Madeleine & James

United Kingdom
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Profile information

Travel information
We are currently
Travelling
Activities we are interested in:
We are in Queensland currently but happy to travel wherever work takes us!
Our next destination:
Australia - from Mar 2024 until Jun 2025
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Description
Hello! We are Maddy & James ☺️
We are 25 years old from the UK.

We are an up-beat and easy-going couple, looking for opportunities to explore, gain new experiences, and work hard!

Maddy:
• Grew up on a small-holding with a few cattle (kept as pets rather than livestock), chickens and dogs.
• Loves horse riding! As a teenager, I rode regularly with my mum, going for hacks but never competing.
• Has x2 Disclosure & Barring Service (UK) certificates, allowing me to work with children and vulnerable adults.
• Has a First Aid Certificate (issued by St John Ambulance), which expires in December 2025.

James:
• Is sports crazy. He lives for football (soccer) and enjoys golf, running… and watching almost any professional sport!
• Recently travelled solo for four months around Asia!
Interests
Nature
Outdoor activities
Hiking
Fitness
Farming
Beach
Animals
Adventure sports
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Skills and knowledge we'd like to share or learn
We're interested in:
Gardening
Babysitting and creative play
General Maintenance
Life at a Farmstay
Animal Care
Hospitality/Tourism
Teaching
DIY and building projects
Some knowledge of:
Helping around the house
More details about your skills
Basic German, basic horse care and riding skills
Age
25 & 25
What else ...
I love the card game ‘Irish Snap’ (maybe I can teach you!)
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
- Special dietary requirements

Feedback

10 Jul 2018

Left by Workawayer (Madeleine & James) for host (Discover newfound ...)

I stayed in here for four months. It was my first job abroad and my first time away from home for more than three weeks… and I had a great time!

In short:
You should definitely consider this WorkAway opportunity because like it states in the description, the benefits really are numerous. Doing this work, you don’t have to compromise anything in… read more your own lifestyle - you'll only gain!

More info -
The Work:
As an English assistant I had around 20 students who I did individual "tutoring" with in the afternoons. In the mornings I sat with them in English lessons, which was helpful for me as well as them because I could see how they learnt, what topics they covered, what they had for homework, etc. Whenever I had questions, teachers were always happy to help which made working here so stress-free and enjoyable!

Your Own Opportunities and Self-Development:
- Before going to work at the school, I hadn’t spoken German in two years. When I first arrived, I could hardly string a sentence together but everyone was so patient and helpful, and of course communicating became so much easier with time. Plus, there’s a whole library full of books to practice reading and building your vocab!
- I had plenty of opportunities to experience German culture here, from the local Kirmes (which are like village Oktoberfests during the summer), to visiting towns and cities (Berlin, Munich, Erfurt, Mainz, etc.) during the long weekends and school holidays. Other highlights included the Schulfest, drinking 1EUR beers on Saturday evenings on the over-16 evenings, watching the world cup on the projector with the students.
- The school has an almost endless list of clubs you can join, or you can create your own if you have a different hobby.

The People:
The students are very polite, friendly and funny. It also has "families" of students which assistants become a part of, helping with homework some evenings and joining “family evenings” every Thursday night which include going to the cinema, barbecuing, ordering Pizza, cooking, etc. Teachers meet up at least once a week in the evening to relax and drink a glass of wine, which was great for getting to know people and having some fun.
Sara herself, who "looks after" the assistants, is absolutely amazing. She's friendly, approachable, funny, and made me feel so at home. It's hard to convey just how thoughtful she is and how much she did for me: she reorganised my timetable so that I was able to go horse riding, invited me to go Geo-caching and join her family for a dinner out (which they wouldn’t let me pay for!), she invited me to her house for wine on my birthday, invited me to multiple church events and even to join her family for dinner during the Easter holidays when the school is empty and could’ve been very lonely! Her children are just as kind and friendly - they shared their Easter chocolate with me and Ella took me with her to a youth evening in a nearby village. I really can't thank Sara and her family enough for everything they did for me.
Sara's husband also took me with him and another teacher to Erfurt one day and Frau Peters took the other English Assistant and I to Bamberg for a day of sight-seeing and beer tasting, so as you can see I was taken good care of! :D

NB:
The only possible downside is how isolated the school is, which may come as a shock if you're used to a busy town or city lifestyle. However, the school does a lot to combat this - including shopping trips once a fortnight. I also asked other teachers for a lift to the supermarket if I ever needed something I didn't have. Plus, the benefits of being isolated is that the surrounding countryside is absolutely beautiful and the woods behind the school are full of the best jogging / walking routes!

(Excellent )

2 Jul 2018

Left by host (Discover newfound ...) for Workawayer (Madeleine & James)

Dear Maddy, thank you for being a wonderful English Assistant here!
Maddy is a friendly, bubbly, enthusiatic and hard-working person who spent 5 months working with our reluctant English English learners. She took no nonsense from the pupils and ensured that they made the most of their extra lessons. She really did her best to ensure that the… read more

(Excellent )