments.
- Once you are committed to assist an event, following through on this commitment.
- Focus throughout the entire tournament on helping our customers in scheduling photo requests and interacting with them effectively so they are able to purchase the photos they want.
- Work cooperatively with other photographers and assistants working with us.
- Be respectful of parents, players, officials, assistants, and photographers.
Status Workflow
Dress, Training, and Work Activities
- Wear comfortable clothing including shorts, jeans, leggings, or sweat pants, and a varity of tops. The termperature fluctuates at convention centers so we recommend bringing a sweatshirt, hoody, or jacket as well.
- Wear confortable gym shoes for walking to and from the convention center, standing in our booth, and for walking to and from photographers located throughout the convention center. It is common to walk 2-5 miles per day.
- We will do on-the-job training for all of the activities that you need to perform. For many of the activities we will refer to short, written instructions to make the training simple, consistent, and complete.
- Assistants use laptops to take action and team requests from parents. You will be standing behind counter height tables for doing this work.
- Assistants will walk memory cards and action request slips back and forth to photographers located throughout the convention center. This will occur every hour of the tournament except less the last day. For this activity it will be important to have comfortable gym shoes.
- Assistants will use laptops for selling photo products to parents. Most of this work occurs on the last day of each tournament. You will be sitting behind normal height tables for doing this work.
- Assistants will be making photo plaques in our booth. You will be sitting behind normal height tables for doing this work.
- Some assistants will be using a laptop for scheduling photographers court assignments each hour.
- On the last day of each tournament, some assistants are needed to help pack up the booth ready for shipping. There is some lifting of boxes and bins that mostly weigh 20 pounds and less. For anything heavier, two people can work together.
Availability & Confirmation
- Here is a link to the tournaments, dates, and locations for this coming year: Texas Star Tournaments.
- On that page, LOGIN with your 2-digit initials and phone number. If for some reason you can't log in, please let us know.
- Click DISPLAY to update your tournament availability for all tournaments this coming year. For assistants who have worked many times for us in the past, we hope you can mark all or most of the tournaments as AVAILABLE. If you aren't yet sure of your availability, select WILL CHECK. If you do this, please update this as soon as possible. If you definitely are available, select AVAILABLE, If you definitely aren't available, select NOT AVAILABLE.
- The most important day of a tournament for assistants is the last day. If you aren't able to work the last day of a tournament, it's best to make this tournament as UNAVAILABLE and make a note that you can't make the last day.
- Note that some tournaments overlap all or some of the days. If you are available for any or most of these days, mark the overlapping tournaments as AVAILABLE. If you have a preference for one of the overlapping ones, enter this in the Notes
and as we work through the confirmations, we will try to accommodate your preference.
- If there are circumstances that make it impossible to work all days or hours of a tournament, click a tournament and add the exception hours or days in the Notes.
- As soon as possible, we will review our needs and update your availability to CONFIRMED or NOT CONFIRMED. We understand that we need to respond quickly since your availability may change quickly.
- If for any reason, you need a quick answer to whether we can confirm you for a tournament, just text or call us at 512-970-7968.
Air Travel
- Frequently it is important to book air travel well in advance of a tournament to minimize costs. It is frequently imporant for finding and booking flights quickly.
- In general, we assume you will arrive on the day before the tournament begins and leave on the last day after 6pm. However, for cost or flight reasons, you may need to arrive early on the 1st day of a tournament or leave earlier the last day or even early the next day after the tournament ends.
- We will schedule and pay for assistants air travel arrangements within cost guidelines after receiving a confirmation on a tournament. We will use Price Line and other on-line tools to locate the best flight. We will then update the
status to TRAVEL QUOTE, update Arrive, Depart, and note the air line and flight in the Travel Notes.
- Once the assistant agrees to the travel arrangement, the assistant will update the status to TRAVEL OK. We will then book the flight and update the status to TRAVEL BOOKED.
- There are exceptions where assistants will pay in advance for air travel. In these cases, the assistant will do the quoting, we will update the status to TRAVEL OK, and the assistant will book the flight and update the status to TRAVEL BOOKED.
- Select the most cost-effective way for travel to and from an airport. Through this app, you will be able see the arrival times of other assistants and photographers and can coordinate with them on sharing a ride. Note we do not cover tips on ride-share or taxis. We also do not cover food during travel.
Driving Travel
- It may be more convenient and cost-effective to drive rather than fly to a tournament. In this case, you need to get approval before hand by updating status to TRAVEL QUOTE, entering DEPART and ARRIVE, and clicking on the tournament and in the TRAVEL NOTES enter the estimated cost (gas).
- Once a vehicle is involved, this may affect lodging locations and costs as we try to avoid parking costs and not all lodging locations make this possible.
- In some cases, driving becomes a benefit for transporting other photographers or assitants to and from a convention center.
- Once the drive travel is evaluated, we will mark it as TRAVEL BOOKED. Otherwise, if there are any issues with driving travel, we will contact you to discuss.
Lodging
- In most cases Texas Star will book your lodging. In some cases we will get help from assistants to select and even book lodging, particularly when it is an AirBnB or Vrbo.
- For hotel lodging, each assistant will most likely share a room with another photographer or assistant.
- For AirBnB or Vrbo, the goal is for assistants to have their own room, but at times may need to share with one other person. We try to accommodate assistant's preferences for type of lodging and sharing person. We need to keep a balance of comfort, compatibiity, and costs.
- The booking of lodging will utilize your on-line arrival and departure dates.
- Once we select the lodging, we will update the status to LODGING QUOTED with the Lodging Name, Location, and person sharing. Assuming all is fine, the Assistant will mark as LODGING OK.
- Once lodging is booked, we will update the status to LODGING BOOKED, enter the Confirmation Number, and in the Lodging notes enter the Lodging Name, Location and Roommate.
- If an assistant is involved in booking the lodging, the assistant should update the status to LODGING QUOTE and in the Lodging Notes enter the Lodging Name, Location, and Cost (with all Fees).
We will evalute the quote and either mark it is LODGING OK or contact the assistant to discuss further. If the assistant is booking the lodging, the assistant will update the status to LODGING BOOKED.
Transport To/From Lodging & Convention Center
- Assistants pay for Uber/Lyft as needed to get to and from a convention center. This cost will be reimbursed once payment is made via direct deposit. Tips will not be covered.
- Assistants should minimize their rides by sharing their rides with other photographers or assistants.
Start, Break and End Times
- Some assistants need to arrive early each day and others can arrive a little later.
- For assistants that need to arrive early each day, arrive no later than 6:45am except as noted below. We will introduce new assistants and perform any quick training before parents come to our booth starting at 7am for
scheduling or finalizing action requests.
- For Lone Star Classic tournaments, for assistants that need to arrive early each day, arrive no later than 6:25am. For these tournaments, parents can start to come to our booth at 6:30 to sign up before their matches start at 7:30am.
- For those assistants that can arrive a little later, arrive no later than 8:15am.
- We will interact with assistants before and during the tournament to understand assistant preferences for start times and agree on these start times with all assistants.
- For all days of each tournament except the last day, there will be a break at approximately 1pm - 1:45pm for approximately 45min - 1 hr so you can have lunch.
- For all days of each tournament except the last day, there is a 2nd wave of teams that arrive between 1:45pm and 2:30pm in preparation for their 3pm matches. Assistants should expect to see an increase in action requests during this time.
- For all days except the last day, those assistants that arrived early should plan to leave at 5pm. The exact time depends on the number of parent requests for action photos.
- For all days except the last day, those assistants that arrived later should plan to leave at 7pm. The exact time depends on the number of parent requests for action photos at 7-8pm.
- For all days except the last day, if an assistant is helping with scheduling photographers, that assistant should plan to leave around 8pm. The exact time depends on the number of parent requests for action photos at 7-8pm.
- On the last day of each tournament, assistant activity will end between 1pm and 4pm. The exact time depends on the number of parent orders for action photos. The end time may also depend on your need to leave for the airport.
Reimbursements
- You will be reimbursed for all air travel expenses
- You will be reimbursed for the cost of gas used in driving.
- You will be reimbursed for costs associated with lodging.
- You will be reimbursed for costs associated with transport to/from Lodging to the Convention Center.
- You will not be reimbursed for Lodging Incidentals, Uber/Lyft tips, or food.
- All reimbursements will be made at the same time as compensation for hours worked (see below).
Compensation
- Hourly rate depends on assistant experience and skill. Our best assistants are able to do all activities including sales and photographer scheduling.
- Assistants will record their start and end time each day on our timesheet. The start time will be when you arrive at our booth each morning. The end time will be when you leave the booth. You do not have to clock out for lunch - we will pay for up to 1 hour
of your lunchtime.
- There will be a way in the near future on the Texas Star website to enter hours per day, travel, transport to/from lodging & convention centers, and miscellaneous expenses. If for some reason, there is a need for a an assistant to pay for travel or lodging expenses, there will be a way of entering this as well.
- We will use the on-site timesheet and on-line entries to determine your compensation for the tournament.
- All payments will be made via direct deposit from our bank account to your bank account.
- For first time assistants, we will need your bank's account#, routing#, and account name on the first day of the tournament. It generally takes our bank a week to verify the information before we are able to make a payment.
- Payment will be made via direct deposit within 1-2 weeks from the end of a tournament.
