Rebecca

Travel information

I am currently

Description

Hello!

I’m Rebecca and I am in New Zealand on a Working Holiday visa.

I’m originally from the Shetland Islands, off the north coast of Scotland, but I moved to Edinburgh for university when I was 18. I’ve been here pretty much ever since (save a year in the USA during my undergraduate degree).

I have a PhD in Chemistry and recently trained to be a teacher. Prior to travelling to New Zealand, I was working in a Secondary School as a Chemistry & Physics teacher.

I have, for as long as I can remember, always wanted to visit New Zealand. My grandmother had two sisters who emigrated there before I was born and I have fond memories of them coming to visit when I was a small child (and still under the mistaken impression that New Zealand was the south version of Shetland - little did I know that it’s definitely a lot larger!!!). I had originally planned to make this trip starting January 2021, but COVID put paid to that. But I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to come now instead.

As someone from a rural place originally who has lived in a city for the past 12 years, I am looking forward to visiting the cities and towns of New Zealand, but I am most eager to see its countryside.

I am hoping to get some variety in workaway placements, and am keen to volunteer with families and at hostels, and I would particularly like to work with animals. I have some animal care experience from my youth. My grandparents had a croft (a small sheep farm) and also kept chickens and ducks, which I used to help out at when visiting on weekends and school/university holidays. I am now vegetarian so would especially like to volunteer at animal sanctuaries. I used to horse ride as a child and now am a regular pet sitter for my parents dog and two cats.

Since arriving in New Zealand, I have developed my skills in gardening. Before I got here, I had only ever mowed the lawn, but now I have mulched, pruned, harvested fruit and veg, potted and planted, and done lots and lots of weeding! And I am very eager to keep developing my skills in this area.

I also have experience of working with children, teaching, customer service, shop work, cleaning, and am a keen hobby baker.

In my spare time, I’m mostly a reader. I also like to write and find the countryside a huge inspiration (my best ideas always seem to come when I’m walking my parents’ dog in the woods near their house or when I’m beside the sea), so I’m hoping to pursue this a little more during my trip.

Thank you for reading my profile!

Interests

Languages spoken

English: Fluent

Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Charity Work

Eco Projects

Gardening

DIY and building projects

Hospitality/Tourism

---

Some knowledge of:  

Animal Care

Life at a Farmstay

Babysitting and creative play

Helping around the house

Creating/ Cooking family meals

---

Able to teach about:  

Teaching

Helping with Computers/ Internet

More details about your skills

Animal care - from working with sheep, chickens, ducks, and working dogs on my grandparents farm; from horse riding; and from pet sitting (dogs and cats). I have done one placement at an animal sanctuary already, where I looked after a variety of animals, including some I did not have prior experience with (such as cows and pigs) and I learned how to tube feed and administer medication orally to chickens.

Gardening - since arriving in New Zealand, I have done a lot of gardening, including: mulching, pruning, potting and planting, harvesting fruit and veg, mowing and strimming grass, digging in garden beds, and, of course, never-ending weeding!

Working with children - I am a secondary school teacher, so have lots of experience of working with children (ages 11-18). I am also the older cousin in my family so have spent lots of time minding younger kids too, both as a teenager and an adult.

Customer service - I have lots of experience of working with the public and serving customers from my job as a shop assistant (home decor store) I had while I was a student. And while it is a little different, there are lots of areas of overlap so I have gained further customer service skills in my current job as a teacher.

Cleaning - I have worked both as a cleaner (bakery cleaner as an after school job when I was in high school) and in jobs that required high standards of cleanliness to be maintained (analytical scientist and school science technician).

Baking - I am a very keen hobby baker (mostly cakes, cookies, and traybakes - I have less experience with savoury baking and breads).

Teaching - I am a qualified secondary school teacher in chemistry and physics. I have also taught at university level, both as a lecturer and in the teaching laboratory.

Computer skills - my PhD was partly computational so I am very computer literate (including a little programming).

Age

30

What else ...

I like to read (fantasy is my favourite genre) and I dabble in writing a little.

I enjoy board games (if I can manage to get it in my luggage I will bring Stramash - a Scottish board game I play a lot when visiting my family).

I also like countryside walks - bonus points if there is a body of water for wild swimming and/or a dog to bring along.

Some more information

• 

  Smoker

• 

  Driver's licence

• 

  Allergies

• 

  Special dietary requirements
  I am vegetarian but relaxed about others eating meat and can provide my own food if needed. I’m also more than happy to eat vegan!