Worked as a customer assistant full time for a year, and then in the university holidays when I returned home.

Student placement year as a Countryside Assistant at Rothiemurchus Estate, Cairngorms National Park. Gained a valuable insight into how a busy tourist estate operates as a business within a heavily protected National Park. This was mainly based around ranger work i.e. leading tour groups, estate maintenance and carrying out regular patrols. This required the ability to take in large amounts of information and history in a short time, and be able to deliver them in an engaging manner to tourists from all over the world. Occasionally there would be special, high-end events where VIPs visited the estate e.g. Belmond Royal Scot train tour passengers visited the estate to try some activities such as fishing or clay-shooting. I often assisted with the day's events and helped with bespoke tours. The role also involved periods of working with the Estate Forester on new plantations and tree survey work, as well as working on the estate farm with Highland and Cross-breed cattle and a herd of red deer. I also spent some time working with the maintenance team building new constructions and assisting with tree maintenance and felling operations, as well as some time spent in the gift shop and front desk.