Tips for an advert for work experience

[bryngelenponies]

I'm writing an ad to put up in some local tack shops/feed shops and wondered if anyone had any tips. I would love to do work experience at a stud, to get experience of handling youngsters and general workings of a stud. I haven't really handled anything younger than 2yo but I'm keen and eager to learn (and I have my own at home.) Any tips much appreciated Also when is the best time to start putting up the ads, I assumed asap so that the people would then know in advance but I'm not sure.

 

[rara007]

I think it is more normal for you to contact the studs (phone or write) you would like to get experience at and ask them, explaining what you can already do to help them and what you'd like to learn about.

 

[lara.rixmartin]

Totally agree with the member above, you have to get out there and ask, most studs will be eager for extra help!

 

[Tickles]

Another vote for sticking your neck out! I did it a couple of times in a very hard to get into field and later for horsey things too. My technique was to post a relevant CV/cover letter (i.e. list of, in this case, horsey type experience and what you'd like to do) and then follow it up with a phone call. You'll get a lot of 'nos' but don't worry about those, you just need to find one 'yes'. Good luck!

 

[bryngelenponies]

Thanks everyone I'll get working on those letters soon.

 

[Rowreach]

Totally agree with the member above, you have to get out there and ask, most studs will be eager for extra help!

Yes, you have to get out and ask but many yards (me included) would rather pull out my own teeth than have the wrong person on work experience

I've had some people over the years who are truly useless - the one I have this week is okay and tries hard, but there is a limit to what she can do and which horses she can work with, so in many ways it creates more work for us than it saves by having the "extra help"!

If you really want to do it, will be committed to it and show stacks of initiative, I would write first (gives people time to mull it over) and then follow up with a phone call. I'm not keen on phonecalls out of the blue - if I know of you it might put me on the spot, and if I don't know of you well then I can't make a decision so I'll most likely say no. But if I've had something impressive in writing first, well, I will probably say come and have a chat

 

[bryngelenponies]

Apart from helping out at a riding school and having my own horses I haven't got any experience of working at a stud. All I can say is that I know that I am very dependable, have initiative, am a quick learner and very eager to learn. So hopefully there will be a stud out there who will take me!