Neill

Ireland
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Profile information

Travel information
I am currently
Travelling
My next destination:
Nazaré, Portugal - from Jan 2023 until Dec 2030
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Description
Adventurous Uk/Irishman in late his late 40's

Moved to Portugal full-time three years ago.

30 years plus in IT experience but found a passion for hospitality since changing my career and lifestyle I have hosted a successful 200-year-old farmhouse on Airbnb in Ireland and most recently I have been running and operating a hostel/RV park near Nazare for a friend.

I am now seeking new opportunities in Portugal with work away
Interests
Culture
Van life
Videography
Technology
Cooking & food
DIY & crafts
Music
Animals
Beach
Winter sports
Camping
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
German: Beginner
More details about my language interests
I would love to master Portuguese
Find a language buddy
Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn
Some knowledge of:
Gardening
General Maintenance
Animal Care
Teaching
Able to teach about:
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Helping around the house
Hospitality/Tourism
Helping with Computers/ Internet
More details about your skills
I have many years of experience in IT, I worked for various big names such as Apple, Dell, and Intel and I am certified as a Microsoft system engineer.

If its broken I can usually fix it ;)

I found a passion for hospitality and took the plunge to change my career and have extensive skills and knowledge of hosting, housekeeping, taking bookings, and customer-facing.

I also have experience in the kitchen working in my friend's busy Irish Cafe in the Algarve.

Never afraid to try new things and meet new and interesting people.
Age
49
What else ...
Swimming, walking, scuba diving, gaming
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
  Quinine
- Special dietary requirements

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18 Mar 2024

Left by host (Looking for an audio sound ...) for Workawayer (Neill)

Regarding Neill Bradley
Workaway Volunteer
Rosie, my wife, and I Live in Portugal where we run our own Christian Charity, which is called Millennium 3 Music; we also run a language tuition company called Bell Lingo.
We have our own recording studio, which was in need of upgrading as were various other aspects of our domestic I.T. We are both 70+… read more in years and technology moves a lot faster than we do.
Neill responded to a request we put up on the Workaway forum; he had moved to Portugal 3 years prior to us engaging him and had been enlisted by several clients, to assist in tasks among which he successfully turned around a struggling camp site to Five Star status, worked for a large retreat centre offering alternative therapy holidays, designed websites for an animal charity and sorted out numerous problems, not only in the I.T. field, but in many practical areas such as gardening, building and farming.
Normally, when one provides a personal reference for someone it’s because they have worked with, or known them for a long period of time; Neill has been with us for just over 4 weeks, living with us, in our home, 24/7, sharing our daily lives very close up, which means we have got to know him far more personally than we would have under other circumstances.
There is an itemised spreadsheet of tasks Neill undertook on our behalf; if you'd like a copy let us know (and maybe let us know how to send it to you); some tasks we had agreed upon prior to his arrival, some he volunteered during his time here, and some we requested as needs arose during his time with us: because the nature of the work might be difficult to understand, may we summarise his work here very simply in terms of tasks and outcomes.
Neill agreed to
1 – work 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week and have weekends free
2 – undertake 17 agreed tasks (some requiring several hours)
3 – the areas of expertise / work we engaged Neill to contribute to included
The installation of music software programs in our recording studio
The upgrading and streamlining of our complete I.T. devices network
The repair of electronic musical instruments
Various D.I.Y. / Gardening jobs
Over and above our agreement Neill offered his time on 17 further tasks (sometimes requiring many hours) of which 7 were requested by us and 10 of which Neill gave of his own volition.
Out of 34 tasks Neill delivered 31 with total positive solutions and the three that were not resolved were nothing to do with his lack of ability; two weren't achieved because of the incompatibility of certain pieces of our hardware, and the other because a part that needed replacing wasn’t able to be delivered during the timescale of Neill’s agreed stay with us.
Neill has not only applied himself to the extent where almost all of the tasks we assigned him have had positive outcomes, but over and above that he has volunteered himself creatively and profitably in areas we never asked him to contribute to; he has the ability to get ‘into the skin’ of the people he serves in a way that he assumes a level of responsibility for a ‘project’ almost as if it were his own. He has the humility to say when he is out of his knowledge sphere, but it doesn’t take him long to research, report and offer meaningful input into those areas.
His knowledge base is vast and there is little that one can approach him about that he does not have some awareness of. However, he is not merely an academic theorist who gathers information; he can ‘put legs’ on what he knows about and deliver positive outcomes with a consistency that is laudable.
Neill has a moral compass that steers him. The very fact that he is in Portugal is because his conscience did not permit him to continue in the employment scenario he was in; that meant he walked away from job-security at an executive payment level that few of us would ever experience: leaving the salary, lifestyle and fringe benefits of his work (company cars, expense accounts e.g.) was a decision requiring integrity, courage and moral fibre.
On top of all of that, he’s a really lovely guy; great company, and an excellent cook; Neill can segue his way into your company without being intrusive: he is very sensitive and knows when it’s time to withdraw his presence.
We are retaining Neill as an ongoing source of assistance in a project that his skills and abilities will be of great value to.
We believe that we have not only gained a colleague, but found a new and valuable friend.
If you are considering engaging him at any level, may we recommend him to you without any reservation; you will not find a more honest, reliable and loyal man who is possessed of multiple skills and is a truly congenial person.

Rev. Roland Johnson Bell
And Mrs. Rosie Bell

(Excellent )

13 Mar 2024

Left by Workawayer (Neill) for host (Looking for an audio sound ...)

There is probably not enough room on this feedback page to write about all the fun, great dinners, hugely entertaining conversations, and me suffering multiple defeats at chess.

Rolly and Rosie are just the best and huge fun to be around. I got to help them both with various tasks with a little bit of DIY and help with their recording studio DAW… read more

(Excellent )

29 Jan 2024

Left by host (Help with cleaning, cooking ...) for Workawayer (Neill)

Neill came on time and as expected. He was always willing to jump in and give a hand, and never complained. He felt like a family member and we'd have him back anytime. He is a hard worker and dedicated to the tenets of this site A pleasure all around.

(Excellent )

23 Jan 2024

Left by Workawayer (Neill) for host (Help with cleaning, cooking ...)

Lisa and John are a lovely couple who I had the pleasure of helping out over Christmas. Came as a workaway but left as a friend. We stay in touch regularly and I will be back soon to help their builder finish some work on the house.

(Excellent )

21 Nov 2023

Left by host (Help on our permaculture land ...) for Workawayer (Neill)

Neill has been a great help in various tasks including general electrics, website redirects, olive picking and technical solutions.

Neill is kind, caring, respectful, smart and attentive.

It has been a pleasure having him stay for 3 weeks.

We wish you all the best Neill, anytime you are in our area feel free to stop by for a game of… read more

(Excellent )

20 Nov 2023

Left by Workawayer (Neill) for host (Help on our permaculture land ...)

I was truly blessed to have the opportunity to work with Andrew and Rosie for a short period of three weeks. Andrew and Rosie have cultivated a stunning retreat in a beautiful part of Portugal and were so accommodating from the moment I arrived. Their resort which is due to fully open in 2024 offers a supurb detox and well-being service for guests… read more

(Excellent )

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18 Mar 2024

Left by host (Looking for an audio sound ...) for Workawayer (Neill)

(Excellent )

13 Mar 2024

Left by Workawayer (Neill) for host (Looking for an audio sound ...)

(Excellent )

29 Jan 2024

Left by host (Help with cleaning, cooking ...) for Workawayer (Neill)

(Excellent )

23 Jan 2024

Left by Workawayer (Neill) for host (Help with cleaning, cooking ...)

(Excellent )

21 Nov 2023

Left by host (Help on our permaculture land ...) for Workawayer (Neill)

(Excellent )

20 Nov 2023

Left by Workawayer (Neill) for host (Help on our permaculture land ...)

(Excellent )

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Neill

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Profile information

Travel information

Description

Interests

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Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

Some knowledge of:

Able to teach about:

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What else ...

Some more information

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