Darrin

Travel information

I am currently

Activities i am interested in:

Building work (not a professional)
Maintenance - buildings, vehicles - basic level only
Child minding
Cooking
Shopping
Driving
Garending/veg patch/allotment work
Welding - MAGS, TAGS, and Gas/torch.

Description

Hello
I am English, and will travel alone. I may be available for work in France in the Summer 2024.
I am a Post qualified Children's Services Social Worker specialising in children with disabilities. I qualified in 2000 and have children's residential as well as Social Work experience. I have several Summers worth of Workaway experience since 2011, Workawaying for families in France on small holdings.
In 2013 I finished a Degree studying Politics and International Studies at the University of Greenwich in London. This included learning French, and although I only know it at a basic level, I am always keen to use the language as much as possible and learn more.
I also have a lot of experience in working with children and young people in children's homes, Sessional Work, and Part Time Youth Work, children's play centres, adventure playgrounds, family centres as well as Social Work.
Reasons for me wanting to do this voluntary work are that I love France, the weather when it's warm or hot, working and staying in the countryside, and wanting to learn French and experience French culture. I would ideally like to stay with a French family to help with my French, but am open to staying with non-native French speakers, so long as they have some French and English.
I am primarily looking to do building and gardening type work as I enjoy this the most, but would be happy helping out generally as needed, if there was a lot of building/gardening/veg patch type work available. I'm good at basic DIY. I am capable with basic building tasks, or working with a competent builder on larger/complicated jobs. In 2016 I made a single arched shutter for a door, and a set of double shutters for a set of double doors in three days. I built a block of two composting toilets almost completely by myself in 2012. Please see profile pictures for a picture of this.
In the Summer of 2011 I repaired a large greenhouse roof by cutting away rusted metal plates and pieces of angle, and welding fresh new plates and pieces of angle in their place. Each roof piece for each side of the greenhouse was several feet long, and there were several sets. The plates were heavy gauge metal.
I am ecologically minded and would relish the opportunity to work on an organic farm/small holding, and in an environmentally friendly way in all other respects.
As a children's Social Worker, I love working with children. I have provided childcare on an informal basis to children upwards from 18 months old for all families that I have worked for through Workaway, so incorporating child care into my role within your family would be very enjoyable for me. However, I would prefer my main work to be building and/or gardening/veg patch work. I am not interested in working on large farms doing the same work with limited variety.
I am generally fit and able and generally healthy. I don't smoke or drink much alcohol.
I like to both finish a job once I've started, and do it to the best of my ability.
Please contact me if you are interested in using my services.
All of my photos are Workaway photos.

Interests

Languages

Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Beginner

More details about my language interests
I would love to learn more French as I love being in France and would love to converse in the language as fluently as I am able. I would be very happy to impart my English knowledge to anyone interested in learning it, but do not wish to formally teach.

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Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Gardening

Babysitting and creative play

Life at a Farmstay

Eco Projects

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Some knowledge of:  

DIY and building projects

Creating/ Cooking family meals

General Maintenance

Helping around the house

Languages

Helping with Computers/ Internet

More details about your skills

I have grown up with cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, and budgerigars, so I love animals and am therefore happy and able caring for them. I also have experience on smallholdings of caring for hens, geese, ducks and rabbits.
Skills include some French, educated English, some computer/internet knowledge/skills, touch typing in English to about 38 words a minute.
I also have experience in gardening/work on small holdings/farms and on large veg patches.
I can communicate and get on well with children. I can organise and supervise play.
Previously worked as a welder/brazer/solderer, and can fabricate metal.
Driving, including vans/minibuses and small lorries.
I can do decorating and DIY etc.
I can ride motorised movers.
I am a reasonably good cook.
I have had the opportunity to drive host's vehilces for one reason of another on several occasisons, both for their benefit, and my own socially. I have over 30 years of driving experience, and a clean driving licence which I’d be happy to bring with me so that I could drive if required again. I have a lot of experience in driving a range of different vehilces for the past few decades, and driven a pick up truck several times and a tractor several times in France. In England I have driven minibusses - vans, including Luton vans, and 7.5 tonne lorries. I drove an articulated lorry on a fortnight's driving course, and a double decker bus on an assessment session. I am therefore confident in driving many different types of vehicle.

Age

59

What else ...

The above 'from' and 'to' availability dates are currently provisional, and will be confirmed nearer the time I travel.
I believe I am friendly, helpful, generally happy with a good sense of humour, approachable, likeable, and am self motivated. I will work hard as required, and can be flexible.
Although I love animals and am happy for animal care and farming to be part of my tasks as a Workawayer, I am not looking to do just or mainly animal care or farming, or just a combination of only these two things, but building as well. I do not mind what I build or make, but prefer it to be building related.
Similarly, although I love working with children, I'm not looking for mainly childcare work. However, I am happy doing some childcare, and am generally happy to be around children all day every day, so long as I can get on with other tasks, preferably building work and gardening/veg patch type work on smallholdings.
I am no chef, but love cooking, so am happy to be cook for the family sometimes, but again, would not want to do this everyday, but of course am more than happy to help out everyday with food preparation and/or clearing away/washing up etc.
Aside from wanting to do building and gardening work, I really like helping families with eco-projects, as I am environmentally aware and ecologically minded.

Some more information

• 

  Smoker

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  Driver's licence

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  Allergies
  No.

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  Special dietary requirements
  I do not eat seafood, although I love fish. I also do not eat aubergines.