Adult Working Student

[GraceLikeRain]

I’m curious if anyone ever took time off from their career or stepped back to part time and did a stint as a working student as an adult?

I’m about a decade into my career and playing around with switching industries. I’m feeling so blah about my job and have done a lot of “if we won the lottery” type of waxing about how I wish I could spend all day immersed in horses. I couldn’t go without a salary for a year but we could swing 6 months, especially if a position covered board for one horse. Even better if there was a small stipend so that I could cover my vet/farrier and gas. Housing isn’t of interest to me and showing isn’t a priority. I don’t want or need 5 lessons a week, but 2-3 would be nice along with enough of a work/life balance that it would be reasonable to ride before or after (even if that means 7 AM or 7 PM rides). I don’t have the boundless energy of an 18 year old but 5 am mornings aren’t an issue, I’m a hard worker, and have the concrete barn skills of stall mucking, medication administration, lunging, grooming, etc. I’m not the target candidate for many programs but perhaps could be of interest to a smaller program?

In the next 5-10 years I want to open a small high end retirement barn. It would not be expected to supplant our primary income streams but rather be (hopefully) self-sustaining. A WS position could provide valuable exposure to fill gaps between where I am as an experienced horse owner and the leap into true barn management. AA status isn’t a concern for me.

Has anyone ever taken time off? The good, bad, and ugly. Did you find the experience was seen differently because of your age? How was transitioning back into a traditional 8-5? Did you find that you had time for a personal horse?

[Djones]

If in the US, there’s the dreaded health insurance question. My apologies if I overlooked it…

[GraceLikeRain]

Great point. I believe I’d be eligible to step on to my spouses plan. that’s a good point to consider though as number would look very different if I had to do the open market

[DawgLady]

I’ve never been a working student, so I can’t speak to that. However, I have been in the corporate world a long time and do a fair amount of interviewing/hiring. A 6 month gap on a resume can be a red flag. But that being said, I work in marketing, which is extremely competitive. If you work in a less competitive field, maybe it’s not as big a deal. What’s your current role?

[rulex]

I did a casual part time thing when I was switching careers. Got burnt out and quit my job and had a couple of months of downtime before school started. I cleaned stalls and hacked horses for my trainer. No exchange of money. I didn’t own a horse at the time so didn’t have that expense to worry about. It was a great experience for me to ride multiple horses a day. I would do it again in a heartbeat if I had the free time and it was the right program.

[OverandOnward]

I do know (casually) someone who shut off their career and life to enter a full-time working student adventure. Obviously they were financially able to do that. Several years ago.

This highly-educated, professional person literally sold almost everything, including the farm, to lighten their life load and financial load and responsibilities. The person had a LOT of animals and stuff. All moved along to other ownership.

I was never clear on the existing marriage, but I got the impression that it was canned as well (obviously I’m not a close friend! lol). In fact that might have been the original impetus to make the life change.

The WS position was with one of the country’s top pros. From what this person communicated … well, the WS experience was interesting. Fair to say they learned a lot about people and life. But maybe it wasn’t the fairy tale they envisioned. Some internal personal issues weren’t possible to discard or sell like the stuff, and followed them into the new adventure. As it were. For all the life experience gained, in the end some things were solved, some things were not solved. In the end the WS journey ended. I’m not sure if that was always the goal – the communication on that varied.

I think the takeaway is that everyone’s life is their own to work out. If someone takes a less-traveled road (as the poet says) that’s ok.

[Texarkana]

My old friend from high school is currently doing it in her 40s. She seems to be loving it. Another poster here recently shared her very positive experience doing it.

Not a WS position, but I am a teacher and pursued a paid summer horse position a few years ago. It took me a day to realize why I stopped working in the horse industry.

[Moonboots]

I can’t help on the WS position part, but I can share my experience with taking some time away from a corporate career.
I left a FT job for a demanding 1-year contract role that payed much better. About 6 months into the year I realized my contract would end as summer was starting, and decided not to apply to new jobs right away. I took that time to follow some artistic passions that I had always dismissed as impractical, frivolous, and foolish.
I had time to prepare, so lived on a shoestring budget both as I finished out my contract (saving for my time off) and while I wasn’t working. I was fortunate to stay on my husband’s health insurance, and he took care of more of the household bills while I was out of “real” work. I wasn’t riding during this time, so I’m sure that spending horse money would have made things even tighter.
I did have a bit of a hard time finding work again. I eventually found another short-term contract position that I was over-qualified for - they were looking for a student or recent grad and I had nearly 5 years of experience at that point - but I was able to negotiate a slightly better salary, and was then able to apply to other jobs as a person with a job.
I’m not sure if my resume was ever passed over because of the gap, but I found that it lead to some great discussion during interviews. It gave an easy answer to the “tell me something about you that isn’t on your resume” question. According to the manager that hired me at my current employer, it also showed that I was willing to make bold decisions, and could handle uncertain situations.

I wonder if you would be able to include the WS position on your resume, even if it’s unrelated to your corporate job. It at least explains what you were doing during that time. For me, careful budgeting and an understanding of how I would deal with the worst case scenario was an important part of feeling comfortable taking the plunge into the deep dark unknown. Ultimately, I was glad I did it (no more longing or what-ifs), but was equally glad to return to the structure and comfort of a more traditional career.

[LCDR]

You may not be satisfied by the boarding arrangements for your horse, but that depends on what you are used to him having. Working students generally get the least desirable options of those horse accommodations available. And, as you already realize, lesson time slots, too.

[TheBigEasy]

As someone who used to do a lot of hiring sales people, an employment gap that was explainable and sounded to be a worthwhile experience would actually improve an applicant in my eyes. Risk taking, passionate, goal and objective oriented.

If you are in the financial position, and life has aligned, I’d say YOLO. cause life changes fast and you (g) only regret the things you didn’t do.

[Willesdon]

I’ve run a barn. I spent very little time in the saddle because after a day of being and doing around horses I found I really had no interest in sitting on one. After a short time, and to my surprise, I found it boring because of a lack of mental stimulation. I was used to high level consultancy work. But I can say I’ve run a barn.

[Impractical_Horsewoman]

OP, if you’re in marketing and find the right pro, I think some might also be interested in your experience in helping them with their social media, updating websites, and so forth, in addition to general horse duties. So if that applies to your field, that might not generate a resume gap. In fact, given how dire even some great riders are at “doing” marketing, you might be able to report some impressive boosts to engagement.

That also ties in regarding the worthwhile nature of the experience–it sounds like you do have useful knowledge you want to gain, as well as just have a great new horse experience. But it’s critical doing the research and asking around to find the right person, given that someone with a great record can also be a horrible employer or not appreciate the full range of skills you’d bring to the operation.

[walktrot]

I had a kid who learned to ride on my horse when she was 12. She was really good and stuck with it through high school, buyng a really nice young Mustang mare built for dressage. Family sent her and her mare off to college with an equestiran team. Bad idea. She was young amd hated to read. No credit hours, but she and the mare arrived home vastly improved. Our BO helped her find a Working Student job in Wellington. She stayed with that barn for 2-1/2 years. She made a deal with that BO that gave her room and board for her and her mare. She got lessons and training, rode a few client horses, did barn chores, and had a couple of hundred dollars in pocket money… She also cleaned the house and did some cooking etc. Her mare started at training level and was solidly in 2nd/3rd level. She was at 3rd/4th. Unfortuantely a bizarre mishap during transport up north led to putting the mare down.

Last fall she got a job offer and headed back to Wellington 48 hours later. This was networking. She now is the groomer for 3 horses for an FEI rider aiming for a non-US Olympic team. She is 24 now but I don’t view this as a “hole” in her resume. Maybe it is with the online job banks and search terms. She thinks she knows what she wants to do career-wise. Needless to say I tell her “don’t worry, don’t hurry.” I’m in favor of the grooming job for the travel and experience. Opportunity of a lifetime. Most of us can only dream.

I agree with Practical Horsewoman, above. If you write your resume correctly it will emphasize your responsibilities and contributions to the business. Same idea for a volunteer position, which I have done. “Mucked stalls” doesn’t do much. It’s for barn rats. “Maintained” barn including “cleaniness of”, “monitored” animal health, farrier, hay/grain, etc., “assisted BO” with maintaining business records, processed board checks, whatever. I did online research for 120x200’ buidling she was erecting on her new farm.

A farm is a farm, but it is a business with a product. One has acres of corn and tomatoes and sells them to local grocery stores or roadside stands Another has acres of pasture for horses and sells horseback riding lessons and boarding services. Networking is key to finding the best fit.

[punchy]

Re: gap in resumes. The only time they bother me is when they are unexplained. Then, if and when we interview, we find out what they were doing during that gap and every.single.time I have thought, ‘well my goodness, why didn’t you just say so!’

[OverandOnward]

Re health insurance: I don’t know your financial situation (and don’t want to know ) , but if you are only a working student, you may qualify for a healthcare.gov plan at a fraction of the actual cost. Obama-care as it is sometimes called. I don’t know how your husband’s income would factor in, or not.

It’s the same health insurance as any other. It just has a gov’t subsidy attached to it based on your income.

At this point health insurance in the U.S. is pretty standard based on federal regs, since gov’t subsidies started. There probably isn’t a “light” plan or a “premium” plan. That was part of the whole point of those changes, to standardize coverage.

Re hiring with an employment gap, I have also been in hiring but in more technical careers. A 6-month gap no longer means anything in those fields, in my experience. Especially post-covid. They may ask about it, but maybe not. It may not be a decision point for them.

If they do ask they will like the equine-working-student situation because it shows work ethic, dedication and perseverance for something you want. Stepping out of the normal comfort zone. Making a financial plan to last through it. Making an out-of-the-box decision. Those are qualities they look for.

They like things like backpacking across a continent, or service work in medical/housing/social fields, or taking the time after for a new baby, anything that shows purpose, dedication and ambition.

For the most part salary-workers are no longer chained to their desk just to maintain a continuous employment record.

For someone who has a gap because it is taking a long time to find the right job – do something during that time that you can talk about in an interview. Put a lot of time into it and have a positive change in that thing made by your involvement. Employers with career jobs like candidate that demonstrate Purpose, Dedication, Work Ethic, Ambition. It doesn’t have to be related to your career.

[wsmoak]

If this works for you financially, DO IT, while you are young and healthy enough to enjoy it!

I once put myself and my horse in training for a month at an eventing barn, and while (since I was paying) I did not have to work, there wasn’t much else to do, (living on site, rather far from civilization,) so I volunteered to help the working students with some tasks. I had a great time.

I am sure that with some creativity you will be able to arrange a work/barter situation that benefits everyone involved.

[endlessclimb]

My experience with a well known person with this was poor.

They were used to speaking down to and yelling at young people and getting away with it. I was not a young person, and I will not be spoken to that way, especially when I’m offering free labor.

[GraceLikeRain]

Thank you so much for the thoughtful replies. It is giving me a lot to think about.

From a career perspective I already do contract work within my field outside of my day job. Leveraging nights and weekends I think that I could keep that alive enough to authentically include it on my resume in conjunction with a WS position if needed.

@LCDR that’s an interesting and important point to consider around the boarding arrangement. If I took an opportunity I’d be aiming for a really well run barn but certainly don’t want my personal horse in a dilapidated back field without a shelter in 100 degree weather. I’ve got a fairly rugged horse but I do not want her quality of life to be a downgrade.

@OverandOnward as someone who loves a good story that certainly sounds like one with a lot to unpack. DH is very supportive of a short term position but we definitely aren’t in a sell it all and relocate type of place in life. I wonder if they feel that it was all worth it in the end?

@rulex That sounds like a great win/win situation. Did you go into it discussing x hours of work equaled y opportunities?

@endlessclimb this is a huge pause point for me. I’m a sponge eager to learn and ready to acknowledge growth areas but I’m not a door mat or emotional dumping ground. Seeing the way some pros speak to others has been eye-opening over the years. Asking about their experience working with older/working professionals as WS would be an important question. If it was the first time, I’d hope to see some insight from them identifying how it may differ from an 18 year old.

[rulex]

@GraceLikeRain

Did you go into it discussing x hours of work equaled y opportunities?

We did not and in retrospect I was lucky that the exchange worked out well for me. At the time I was just happy to continue to be around horses because otherwise I was looking at taking a break. I didn’t feel like I could afford the cost while not working and also with the expense of going back to school. Luckily DH was able to cover our regular living expenses during that period.

I will say it worked out well for the trainer, I helped them out of a tough spot when they had no one else. In fact one of the other trainers at the barn started being very friendly to me once I started working when they had never paid me any attention when I was only a client. I got the feeling they would have tried to poach me if I hadn’t been upfront that this was just a temporary gig until school started.

If I had the time my last trainer also had good opportunities for a mature working student. Mostly grooming and tacking up and warming up/cooling down training horses. No mucking. And the occasional opportunity to sit on upper level schoolmasters. I don’t know the exact particulars of the exchange but I’m sure it would have been reasonable.

Just sharing that those opportunities are out there, though maybe not so easy to find. What discipline are you looking to pursue?

[Djones]

@OverandOnward

Re health insurance: I don’t know your financial situation (and don’t want to know ) , but if you are only a working student, you may qualify for a healthcare.gov plan at a fraction of the actual cost. Obama-care as it is sometimes called. I don’t know how your husband’s income would factor in, or not.

Having looked into this when I was laid off, the initial steps do require a look-back at your tax filings for the prior year to establish rates going forward. I had serious sticker shock and doubled down on finding FT employment (DH was self-employed, so I’m the source of employer-sponsored health care). Yea.