Advice please about a job

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Pen_name

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There's a chance the staff where I work could be getting made redundant. Nothing has been said either way yet, but I like to have a back up plan. I've been browsing on the Yard and Groom site and I came across this job:

http://www.yardandgroom.com/jobs/United-Kingdom/York/Yard-Assistant/20930

It sounds really interesting! I worked with horses for a long time (before I get too old to enjoy it- I'm 30 this year!). I have my BHS stage 2- do you think that would be okay? I also have a first aid certificate (got that in November), Riding and road safety and can tow a trailer.

I'm very tempted to apply! I've never worked in a private school. (Heck, I've never even visited a private school!) Might go and poke about on the website. It's a bit outside of my range but it's live in, so I think it would balance out. It'sthe same money I'm on now but I'd end up with more at the end of the month because there'd be no bills to pay.

Thoughts, please? I need rational advice here! :o:D
 
Pen_name said:
There's a chance the staff where I work could be getting made redundant. Nothing has been said either way yet, but I like to have a back up plan. I've been browsing on the Yard and Groom site and I came across this job:

http://www.yardandgroom.com/jobs/United-Kingdom/York/Yard-Assistant/20930

It sounds really interesting! I worked with horses for a long time (before I get too old to enjoy it- I'm 30 this year!). I have my BHS stage 2- do you think that would be okay? I also have a first aid certificate (got that in November), Riding and road safety and can tow a trailer.

I'm very tempted to apply! I've never worked in a private school. (Heck, I've never even visited a private school!) Might go and poke about on the website. It's a bit outside of my range but it's live in, so I think it would balance out. It'sthe same money I'm on now but I'd end up with more at the end of the month because there'd be no bills to pay.

Thoughts, please? I need rational advice here! :o:D
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Sounds interesting and decent as far as things go but maybe someone on here has more experience of the school.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of your current job then do the same for the new one and compare. Have you spoken to someone re the redundancy and what notice will you get or have to give?
 
I would go for it, there should be a fairly rigid timetable so at least youd know what your plans are week to week

Mind you, having attended a similar school I would say that many of my co-pupils were particularly obnoxious in their attitudes to non teaching staff and adding horses in to the mix could result in an interesting mix of pupils and parents to be encountered!!

Not saying that the girls at this fine and well respected school would be the same though ;)
 
Jnhuk said:
Sounds interesting and decent as far as things go but maybe someone on here has more experience of the school.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of your current job then do the same for the new one and compare. Have you spoken to someone re the redundancy and what notice will you get or have to give?
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We're hanging on for a meeting in a couple of weeks to find out what's going on. Nothing has been decided yet. I'm fishing just in case- I like to always have a plan b.

Thank you.
 
WelshD said:
I would go for it, there should be a fairly rigid timetable so at least youd know what your plans are week to week

Mind you, having attended a similar school I would say that many of my co-pupils were particularly obnoxious in their attitudes to non teaching staff and adding horses in to the mix could result in an interesting mix of pupils and parents to be encountered!!

Not saying that the girls at this fine and well respected school would be the same though ;)
Click to expand...

Thank you! After working in sales for -mumble- years, i'm really ready for a change. I'd like to go back to horses and this is something that I've never done. I like new things. :D
 
The first think that popped into my head was what happens during school holidays, are you still needed and do you still have accommodation?
Probably not a problem, the horses will still need care but I'd want to nail that point down.
 
Hmm, don't really know the school (although they irritate the hell out of me constantly sending me letters about open days and enrolling my kids -I don't have any kids!!!).

The only think that always puts me off is the connection with them and E&L insurance. However, I don't know if the guy who set up the place (and who started E&L insurance) is still connected to both or not. It just always sits at the back of my mind though! :)

That's not to say the school isn't any good and, at the end of the day you only live once and you don't lose anything applying for a job. The salary seems rather low but then if you're getting living and food thrown in then I guess it makes up for the shortfall.
 
Good to have a back up plan. Would also be well worth your time to look on the ACAS site to understand what your legal rights are with redundancy and the notice you will be given. There often seems to be an assumption that redundancy always means a decent payout but that is not always the case. If you assume you will be made redundant, you will be given the bare legal minimum then you will know better the worst timescales and financial implications.
 
It can't do any harm to apply, but if you are offered it, same as with any horsey job, ask if you can speak to any current grooms or previous person in that position. Ime with horse jobs, even if current or past groom has been unfair to the employer, unless its a new set up, most horsey employers can find a groom who'd recommend the job. Whereas others have a quick turnover of staff for a reason. I've got no idea what they are like as employers, but especially with a live in job its important to be sure first.
 
Helloo, I went to an interview here, it's a lovely place, you get looked after (meals provided) & the accommodation is good even though you are sharing a room but I was too qualified for the position unfortunately (or fortunately). Now, I know this is only my experience but there was definitely something fishy going on...I took an envelope full of my GCSE/College certificates & there was also my GCSE graphics project in there, a magazine which I had designed and made which took me a whole 2 years, it was an original so if I lost it there was no way in hell I could get it back. The lady that interviewed me, think she was the yard manager asked to see them in my interview so I handed it to her, she took them out & went through them & put them back in and gave the envelope back to me, the interview had finished and I was asked to go into the room next door so the manager & her assistant could discuss, while I was sat in here I noticed my magazine wasn't there so when the assistant came back into the room to get another interviewee (it was a group interview type thing) I asked her if she could look in the room we'd just been in to see if I'd left it there, she said no, I knew I'd definitely brought it. Anyway I left it there & we went on a yard tour, mucked out a box, groomed etc & I said to the assistant when we'd finished if I could just look one more time to see if I'd dropped it or anything so I went into the room where I'd been interviewed & asked the manager, she said she'd looked but it wasn't there so I was gutted but I thought oh well, said thankyou for interviewing me, hope to hear from them soon etc, went to walk out via the managers office & there it is, sat on the managers bloody desk! Cheeky cow, I said 'Oh here it is!' & walked out there as fast as I could. NOT COOL. To me, this was just a sign of things to come.
 
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I would apply, if you get an interview go and then decide. The more information you have the easier it will be to make a decision.

I would want to know who I would be sharing a house with and their ages, living with a group of teenagers may not be your cup of tea! Good luck:)
 
I would have loved to go too as a child, now in my 40s, so no chance!

Perhaps someone should start a retirement home for horsey people with fab facilities! We could all go there in our twilight years!
 
I went to a different horsey school of a similar size and the staff were all great and the food was great!

QE used to have bad results academically but they have split the school into two seperate institutions when it comes to league tables and so it looks like they have improved massively academically which I will give them that it is true to an extent.

They have incredible facilities due to the fact that it is owned by an Insurance company. For the location the pay for that job is good.

Go for it, I think you will have a great time.
 
Do you think they're trying to get out of horses? They have an interactive map on the site and the horse area looks tiny to what it used to be.
 
Well £6.19 is the adult minimum wage so not sure I'd call it well paid myself! Agreed food and accommodation are free but not allowed big deductions for these anyway. Don't suppose a school could get away with paying below legal minimum too easily.
I'd want to be sure what the hours actually are, how you are reimbursed for working weekend competition and open days etc.
Why is there a vacancy?
 
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