What's going on with the boat?

After ten years living on Tarquilla we have moved to land. I'm often asked if we love the house or miss the boat and the real answer is - both. We still have Tarquilla and we are open to all options at the moment as far as her future is concerned. We will carry on working on her, it would be great to be able to sail her again. The Scilly Isles, Portishead marina, Bristol harbour and Falmouth are all places we have talked about as well as many others further afield. But, on the other hand, if a family was looking for a boat, ready to do the preparation she needs and wanted to take her on then we would sell her. She is not ready to sail off into the sunset but has a lot of life left in her. If you or someone you know would be interested then please contact us. She is 3 ply cold moulded, 42 foot long, one off design built in the 1960's. She has 2 double cabins and 2 single berths, a good size saloon, a decent size galley, head and a covered cockpit. She has two engines and a full suit of sails. We have lots more photos and can provide more details or answer questions. In the meantime, this blog has come to a natural pause for now as we take on new adventures.

Blogtober 19 - Explaining travel in job interviews and applications

*Before I start just to say I am not a career advisor, I have no HR knowledge or anything like that. This is advice purely from my own experience of applying for courses/work. I am writing this to support others who may need a starting point for an application or reassurance before setting out on an adventure. Obviously don't directly copy any sentences from here, because that's plagiarism and will get you sacked pretty quickly if it's spotted.* 

 

Collage of sailing boat, blue water, sail and people leaning over bow of boat
 

Preparing to travel or even thinking about it as an option brings many decisions and concerns. One that we had, like many people, was the affect that taking 2-3 years 'out' would have on our future careers and the childrens' schooling.

There are many things about a travel experience that can be an advantage to you and to future employers. This post is about some of the things you may want to consider if you have (or are planning) a gap in your employment and are trying to put together a CV or job application. 
 

Collection of town maps and tickets


Doing something different brings huge learning - practical and theoretical. How can you put those transferable skills into an application or interview format though? Boiling down the specific experiences into broader skills will demonstrate how they transfer to other areas. For example, you may consider it as just 'doing the washing and working out the machine instructions' or managing in a shop in a different language. These are both examples of 'overcoming communication challenges'. It's not about trying to talk something up or make it into something it is not, just recognising that what you consider to be a normal part of the life you have chosen, is a concrete skill that you have obtained that may be useful in other settings. A search online will find you many lists of skill sets considered desirable by employers; some specific to certain industries, others more general. Using these you can then match the skills you have to the phrases and terms employers/inteviewers are using - just another form of translation.

Dual language road sign (French/Breton)

  
Other parts of your adventure may not clearly fit into a neat box but you may feel that they are clearly useful experiences to have had. Setting them out as a stright forward factual description in a personal statement or interview may be helpful here to communicate the uncommon positives you would bring to a role. Examples of this are: At sea any crew needs to be self sufficient and work well as a team. Planning, dealing with emergencies and managing provisioning and resources especially when away from shore for extended periods are essential skills. Or another one: Our time spent travelling has given me a different view of the difficulties and importance of communication and of being a stranger in an unfamiliar place or with an unfamiliar language. This demonstrates what you have gained and you can then clearly describe it's relevance to the work/training you are applying for. 
 
Flatlay bread wrapper, poster, handwritten language guide, tide table
Flatlay of French, Basque & Spanish odds and ends

Using the correct dates and putting a quick phrase like 'travelling with family' in your listed employment stops it being a negative gap and makes it clear that you are being open about what you were doing in the 'missing' time. A period doing something different may also make your application and/or interview stand out and be more memorable amongst others with similar work experience and qualifications. Don't be afraid to be creative with using relevant photos from your travels if you have to give a presentation in an interview.

Finally, if it is at all reassuring, we have all returned to professional jobs and education. We went through various applications and interviews and have since found many ways that the skills and knowledge we gained from travelling benefitted ourselves and others.


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