"Dourie operates on the highest welfare and quality standards, which gives you a real sense of pride and satisfaction and has taught me so much".

I came across from New Zealand and was travelling in the UK where I was looking for a job. I knew Rory Christie from way back because my dad managed this farm, and I was born in one of the houses on it, although we left when I was two years old.

I heard Rory was looking for people, so I went and got a tour of the farm and really started working there and then. I got given a responsible role in the dairy straight away and progressed quickly to running the dairies, managing the dairy staff, as well as taking on the cow house, winter feeding and breeding.

Having grown up on a farm, the work wasn’t all new to me, but it really helped that Rory and Becca gave me guidance on how they want things run and the finer details of the job. I could always come to them with a question or just needing confirmation that I was doing what was required and there was never any awkwardness and always immediate help. Any question gets an answer, and you are never made to felt silly for asking. Rory and Becca have created a really open environment where you can ask and learn without any judgement. Anyone coming to work on the farm in the future will benefit from that friendly environment.

Working on a farm comes with its own challenges such as periods of bad weather that affect everything, or seasonal staff that might need bit more guidance than you had calculated, but overall, I cannot think of a more satisfying job. Rory and Becca have such a good rapport with their team, and everyone works together really well. There’s always a laugh to be had and good banter all round. I think that is important in any work environment. The people you work with are instrumental to how you feel about and perform in a job.

When it comes to recruiting staff, Rory’s main concern is the right attitude. You can learn any job, but the willingness and positive outlook must be there from the start and is probably more important than knowing everything right from the get-go.

I have learned to confidently manage a large farm, and am now off to manage my own farm - those are the skills you learn along the way. Dourie operates on the highest welfare and quality standards, which gives you a real sense of pride and satisfaction and has taught me so much.

I had hoped to stay much longer but my father needs me on our farm back in New Zealand. I will be managing the farm with my dad stepping back into more of an overseeing role. I feel much more capable and ready for taking on the dairy farm management after my time with Rory and Becca, than I would have before. It is a large-scale operation and my training at Dourie has equipped me with all the knowledge and experience I need to hit the ground running.