I knew it was going to be hard to find a job I’d enjoy, especially as I wasn’t sure what I was looking for.
University doesn’t really prepare you for the world of work; it just helps you postpone the whole thing for a few years. Apart from watching a lot of underground films and playing pool, I became a member of the student association People and Planet where I was involved in issues such as Fair Trade, Drop the Debt, Development and Climate Change. I had a range of part time jobs and dabbled in different sectors to try and find out what I liked although usually I just figured out what I didn’t like.
Two and a half years in a McJob was the end of the service sector for me, but boy can I make stainless steel shine!
Two summers in local government was a little stifling for me and I longed for something a little more proactive. After a series of office temp jobs I got my first PA role at University and I liked the co-ordination side of things, but just wanted something a bit more fulfilling. So how did I end up working for an Advertising giant who had such clients as Nestle, Shell and De Beers? Like most of my colleges I too stumbled into advertising and for a while it was kind of nice to work in a funky environment and still dress like a student. But all the perks soon wore off and I realized I was working my butt off and for what? To help make ads to sell more hardware that was made in Indonesian sweatshops? Yes, I had ethical issues working in corporate advertising, but I also had rent to pay. I considered my options – there wasn’t much else on the market apart from well paid but extremely boring PA positions in law firms, and well money didn’t equate to job satisfaction so why should I chop and change when loyalty to a company can be more important. So I kept my head down, got on with my work and slowly plotted my escape. I figured two years would just about do it, then I’d return to London to break into the not-for-profit sector, I just wasn’t sure how.
One day whilst job hunting at work (one of the small privileges that most people would take advantage of, following the frustrated logic - the more the company took from you the more you’d take from them) I found the Tararu Valley website and was filled with sheer excitement. Knowing I had to go but wasn’t sure how or when, I dropped a line to Jon and Dagmar and then stayed in touch for a year or so. Having always taken a certain pride in my work and believing things should be done properly, I knew I wasn’t going to be in corporate advertising forever, so once I’d set my leaving date I started to take on more work and get involved in every project I could, wanting to gain as many transferable skills as possible and make the best of a bad situation. One by one, I started to take down the ads around my desk and replaced them with spoof ads from The Ecologist and anti-corporate posters. I wasn’t eager to leap straight into another job in London so I decided spending 6 weeks in the Valley, to get back in touch with Nature and use my admin skills for something real, would be just the ticket… and it might even help me break into the not-for-profit sector!
And now I’m here!
It is such a refreshing change to live and work in the Valley. No more polluted city, no more commuting to work with the sour faced suited and booted masses, and no more wishing the weeks away. At last I’m doing something worthwhile and for people that appreciate my work, so combined with my ever-expanding list of things to do I just had to extend my stay – twice! In the few months I’ve spent in the Valley I’ve learnt more than in my two years of corporate service. Going from supporting a team of twenty to just two people means that no two days are ever the same and I’m involved to some extent in every aspect of the business; from dealing with volunteer enquiries and applications, marketing, website maintenance, to assisting with fundraising proposals and of course the current ‘Urgent Appeal’. Not that I’ve been chained to my desk, as I’ve helped out with riverside replanting, habitat projects such as the experimental earth cabin and carport, and we’ve still had time for a spot of recreation including a visit Tiritirimatangi Bird Sanctuary, a week’s skiing in Tongariro National Park, numerous sea kayaking and fishing trips, bonfires, camping, and yoga.
But just because I’m leaving the Valley doesn’t mean my contribution is over. In my spare time I will be coordinating Tararu Valley’s ‘Remote Team’, as we’ve figured there are so many that people can do without having to be a residential volunteer and plenty of things that people overseas can do that we can’t here in the Valley. So if you are a person interested in becoming a remote volunteer, please drop me a line and we can take it from there. I’m also happy to answer any questions people may have about the Valley and becoming residential volunteers.
