Dress Code on Reserves

[earthdragon64]

Originally Posted by pressld2

I spent about 20-25 minutes in the car park before setting off - making and drinking a cup of coffee, packing kit away, visiting the loo, etc. - and in all that time the coach was sitting there with it's engine running. Why? I've noticed this before with coaches. They can sit stationary with their engine running for quite literally hours at a stretch, burning diesel and pumping out CO2 for no discernible purpose. Are there any coach drivers on WAB who can shed any light on this behaviour? I see it so often that I suspect there is a reason for it that I'm not aware of.

Dave P.

My husband is a bus driver, and in the company he works for there are some buses that the drivers don't switch off until they are back in the depot. This is quite simply because once switched off, they might not switch back on.

These aren't just old, clapped out buses either, but some fairly new ones. Part of the problem seems to be that switching on a bus isn't always as simple as turning a key, it seems there are as many ways to start a bus engine as there are buses, and quite a few aren't reliable.

He's out at work at the moment, but when he comes back, I'll ask him if there are any other reasons for leaving a bus running.

[Hobjob]

Originally Posted by pressld2

I spent about 20-25 minutes in the car park before setting off - making and drinking a cup of coffee, packing kit away, visiting the loo, etc. - and in all that time the coach was sitting there with it's engine running. Why? I've noticed this before with coaches. They can sit stationary with their engine running for quite literally hours at a stretch, burning diesel and pumping out CO2 for no discernible purpose.

I had one pull up beside me in an official sleep-over car park in courchevel when skiing in my camper van - all night it ran its engines (I presume for warmth)

[Bobbobthebob]

Originally Posted by pressld2

Ah, that's the beauty of Elmley. There's a two mile track across the grazing marsh to get from the site entrance to the car park and they encourage people to use their cars as hides. My best ever shots of waders have all been taken on the drive in (or out again). I've had lapwing, redshank and curlew within 10 feet of the car, lapwing sometimes too close to focus on. I got these on the drive out last Sunday...

...which makes it rather awkward for those who don't have a car. When I first decided to visit Elmley I looked at it on the map and the drive in is marked as a public right of way. When I arrived I saw all these signs telling me to remain inside my non-existant car! I know I'm definitely in the minority as the round trip from Swale rail station to the farthest hide and back is about 18 miles but it's a weird experience going to a nature conservancy organisation's reserve to find out that they'd prefer you to use a more polluting mode of transport .

[SheffieldLass]

Well I went for a interview for a job on a reserve the other day. I didn't get the job as I don't think I met the dress code. The women were all blonde, bubbly, under thirty and wearing posh frocks and high heels ... I did not meet a single one of those characteristics. But afterwards a friend told me that TMax are selling shoes in camoflage material with 5 inch heels ... obviously for the fashionable well-heeled female birder ... Now maybe if I'd been wearing them ... (and had bought some peroxide and had a few face-lifts ....)

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by SheffieldLass

Well I went for a interview for a job on a reserve the other day. I didn't get the job as I don't think I met the dress code. The women were all blonde, bubbly, under thirty and wearing posh frocks and high heels ... I did not meet a single one of those characteristics. But afterwards a friend told me that TMax are selling shoes in camoflage material with 5 inch heels ... obviously for the fashionable well-heeled female birder ... Now maybe if I'd been wearing them ... (and had bought some peroxide and had a few face-lifts ....)

which reserve was this ? - Ive worked in conservation my whole career and ive never met a reserve where the female staff fit that description - I mean dont get me wrong many female conservation staff are exceptionally attractive (including the one i married) , but ive never seen reserves staff of either sex wearing posh frocks and high heels - combat trousers and work boots are the order of the day.

[SheffieldLass]

One of the RSPB ones (I won't say which). I was surprised too .... OK, they were admin/reserve shop/information-membership recruitment staff ... probably not groundwork staff ...

[Picidae]

Originally Posted by SheffieldLass

Well I went for a interview for a job on a reserve the other day. I didn't get the job as I don't think I met the dress code. The women were all blonde, bubbly, under thirty and wearing posh frocks and high heels ...

I doubt the woman you're referring to would have been employed as warden assistants or directly involved in practical management - perhaps they were in some kind of admin/pr role?

Not all people working on large reserves are directly involved in 'hands on' reserve work. People tend to dress in accordance with the nature of their particular jobs. Interview dress is slightly different, you are generally expected to dress up a bit - even if you were applying for a wardening/apprenticeship job, I doubt interviewers would be very impressed if you arrived in combat trousers, muddy walking boots and an old anorak!

Dressing up for interviews can be very indicative of how you would approach the job if you were offered it - ie with a committed attitude and professionalism which a prospective employer has the right to expect from anyone he/she employs regardless of the nature of the work.

[caernerch]

the very reason we have honeypot sites is that they are designed to attract the multi-coloured masses to one spot and leave other locations relatively undisturbed. don't like crowds - don't go there!
better still don't subscribe to the twitcher's "bush telegraph" - find your own birds.
somewhere in between is the real world.
please remember we all started by not knowing the difference between a sparrow & a sparrowhawk
caernerch

[SheffieldLass]

Originally Posted by Picidae

...People tend to dress in accordance with the nature of their particular jobs. Interview dress is slightly different, you are generally expected to dress up a bit - even if you were applying for a wardening/apprenticeship job, I doubt interviewers would be very impressed if you arrived in combat trousers, muddy walking boots and an old anorak!

Dressing up for interviews can be very indicative of how you would approach the job if you were offered it - ie with a committed attitude and professionalism which a prospective employer has the right to expect from anyone he/she employs regardless of the nature of the work.

Well, I was wearing very smart black trousers, very smart jacket and stylish scarf, polished flat ankle boots (reserved for interview/funeral outfit). Unfortunately, as was mentioned on the news just 2 days ago (which I think I heard correctly), currently the time taken from redundancy to finding a new job for the under 30s is averaging 3-4 months, for the over-fifties averaging 19 months, that is the level of age discrimination right now. Experience is a big negative. A friend of mine, Cambridge degree, middle manager with blue-chip and other high profile companies for many years, then a teacher for a few (but hated teaching), very personable, very proficient, finally got a job at graduate entry level after 15 months and 150 applications ... consistently rejected for jobs because she was 'over-qualified' meaning 'too old'. OK, different work sector, but this attitude is rife throughout. This is also my experience though I've not reached 150 job applications yet.

The thing that did make me laugh was the existence of high heeled camo shoes though .... Will there be a stampede of WAB women for these?