Penny & Christopher Jan

United Kingdom
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Travel information
We are currently
Travelling
Description
Hi, Penny and Jan here.
Having both quit our full-time UK desk jobs in February we have spent the past few months fulfilling a lifelong dream travelling around southeast Asia.

We love discovering new places, meeting interesting people and experiencing different cultures. Whilst we have done all of the above over the past few months backpacking we would love the opportunity to step off the tourist path and see more of the world from a different perspective; learning new languages, trying different types of jobs, developing new skills and hopefully forming great friendships.
Interests
Technology
Plant care
Team sports
Self development
Sustainability
Photography
Languages
Outdoor activities
Nature
Music
Gardening
Fitness
Farming
Drawing & painting
DIY & crafts
Cycling
Culture
Cooking & food
Charity work
Carpentry

show more
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Turkish: Fluent
More details about my language interests
This workawayer has indicated that they would be interested in sharing their language(s) or learning a new language. You can contact them directly to discuss this.
Find a language buddy
Skills and knowledge we'd like to share or learn
We're interested in:
DIY and building projects
Life at a Farmstay
Eco Projects
Helping around the house
Hospitality/Tourism
General Maintenance
Teaching
Some knowledge of:
Gardening
Babysitting and creative play
Languages
Charity Work
Able to teach about:
Art Projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
More details about your skills
- Both creative and have a good eye for design - we both studied design and engineering degrees and together set up a business making and selling our own handmade products (weestudyo.com).
- Practical - there is no DIY job to big or small once we have a saw, screwdriver, hammer and paintbrush.
- Great cooks - we have some great British, Italian and Turkish dishes up our sleeve and are interested to learn about local dishes and food.
- Enjoy gardening and being outside - experience working in the UK and Turkey
- Hardworking and quick learners!
- Both very physically fit - we both have experience working in manual labour jobs.

Work/Study Experience

Penny
🖥️ Senior Project Engineer - Koolmill Systems, UK - 2.5 Years
🛠️Founder of DIYWomen Workshops - UK - 1 Year
👩‍🔧Masters in Product Design Engineering (MEng) - University of Glasgow and Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow - 5 years (Distinction)
🇨🇳 R+D Engineering Intern - Mettler Toledo, China - 3 months
👷‍♀️Event Crew - Gallowglass, Scotland - 1.5 years (manual labouring, setting up and disassembling events/equipment)
⚙️ Mechanical Design Engineering Intern - Pubinno Inovasyon, Istanbul - 3 months
🙋‍♀️President of FemEng (Female Engineering Society) - Glasgow - 1 Year
🦾 Handprints e-NABLE (3D Printed Prosthetics) Publicity Manager - Glasgow - 1 Year
🇮🇳International Citizen Service VSO Volunteer - India - 3 months
🏊‍♀️Lifeguard/Swim Coach/Children's Counsellor - Camp Eagle Hill NY, USA - 3 Months
🧹Accommodation Services Assistant (Housekeeping) - Gleneagles Hotel (5 Star), Scotland - 3 Years
🍷Bartender and Public Relations - Viper, Glasgow - 2 years
🛍️Retail Assistant - Baxters, Scotland - 2 Years

Jan
🖥️ Architectural Designer - Waldo Works, London - 2.5 Years
👨🏽‍🎓 Masters of Architectural Studies - GSA, Glasgow - 1 year (Distinction)
👨🏽‍🎓 Exchange student - Pratt, NYC - 5 months
👨🏽‍🎓 Interior Design Student - GSA, Glasgow - 4 years (1st BA Hons)
👷🏽‍ Event Crew - Gallowglass, Scotland - 1.5 years (manual labouring, setting up and disassembling events/equipment)
🎪 Oxfam Festival Volunteer - WOMAD, England - 1 week (setting up temporary spaces,working in the shop, stewarding)
📚 Oxfam Shop Volunteer - Glasgow - 3 years (working behind the till, stocking the shop, setting up window displays, customer service)
📐 Architect and Design Intern - Waldo Works, London - 2 Months
✏️ Architect and Design Intern - Interior Visions, Bangkok - 3 Months

What we have worked on together!
👩🏻‍🎨🧑🏽‍🎨 wee stüdyo - UK - 2 years (designing, making and selling handmade colourful objects using 3D printing and Jesmonite)
🪚🛠️🖌️ Pop-up bar - UK - 1 week (commissioned by a client to design and build a mobile pop-up bar for their drinks company)
📱Shop Small Glasgow - 2.5 years (During Covid we built a social media brand and platform to promote small independent businesses in Glasgow)
Age
26 & 26
What else ...
Having spent the last 2 years largely behind a laptop we are both hungry to get our hands dirty and hopefully work outside with people as this is our happy place.
We love art and being creative!

Penny - “I’m my happiest with a pair of goggles on swimming, getting lost in a book and making stuff”
Jan - “I love music, design and sports, particularly football and F1!”
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
  No
- Special dietary requirements
  No

Feedback

8 Mar 2024

Left by host (Waterfront location on Lamb ...) for Workawayer (Penny & Christopher Jan)

We enjoyed hosting Penny and Jan who were delightful and interesting company and who carried out their allotted tasks with careful attention to detail. They fitted a collection of plantation shutters of assorted sizes around our deck and were left with the unenviable task of planning how they would all fit and then installing them. It worked out… read more

(Excellent )

6 Mar 2024

Left by Workawayer (Penny & Christopher Jan) for host (Waterfront location on Lamb ...)

Elli and Graham are such a kind and generous couple. We really enjoyed our time on Lamb Island with them. While there we worked on a complex shutter project, where we installed repurposed plantation shutters around their veranda to make it weather proof. We appreciated how much flexibility and independence they gave us to complete the project. The… read more

(Excellent )

21 Jan 2024

Left by host (Stay with an artist and help ...) for Workawayer (Penny & Christopher Jan)

Penny and Jan stayed with me in December 2023. The contribution they made at the warehouse was fanstastic and exceeded all my dreams. We worked on a big renovation project together which involved shoring up a large stud wall, gyprocking, filling, sanding and painting. By the time they had finished I had a fully renovated, freshly painted room… read more

(Excellent )

19 Jan 2024

Left by Workawayer (Penny & Christopher Jan) for host (Stay with an artist and help ...)

Our stay with Trisha was one of our fondest through Workaway so far.

Her warehouse conversion is spectacular and we felt so lucky to call it home for just over a month. During our time we helped with various DIY tasks throughout the house, including redecorating her entire bedroom, reorganising the storeroom downstairs and some laneway gardening.… read more

(Excellent )

11 Jan 2024

Left by host (Outdoor / Indoor help and DIY ...) for Workawayer (Penny & Christopher Jan)

Dear Penny and Jan

This is very late and my biggest apologies but Thank You so much for choosing to be with me for two weeks and how lovely it was to have you both at my home.

Penny and Jan are respectful and have a happy and calm approach to all tasks. I was very lucky to have you both here…Thank you!

Both Penny and Jan were life savers. They… read more designed and built a boxed garden bed using recycled timber to plant a hedge of camellias and hydrangeas, enclosed some 200 metres of fencing using a mixture of recycled timbers, bricks and logs to stop wild animals coming into the garden, helped to pot up and plant some standard roses, removed and replaced some 200 bricks around the bottom of the barn cladding. They cleaned the garden grounds from tree debris, in total we raked lots and lots of garden waste and also cut all the grass in the garden almost two acres and because it was so high, they went over with the mower twice and helped set up a compost bin secured with bricks and mulched around the base. Penny thank you for going the extra mile and willingly working back to finish the grass cutting.

In between they helped to sort and stack firewood, tidying up a very messy and cluttered side port and it did not stop in the garden. In the morning they were a great help in the kitchen making breakfast for four and preparing fresh fruit smoothies for everyone, they helped with lunch and dinner and the dishes.

Thank you for your generosity, introducing me to Korean peach wine, buying and sharing a bottle of wine to celebrate the end of the two weeks.

You are both super intelligent, smart and very self motivated with a can do attitude and lots of initiative, your architectural and design skills were very much appreciated, since you enhanced its design, the culvert has not blocked with gravel or/and tree debris. I just needed to tell Penny and Jan what I was trying to achieve and they both did all the thinking and planning to achieve the end results.

You were both a great help, support, very reliable and always polite and respectful towards me. And as a team you worked brilliantly together and with the other helper.

I would welcome both Penny and Jan back anytime they want to come and they are highly recommended to any host lucky enough to receive them.

I wish you all the very best with your travels around Australasia and thank you for all your help.

Vita xx

(Excellent )

8 Dec 2023

Left by Workawayer (Penny & Christopher Jan) for host (Outdoor / Indoor help and DIY ...)

We had the most amazing 2 weeks with Vita in Olinda. Honestly couldn't have asked for a better first workaway in Australia!

From day 1 Vita was really welcoming and easy going.
She kindly gave us her double room which was perfect and so comfortable for our stay.

Vita’s garden is stunning and where we spent most of our time helping. The work… read more

(Excellent )

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8 Mar 2024

Left by host (Waterfront location on Lamb ...) for Workawayer (Penny & Christopher Jan)

(Excellent )

6 Mar 2024

Left by Workawayer (Penny & Christopher Jan) for host (Waterfront location on Lamb ...)

(Excellent )

21 Jan 2024

Left by host (Stay with an artist and help ...) for Workawayer (Penny & Christopher Jan)

(Excellent )

19 Jan 2024

Left by Workawayer (Penny & Christopher Jan) for host (Stay with an artist and help ...)

(Excellent )

11 Jan 2024

Left by host (Outdoor / Indoor help and DIY ...) for Workawayer (Penny & Christopher Jan)

(Excellent )

8 Dec 2023

Left by Workawayer (Penny & Christopher Jan) for host (Outdoor / Indoor help and DIY ...)

(Excellent )

26 Sep 2023

Left by host (Help us with development and ...) for Workawayer (Penny & Christopher Jan)

Penny and Christopher are very nice and so friendly. They worked hard with less supervision and they were happy and were willing to learn new things. Honestly, as a host I was so forturnate having them as volunteers. They had been staying with us for few weeks and finished doing the foundation of our new cabins. They are highly recommended to… read more

(Excellent )

23 Sep 2023

Left by Workawayer (Penny & Christopher Jan) for host (Help us with development and ...)

We had the most amazing 2 weeks with Ismail in Kota Belud. Right from the off Ismail was so welcoming and easy going.

During our time we built the foundations for 3 new cabins. This involved lots of digging, moving soil and securing the timber posts that would form the stilts for the cabins. The work was tough at times but fair. It was amazing… read more

(Excellent )

7 Aug 2023

Left by host (Perfect place for nature ...) for Workawayer (Penny & Christopher Jan)

Penny & Jan what a beautiful people. so happy to having you guys in the house and working around with me, (the best time painting the wall) :D also with other work too.

WARNING!! For all the host do not ignore when my friends sent request, if not you will regret for hard working guys!

Many thanks again for all the beautiful help, see you guys… read more

(Excellent )

30 Jul 2023

Left by Workawayer (Penny & Christopher Jan) for host (Perfect place for nature ...)

We had the most amazing 2 weeks with Troji in the Cameron Highlands. This was our first workaway and it will be tough to beat.

Right from the off Troji was so welcoming and easy going. The work was so rewarding and varied which kept it interesting. Every two days we would package flowers in the morning with the workers - such a nice way to start… read more

(Excellent )

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