Personal Requirements for Ant’s Bush Homes Ride&Work Program:
- Minimum age: 21 years.
- Weight limit: 70 kg.
- Must be a skilled and experienced rider with at least 8 years of riding experience.
- Politeness and eloquence are crucial attributes.
- Open-minded, naturally friendly, and receptive to new experiences.
- High work standards are expected to provide customers with an outstanding and memorable vacation. Volunteers will be viewed as team members by guests, necessitating professional behavior.
On-site responsibilities may include:
- Assisting with stable cleaning and filling hay nets.
- Cleaning and maintaining saddles and bridles.
- Preparing horses for rides (grooming, saddling, bridling, etc.).
- Caring for horses, including tick removal and temperature checks (critical due to African Horse Sickness).
- Accompanying guest rides as a back-up rider.
Assisting guests during bush sundowners.
- Hospitality duties during lunch and dinner for guests.
- City trips for the lodge (grocery shopping, building materials, etc.).
- Babysitting.
- Assisting with cleaning and organizing pantries.
- Reserve work, such as road maintenance, fence checking, collecting stones and wood for construction, firefighting, etc.
- Maintenance work around the lodge and reserve.
- Preparing drinks for various activities.
- Laundry.
- Assisting with inventory.
- Painting and decoration tasks.
- Basic administrative tasks.
Ant’s Bush Homes values selecting suitable team members. They are looking for cheerful, hardworking, enthusiastic, and flexible individuals willing to help with everything. Riding is a regular activity, but you should be ready to contribute where needed, sometimes involving seemingly mundane but necessary tasks. Consider this not as a working vacation but an opportunity to gain experience in a hospitable environment.
All interns must have valid travel insurance covering emergencies, including repatriation to Germany. Ensure your insurance covers horse riding. Ant’s Africa Safari cannot assume any liability for volunteers during their work at Ant’s Bush Homes.
Expect long workdays starting at 6:30 AM in summer and 7:00 AM in winter. You may work during lunch and sundowner times, with days often ending around 7:30 PM in midsummer. Additionally, you should assist with dinner two to three times per week.
You are entitled to six days off per month (likely split into one or two periods).
During your stay, you’ll represent the company. Thus, professional behavior is expected at all times. Daytime attire should be in natural colors, while evening wear for serving meals should be simple and elegant. Interns receive T-shirts and shirts as workwear, to be worn while riding. Jodhpurs and short chaps for women and short or long chaps for men are recommended. Bring your own riding helmet. Olive or stone-colored mid-length shorts (no hot pants) are recommended in summer, and long pants in winter.
Keep in mind that you’ll work in a conservative environment. Low-cut pants and revealing T-shirts are not appropriate. Maintain a professional appearance in front of customers. Keep your hair tidy, and avoid facial piercings and excessive tattoos. Men should be cleanly shaved.
You will not be paid during your time here. However, you’ll receive room and board for a nominal fee. If you stay on the farm on your days off, meals will still be provided.
We recommend bringing approximately €190 pocket money per month. There is an ATM in town for withdrawing money if needed.
The farm is about 20 kilometers from a small local town. Occasionally, there may be opportunities for you to handle farm shopping in town. If other team members take on this task, feel free to ask if they can make smaller purchases for you.
Lastly, be aware that there are not many opportunities to party here. Team members work hard and long hours, often preferring to relax in their cottages in the evening. Therefore, we recommend bringing a laptop and some movies to watch. We also have a small DVD collection in the office that you can borrow DVDs from.
If you do go out in the evening, please note that you must be back by midnight if you have to work the next day. We expect you to arrive at work on time the next morning without a hangover.
In summary, we are looking for hardworking individuals who can work as part of our team while bringing their own motivation. Everyone helps each other, even if it’s not their assigned task. Together, even challenging tasks can be enjoyable, making us a great team!
