Best job to pay for eventing with...

RachelFerd

RachelFerd

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Posting in CRs as interested specifically in what jobs people feel can combine well with eventing/competing.

Today I got made redundant. Not a big surprise, was kind of expecting it as I had seen the release schedule for next year and knew there wasn't enough work on to justify keeping me.

Old job was working as a press officer in the media. A fun job, but ultimately very time consuming (lots of weekends and evenings) required me to be in central london all the time and didn't pay very much given the kind of 24/7 attention required.

Now I need to find a new job - media is fun, but I'm more interested in enjoying my free time with horses. Any suggestions for avenues to look down for a job with flexi time, a decent wage, maybe shift work (I'd even work nights so I can have some day-times back!) preferably not as dull as dishwater either.

I don't have a degree, but do have immaculate A-levels (5 As) and just under 3yrs of experience as a press officer and marketing assistant...

what do you lot do, and what is the most cushy job to event round?
 
I work as a freelance rider, means I can arrange everything around competing, which is great. Also keeps me fit enough to event. I can put in extra hours when I need to or have easy weeks when I have lots on.

Wouldnt do anything else
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wish I could be a freelance rider however,

a. not good enough!
b. not enough money in it (have to pay the rent, pay the horses rent in the commuter belt, run 2 vehicles.... ARGH!)
 
Best job to have would be a rich man's wife
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And that is certainly the one I would like
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Finding a job that gives you the time and the money to event is tricky, but they are out there. Public sector jobs are generally good for things like flex-time and oodles of holiday, but the pay is lower than the private sector in most instances, however that doesn't always mean the pay is low, it is just lower.

At the moment I am taking a break from riding and competing to train as an accountant - boring at times, interesting at others and once I am qualified I will have the money to compete. Much prefer to be that kept woman though!

Sorry to hear about your redundancy
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I work as a nurse doing 13 hour night shifts, this means I have time to do my horses in the day and can usually choose my shifts to fit in round eventing. The down side is surviving on a max of 3 hours sleep a day!
 
Set up your own Business? I did that 7 years ago and I havent looked back...i catch up with work on evenings and weekends so I can compete midweek and ride in the day
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Nursing....
You can do shift work, or only night shifts... If you want you only work 2 to 10 pm...so a full working day, and the whole morning to play ponies! Pays well enough!

I have gone eventing/competing after working a nightshift, it does work out fine usually, actually seem to ride better, funnily enough!
 
Megan has the right idea - I'm with her! Can't convince the OH of the merits of me being a kept woman though. Welcome to the redundancy club BTW - all the best people get made redundant, hope you got a better payout than I did!

I am no help, my last (current) job wasn't terribly well paid and had silly hours in the summer. I've just applied for a job which pays far better and is more sociable hours but I doubt I'll get it as I don't suppose they'll wait for me to come back from the USA.

I see no reason why you couldn't do something in marketing though - assuming the jobs are out there in that sector - you have the experience to move sectors now, possibly look for a public sector job for now and move back into the private sector when things are more stable?
 
only trouble is... I hate marketing
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payout .. what payout? Haven't been there quite two years, so they aren't obliged to give me one. At least there is plenty of seasonal temporary work around and about...
 
...............Prostitution may be the only way forward at this rate?

:hhmrunsandhides:

On a serious note I work as a private hearing aid dispenser for a big firm, good money and pretty flexible working patterns.
 
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...............Prostitution may be the only way forward at this rate?

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I am beginning to seriously worry about the image I give off - I asked my friends to think of a new career for me, go given the options of lapdancer, call girl and porn star. Now you come up with this and I have never even met you. How totally odd.
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Those people who have met me will realise how far fetched all of those options are - almost on a par with 'become a singer'.
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RF - what do you like doing? You could always go to uni....
 
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..............

On a serious note I work as a private hearing aid dispenser for a big firm, good money and pretty flexible working patterns.

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Do you now? thats cool, are you an audiologist or just a hearing aid dispenser? How did you get into that line of work?
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With marketing jobs i think you need to have a degree - the ones i am applying for you do anyway.

How about accountancy? - you can train on the job with that.
 
not the ones I am applying for... but I have worked more on the public relations and press side of things really. Marketing Assistant roles don't pay that badly, and generally don't need qualifications - or will accept experience instead.

accountancy NO!

mental health nursing has interested me for a while, but I really don't think I could put myself through university (especially financially)
 
had a friend years ago who went and trained as a paramedic/ambulance driver so she could do shift work and train/compete her horse at p2p. She's still doing it. See her at various meetings in the season - no longer racing but still paramedic-ing.
Good luck whatever you decide to do
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Do you now? thats cool, are you an audiologist or just a hearing aid dispenser? How did you get into that line of work?
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Both! Trained as an NHS audiologist when I left school then 3 years ago sat my private exams to join the dark side
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ETA: SpottedCat, don't know how my post ending up linking from yours.....it wasn't directed at you personally
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was just feeling it's the only way anyone can afford to event these days
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Sorry to hear about the job, I work in social care in the community and earn a very healthy wage,I had to climb the ladder to get it but its achievable and so many opps at present with changes in legislation.
I would love to be a kept woman and spend my days mucking out and watering the hanging baskets,but I tried marriage and was rubbish at it- or rather he didn't understand my fascination with horses and asked me to choose. Hey hum.

Good luck,keep the faith!!
 
I now work public sector in a job I really enjoy and with incredibly flexible hours which fit around horses. I work 4 days a week Mon to Thursday. I start at 1pm and work till 11.30pm which is great as do long hours to get a 3 day weekend. Best of all these hours are only term time.
I work in a HE college organising student welfare and activities.
 
now that does sound good lec! what brilliant hours...

I just don't understand why standard office hours seem to have been designed to prevent people from fitting in any proper leisure time?
 
Tell me about it!

Or time for anything else including doctors appts, plumbers or whoever to come out........

I am lucky my company are great in that I can start later at work 3 days a week, which helps in the winter.
 
I'm a manager of an architectural image library. As it's public sector, I get flexi and a good dose of holidays. Plus my OH works freelance from home so is invaluable when it comes to turning out horses/bringing them in, etc. I'm very lucky!
 
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Do you now? thats cool, are you an audiologist or just a hearing aid dispenser? How did you get into that line of work?
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Both! Trained as an NHS audiologist when I left school then 3 years ago sat my private exams to join the dark side
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Thats brilliant! I did one term of the Audiolody degree at Southampton Uni, but all the physics and the long days of lectures bored me to death and I just wanted to be outside riding, so I left the course! I have a profound loss so should have found it easy to understand all the aspects of the course but am just NOT an indoors person and could not concentrate !( well it would have helped if I couldve actually heard what the lecturer was saying
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If you in media, go for public sector jobs.......... felxi time, good holiday, average pay (not as good as private tho).
I work 4 1/2 days but still do 37hrs so always have every friday afternoon off, very useful for eventing. My place may even be bring in 'home working' for part of week - even better for me
 
i work for a saddle company, unfortunately fixed hours and fixed holidays which makes things difficult but i have an understanding boss that lets me have occassional extra day off for big competitions or lets me leave little bit early on friday to get ready to compete saturday. also through winter i can start later and work later so i can ride in the light before work.
I love this job as it's connected to thing i love the most - horses! it's so varied and interesting (most of the time) and i am lucky it doesn't pay too bad.
The most important thing is my good relationships within the company, i will make sure i do my best so they always do their best by me.

Good luck
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Don't know what your driving is like
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but my friend recently trained as a Driving Instructor and this fits in well with family / horsey life.

She works for herself and the hours are very flexible and she has lots of work on ATM. She also offers trailer towing lessons too.

Good luck
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I teach and find that is a good compromise between free time but decent pay. You would need a degree for that though, other jobs in education such as Learning/ Teaching assistants, Year Leader (non teaching), PR officer might be worth a look?
I know a few people who ride and have job such as nursing and the police as others have said if you can tolerate the shift pattern works out quite well.
A friend of mine has the greatest job - she is a drug rep, she has no sales targets as medication is bought by PCT just has to give presentations to GPs about her companies products and eat nice lunches with them. She has so many appointments to do in a month but how she organizes them is upto her, so she can have time off whenever she wants it. She gets her phone and a BMW and a really good wage. She says it is really boring but so cushy she'll never leave!
 
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I teach and find that is a good compromise between free time but decent pay. You would need a degree for that though, other jobs in education such as Learning/ Teaching assistants, Year Leader (non teaching), PR officer might be worth a look?
I know a few people who ride and have job such as nursing and the police as others have said if you can tolerate the shift pattern works out quite well.
A friend of mine has the greatest job - she is a drug rep, she has no sales targets as medication is bought by PCT just has to give presentations to GPs about her companies products and eat nice lunches with them. She has so many appointments to do in a month but how she organizes them is upto her, so she can have time off whenever she wants it. She gets her phone and a BMW and a really good wage. She says it is really boring but so cushy she'll never leave!

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I was about to suggest the same. I used to work in Pharma as a drug rep, and have to say its like doing a part time job but getting paid a full time wage!! I had to see 4 customers a day (which I could do in a few hours), and that was about it really. Had a nice wage (you'll be looking at about £30k - £45k after a few yrs experience if you do well) and a swanky BMW to drive round for free (my old company only let you have Mercedes or BM's!). Lots of glitzy conferences to attend, and hardly any meetings away.

It is dull though, BUT can be made interesting if you are creative and like to challenge yourself...hence the hours will increase, but probably never to a full time day! For example, I trained myself to become a specialist in the disease area for the drug I was selling - as a result, made very good relationships with the clinicians and felt like I was doing something worthwhile.

I now work from home as an account manager for the NHS, and the workload is significantly more. I book my appointments so that I'll always have a morning or afternoon to ride, and then catch up with work in the evenings. Its great!

Good luck!

Oh, and I dont have a degree either!
 
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