DAY DREAMER'S DIRECTION

这是一个好心的在马场工作的HR人员给我回的邮件，看，有多么的难！

Many thanks for your email.  I have given much thought to your dilemma!  Being totally honest, I suspect that you have the following factors that may be holding you back in gaining employment in the equine industry...

*Your academic qualifications may indicate that you are over-qualified for a trainee position (many employers will feel that you may find a lot of the work involved within the horse industry a bit too mundane for you).

*Your nationality may put some of the really old-school employers off (fear of not being able to communicate with you and vice versa, difference in culture, etc. etc.- sounds absolutely terrible I know, but sadly may be true in some cases).

*Your lack of practical experience - this is the big one.  You need to get experience at working in as many different aspects of the horse industry as you can.  No employer will turn down the offer of free labour in exchange for work experience.  This will give you valuable insight into what type of yard suits you, and which do not, but also will give the prospective employer confidence that you know what you are getting yourself into!  Good references are essential to any prospective employer.

*Getting a degree in equine science is (in my opinion) a waste of time if you ultimately wish to work at the 'sharp end' with real horses, real clients and real employers.  Getting a degree/masters in other fields is definitely not a waste of time, as this will prove that you have a broad spectrum of life skills, and these will inevitably be useful in all future walks of life.

Everyone I know who employs people to work on their yard are looking for the ideal candidate - who is intelligent, but not arrogant; quick witted, but not impatient; gentle but assertive; hard working, but not neurotic; laid-back, but not lazy; practical and physically able to do a very physically demanding job; of good personal appearance/hygiene, but not afraid to get dirty!; determined and dedicated - ready to go that extra mile in the interest of the health and well-being of their equine charges.  Many employers are not willing to take a risk of taking on someone who is 'unproven' - hence the value of gaining work experience and good references.

The equine industry in the UK is a hard industry to make a decent living.  No one does it for the money - its a passion.  As employers, we have to work very hard to make the ￡numbers add up. Thus, wages are low, but the non-financial rewards can be very high.  There are of course many employers who are in the industry purely to earn money - but the compromise on the welfare/status of the horses working for them, may be unacceptable - may be not!?

I really hope my essay helps.  Good luck.

 

我咬紧牙关，我牺牲金钱和时间，看看能不能有个当volunteer的机会先？……………………