1.     Approximately, how many people usually live and work on a station?

• There can be as you and the family or as many as 10 to 15.  It depends on the station. Most stations have only a few workers. 

• It depends on the size of the station, where I am at the moment only has one permanent stationhand plus me and the family whereas the last place had 6, the family and me.

• On our station we have about 20, but we are the largest cattle station in the world, usually there are a lot less!

• On mine there were 8, 5 family, 2 ringers and me.

• We have 12 people employed currently plus two children

• For all the people I have governessed for it has just been the family and I.

2.     Do they all socialise together?

3.     What sort of people are they? I.e. backpackers, professional farmhands etc

• You get a great mix of people working on a station.  The main jobs are cook, governess, stationhand, overseer (like an assistant manager), the manager.  Remember not all stations have people working for them.

• All of our staff are trained ringers or in on the job training.

• 1 ringer was a city boy with no experience, the other a professional stockman
   

4.     What do people do for recreation?

• A lot of my weekend time gets spent in town at the pub mostly and there's always plenty going on if you don't mind a bit of a drive.  The Govies from the area are usually in the process of planning weekends and social activities. We go horse riding, go for walks, go to gymkhanas and race meetings, go to the pub, get together to chill out and watch a lot of DVDs and videos.

• Whatever comes to mind.  We tend to make our own fun.

• TV, walk, read, play station, horses and more horses

• Go into town or go to Gymkhana's and rodeo's.

5.     Does it get boring?

• Yes it can, it's just like living anywhere.

• It's worthwhile to have a hobby or something that you can do in your downtime when your not in the school room or helping out with the kids, some people choose to do further study in their spare time.  Living on a station is never boring, there is always something to do, you just have to find it! 

• No there is always plenty to

• do, I am always busy doing something.

• No way. There is always something happening.
   

6.     How much teaching is involved in governessing or is it mainly supervising the kids?

• I'd say its a little of both.  But if you have problems or don't know how to teach the child something then contact your teacher, they are qualified and paid to help in anyway possible. 

• The major part of a governesses job is the teaching.  There may be times where you have to supervise the kids because the parents are away or busy and sometimes you may be needed to help out in the kitchen with meals, but the majority of your time will be in the schoolroom.

• My role is purely teaching, however other govo's do tend to be involved in before and after school care of the children. 

• Lots of teaching, as much teaching as in a town school room

• Mainly supervising the kids. My kids are really good so they don't need much teaching. They just do their work and I assist them in anyway I can.
  I Do 10 hours a day.  8 of them are teaching.

7.     How much spare time does the governess get?

• Depending on the job.  Some work from 8am to 3pm and then their time is there own from there.  Others as part of there job have longer work hours.  It is something that needs to be talked about at the interviewing stage.

• Most school days will finish around 3pm and from my experience the time between then and dinner (or if you're needed to help in the kitchen) is your own, as well has having weekends to yourself.

• I start at 8.00 and finish at 3.00 my time out of hours is mine after that.  My weekends are free, however we do go out and help if the others are working.

 8.     What is there to do in the spare time?

• I myself spend a lot of time on the computer, reading, walking, and helping out on the station.  If you have a car then you might be able to visit a neighbour or local town if there is one close.

• I have found that generally a lot of my spare time is used to play fun games, go bushwalking and other kinds of fun stuff with the kids.  Either that or using the time to do extra study or any hobbies you may have.

• I wrote a lot of letters

• There is always heaps to do. Cleaning, going through work, committee work (such as DES), checking the kids work that they have done.
  I am always welcome to join in on the mustering or the activities for the day.

9.     What happens to you if you get sick out there? What medical treatment is there?

10. How do you cope with the isolation? Is it difficult?

• By not isolating myself.  I contact and get involved with other governesses.  Join local committees and get to know people in the community.  I also use the phone, fax and email to keep in touch with old friends.

• At first it may be a bit difficult, especially if you're not fully prepared for what you're getting into.  If you have a good idea of where you're going and what's around it probably won't be as bad because you won't expect to have trips to town every week or whatever.  Once you make some friends in the area it becomes much easier and having a good govie network is also a great advantage because you can talk to others in the same situation.

• No, I love it here, but we are fortunate enough to have lots of great people here to mix with so you are never lonely or bored.  We also have William Creek and Coober Pedy fairly close by so you can escape on weekends if you need to.

• Yes it is difficult, you will have great days and you will have days where you feel so cut off you could die and no one would know

• I have been brought up in isolation so I love it. Some people have trouble with it simply because they miss the city lifestyle. But you make new friends who will help you in anyway. A really good idea is to have lots of contact with other govo's because you aren't on your own.
  Some days it is really hard and you just want to be in a place were there is lots of people but there is always people to talk to out here.

• You do get used to it.  You really do have to give it a fair go.  Don't expect to decide in a week.

11. What advice can you give a typical city girl interested in the job?

• Read as much as you can on this website.  Join Outback Govies yahoo group and ask questions there and at your interview ask as many questions as possible.  Forewarned is Forearmed.  It is a fantastic experience for anyone who's interested in the job and what it entails.  It really helps if you can get in contact with someone who has worked at that property before to get some information about it, rather than just showing up not having any idea.  Don't expect it to be a breeze straight away, you have to get to know each child individually and be able to talk to them on their level.  Once you have that mastered you'll be right, they'll be your best friends - especially if they know you have surprises for them every so often!  

• Well I am from the city too, but wanted to live in the outback and I guess that if you want to do it and are prepared to make the most of it would surely be worth it.  A strong personality and a positive frame of mind would be needed because it would be unfair on the children if you decided that the outback wasn't for you and wanted to give it up.  People out here tend to be lovely and friendly and if you like to get in amongst it all and soak up the whole experience it is definitely worth doing.

• Have a good support network at home, keep in touch with friends, call home often, get to know the family but keep a professional distance, get to know the locals, you will only have a year, every interaction is crucial, they will want to get to know you but will be shy.  if the going gets tough call someone, get to know the other governesses, try not to bitch about the other govo's, love the environment, realise its not forever, don't marry a ringer

• Give it ago. Talk to someone that has done it before. When making inquires about a job ask lots of questions.

• Bring something that you like to do with you, have lots of photos and you need to have lots and lots of patience to work with the children.

• I am from the Sunshine Coast and I have never looked back.  Just prepare yourself as best as you can and come into it with an open mind.  There are always people who are willing to help you.

12.  Do the governesses usually have to get involved in the everyday farm work? I.e. with animals etc

• Depending on the job and person.  For some govo's it is part of there job description and for others it's fun and something to do to fill in the spare time.  Personally I love it.

• Mostly no, but the option is there if you're willing to have a go at it.  Sometimes duties like feeding chickens and animals in the house yard may be expected of you.

• No but I do because I love that type of work too.

• All places are different. People expect different things. I know the company I work for the govo's are required to help the cook for example after tea the dishes. Also the gardens around the schoolhouse. Also I help with the animals.
   

13.  Does that governess have to look after the children in after school hours?

• In my current job I only work 8am to 3pm and whatever preparation time I need.  But in previous jobs I have been responsible for the kids up until 5pm.  Sometimes if you boss is away or out helping then they might ask you to take care of the kids until they get home.

• Generally the governess will be around to help out the children with anything they may be doing after school hours.  The afternoon may be used to do fun craft activities that don't relate directly to school work or to do other fun things.

• I look after the children after school and some days I have them all day depending on how busy my boss is.

14.  What do the school holidays entail? Can you stay on the farm or do you have to go?

• Almost all governesses get school holidays off and are able to go away.  I personally recommend going away so that you and the family get a break for each other.  If you still need to work then see if you can get a job somewhere else that doesn't involve kids to give yourself a break. Most families are quite happy to have you stay over the school holidays. There are really no set rules but it helps you keep your sanity if you can get away once in a while! We can stay if you want, our holidays are unpaid, but there is no pressure to go away, it's really up to you.

• I think by the time holidays are here govo's are looking to go away for a break. 

• I go home for school holidays on because you have been with the children for so long you usually need a break for a little while.

15.  Where can I find out about the major stations to send them a resume?

16.  What are the children usually like? Respectful or disobedient?

• Kids out here are great overall they are usually more respectful than kids in face to face school as they are taught very young when it's appropriate to swear and when not.  But remember they are just kids and all kids are little rats at times. Every child is different.  It depends on how the governess before you (if there was one) has worked in the school room and how you interact with them.  Occasionally you hear horror stories about some places but I think the child's behaviour is mostly influenced by how you deal with them.  The worst problem child can be transformed if you deal with them in the right way.

• All kids are different

• Children out here are very polite and they enjoy having someone else to talk to and play with.
   

17.   How often do the people on the stations get in to a town?

• That depends on where the station is.  It might be once a week, fortnight or once a month.  It depend on how close town is.  Some station get there stores out by mail so these families don't need to go in as often. Depending on how close the nearest town is. A lot of govies get to town most weekends or have plans with others road tripping to rodeos etc.  Even if you don't get to town on the weekend you will usually find the neighbours will come over or some sort of social activity will be planned in the area.

• Whenever you need to!

• We don't go into town that often it just depends what school events we have got on. I usually go to town by myself and catch up with friends at least once every couple of weeks.