Epequestrian
Active Member
Does anyone know of any ‘well paying’ jobs I could do abroad? I understand that most horsey jobs will be very little pay, but it’s my dream to move abroad and have my own horse!
Job options??
- Thread starter Epequestrian
- Start date
Winters100
Well-Known Member
There are lots of opportunities abroad, but it depends on what you mean by 'well paying', and also of course on what you want to do, and your qualifications / experience. You are also sadly at a bit of a disadvantage in your timing, since a no-deal Brexit will reduce your European options. But if you can clarify what you want to do maybe someone will have ideas. Good luck!
Theocat
Well-Known Member
You need to approach this the other way around. You will (probably) do some sort of job for forty hours a week, 45 weeks a year, for probably (at your age) nearly fifty years. You need to start by finding something (or a series of somethings) that you love: doing a job just because it pays well is a quick way to make yourself miserable.
Equally, you are FAR more likely to do well, progress, and start to earn a decent salary if you focus on the things you love and the things you're good at (the exception being horses 😂) If you have a decent career, in most cases you can find jobs abroad if that's what you want to do.
You don't, at Year 10, know about all the career options that are out there. Your best bet is to work hard at GCSE and A Level and choose subjects you will enjoy and do well in, and start to get work experience and placements in anything and everything you feel interested in. Yes, travel, and combine that with working with horses - perhaps as a gap year initially - but the boring truth is that you can work with horses abroad and probably have no money, or choose a different career you love that makes you money and lets you keep horses, and where you can still choose to work abroad.
Equally, you are FAR more likely to do well, progress, and start to earn a decent salary if you focus on the things you love and the things you're good at (the exception being horses 😂) If you have a decent career, in most cases you can find jobs abroad if that's what you want to do.
You don't, at Year 10, know about all the career options that are out there. Your best bet is to work hard at GCSE and A Level and choose subjects you will enjoy and do well in, and start to get work experience and placements in anything and everything you feel interested in. Yes, travel, and combine that with working with horses - perhaps as a gap year initially - but the boring truth is that you can work with horses abroad and probably have no money, or choose a different career you love that makes you money and lets you keep horses, and where you can still choose to work abroad.
joosie
Well-Known Member
I've been a groom for 13 years (got into it by accident, fresh out of uni) and have worked all over Europe on all sorts of yards. Living abroad and being immersed in horses was a dream come true, I've had the most amazing time and don't regret a minute of it, but it's most definitely a young person's game. Now at 33 years old I've had enough of being permanently skint, exhausted and sore, and have started my training as an English teacher. I look forward to the day I can just have horses as a hobby! I am thankful that before I became a groom I focused on my education, the fact that I have four A-levels and an Honours degree has made it SO much easier to move to a new career. I thoroughly agree with Theocat's advice!
Winters100
Well-Known Member
You have been given very good advice by Theocat and Joosie.
I did not realise you are year 10 - so I suppose about 14/15. Just to add what you have been told at this age your aim should be to keep all options open. You are imagining working with horses on a beautiful yard with lots of facilities.....what about you imagine that you owned horses and kept them in such a place? At your age, if you are of average or above average intelligence, nothing is impossible. You just need to set your expectations high and refuse to accept failure. Joosie has pointed out that grooming is a young person's game - but she had the good sense to have a back up. You will need this too, and then when you leave education you can decide whether to work for other people looking after their horses, or to follow another path and have your own.
Set your sights high. Why not aim to become a vet if you like animals? Sure you will need good exam results, but if you went to your teachers now and told them that you are determined to reach this goal they would help you to achieve it. It would take hard work, but I am sure that Joosie would confirm that being a groom is extremely hard work. As an equine vet you could work with horses, afford your own, and probably have immense job satisfaction. If not a vet why not a doctor / lawyer / accountant? I was lucky and went to a very good school, and it was a 'given' that we would all go to university and have professional careers - and because it was the norm that is what most people did. Please don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being a groom, and if you are a good one you will be worth your weight in gold, but professional qualifications give you CHOICE. Just like Joosie can now choose to become a teacher. Remember that a vet can always choose to be a groom, but the opposite does not apply. Study hard and the world will be your oyster.
I did not realise you are year 10 - so I suppose about 14/15. Just to add what you have been told at this age your aim should be to keep all options open. You are imagining working with horses on a beautiful yard with lots of facilities.....what about you imagine that you owned horses and kept them in such a place? At your age, if you are of average or above average intelligence, nothing is impossible. You just need to set your expectations high and refuse to accept failure. Joosie has pointed out that grooming is a young person's game - but she had the good sense to have a back up. You will need this too, and then when you leave education you can decide whether to work for other people looking after their horses, or to follow another path and have your own.
Set your sights high. Why not aim to become a vet if you like animals? Sure you will need good exam results, but if you went to your teachers now and told them that you are determined to reach this goal they would help you to achieve it. It would take hard work, but I am sure that Joosie would confirm that being a groom is extremely hard work. As an equine vet you could work with horses, afford your own, and probably have immense job satisfaction. If not a vet why not a doctor / lawyer / accountant? I was lucky and went to a very good school, and it was a 'given' that we would all go to university and have professional careers - and because it was the norm that is what most people did. Please don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being a groom, and if you are a good one you will be worth your weight in gold, but professional qualifications give you CHOICE. Just like Joosie can now choose to become a teacher. Remember that a vet can always choose to be a groom, but the opposite does not apply. Study hard and the world will be your oyster.
Umbongo
Well-Known Member
OP, you have posted a couple of times on this subject and have been given some good advice so far.
As you are still at school/college? I would 100% recommend continuing your education and getting some qualifications so you have something to fall back on, like Joosie and Theocat said. Continue with higher education now whilst you have the chance. Do some A levels in subjects you enjoy. Or if you know what you want to do, maybe look in to an apprenticeship. Maybe have a gap year afterwards if you want to travel?
Do you want to have a well paid job (non-horsey) that will allow you to afford your own horse AND go travelling? Do you want an ok paid job (horsey) that you can do in another country ie: vet, farrier etc. Do you want to be a groom (nothing wrong with that) knowing it is very hard work. When I was a groom I did not have the time or enjoy to do much with my own horse which I felt quite guilty about, despite my best intentions.
I think some grooms can be quite well paid in racing, eventing yards?
Being a groom abroad you may find that a lot of places just offer food/board and not much else bar some pocket money, but likelihood is you will be in the middle of nowhere unable to spend it anyway.
If you are not sure what you want to do, maybe get a few ideas and see if you can do some work experience to see what it is like?
Have a chat with the careers advisor and see what sort of direction you may want to go.
Why do you want to move abroad so much? Not a bad thing, I am moving to New Zealand myself this year. But I already have a good career with qualifications behind me that are transferable. You may have a better chance of a well-paid job abroad, if you focused on getting the education in now.
All I wanted to do when I was younger was to have a horse and work with horses....I am sure for some people it is great and they don't regret it. I found that it wasn't all it's cracked up to be
I'm 30 now, still no horse...and stopped working with horses a few years ago!
As you are still at school/college? I would 100% recommend continuing your education and getting some qualifications so you have something to fall back on, like Joosie and Theocat said. Continue with higher education now whilst you have the chance. Do some A levels in subjects you enjoy. Or if you know what you want to do, maybe look in to an apprenticeship. Maybe have a gap year afterwards if you want to travel?
Do you want to have a well paid job (non-horsey) that will allow you to afford your own horse AND go travelling? Do you want an ok paid job (horsey) that you can do in another country ie: vet, farrier etc. Do you want to be a groom (nothing wrong with that) knowing it is very hard work. When I was a groom I did not have the time or enjoy to do much with my own horse which I felt quite guilty about, despite my best intentions.
I think some grooms can be quite well paid in racing, eventing yards?
Being a groom abroad you may find that a lot of places just offer food/board and not much else bar some pocket money, but likelihood is you will be in the middle of nowhere unable to spend it anyway.
If you are not sure what you want to do, maybe get a few ideas and see if you can do some work experience to see what it is like?
Have a chat with the careers advisor and see what sort of direction you may want to go.
Why do you want to move abroad so much? Not a bad thing, I am moving to New Zealand myself this year. But I already have a good career with qualifications behind me that are transferable. You may have a better chance of a well-paid job abroad, if you focused on getting the education in now.
All I wanted to do when I was younger was to have a horse and work with horses....I am sure for some people it is great and they don't regret it. I found that it wasn't all it's cracked up to be
I'm 30 now, still no horse...and stopped working with horses a few years ago!
Last edited:
Mari
Well-Known Member
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