Eleanor

Travel information

I am currently

Description

Having just graduated uni, I'm keen to spend a year or two away from academia so I can have some time and space to think about what comes next. My mother was born in Canada and I have citizenship, but have only ever lived in Scotland, so Canada seems like the perfect place to do this exploring. My family are in Ontario, but I've never been west, and I'm desperate to see the landscape and wildlife BC and Alberta have to offer.

I'm a keen skier so am spending the winter working at a hostel in a ski town in BC, which I'm absolutely loving. Following this, I would love to work on ranches, or somewhere very close to nature, the sea, and amazing landscapes. I'm very content getting stuck into outdoor work, and occasionally help out at my mum's partner's sheep farm. I've previously worked at a horse riding school, so do plenty of physical work outdoors, and am not put off by big animals! I've been riding horses for 15 years, and have one of my own, so this is another reason for my attraction to ranch work - I don't expect to be able to ride every day but would love to learn about how the training and relationship changes when the horse is a working animal, with skills that are relied upon.

Other hobbies include hillwalking, camping, photography, knitting & crochet, painting, listening to music (though unfortunately I possess no musical talent of my own), wild swimming, and running.

Languages spoken

English: Fluent
French: Beginner

Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Life at a Farmstay

Hospitality/Tourism

General Maintenance

DIY and building projects

Eco Projects

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Some knowledge of:  

Teaching

Animal Care

Creating/ Cooking family meals

Helping around the house

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Able to teach about:  

Helping with Computers/ Internet

More details about your skills

I have a Master's in physics so I am computer literate, and good with numbers.

Currently, at the hostel, my responsibilities include cleaning, reception work, welcoming guests, laundry, and cooking once or twice a week for the staff team of seven. We are a tight-knit team living in close quarters, so good communication has been essential.

Before leaving for Canada, I worked at a riding school, both with the horses and in the adjoining coffee shop. On the horse side of things, I taught some of the riding lessons to beginner/intermediate level children, and ran the yard in the background; feeding (including administering medication) and mucking out the horses, ensuring the lesson schedule is run to time, welcoming visitors and supervising their safety, and training new staff. This was all done under my own initiative, sometimes independently and sometimes as part of a small team.

In the coffee shop, I prepared hot drinks, light lunches, and contributed to our home baking selection, whilst being polite and friendly to our customers. I performed the opening and closing procedures, including cash counting, till closing, and end of day cleaning.

I have previously worked as a bartender, as well as in a small family-owned hardware store.

I don't have masses of farming experience, but have helped with lambing, shearing (wool wrapping), and de-antlering of farmed red deer stags. I believe I have a good feel for animals (their body language and behaviours, and how I should approach them), and I'm not squeamish.

Age

23

Some more information

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  Smoker

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  Driver's licence

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  Allergies

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  Special dietary requirements