DYW - Orkney
  • Home
  • Young People
    • Careers in... >
      • Aquaculture
      • Construction
      • Early Years & Childcare
      • Energy
      • Food & Drink Production
      • Health & Social Care
      • Land-based
      • Retail
      • Tourism & Hospitality
    • My Options >
      • Apprenticeships
      • College
      • University
      • Employment
      • Planning for the Future >
        • Making Decisions
        • Your Options
        • Finding and Getting a Job
      • Your Next Steps
    • Get Hired >
      • The CV
      • The Job Application
      • The Job Interview
    • Stand out from the crowd >
      • 10 Ways to get Experience
      • Make the Most of Your Work Experience
      • Get Creative
    • Work Placements
    • Employment Rights
  • Employers
    • Get Involved
    • Activity Planner
    • Employer Testimonials
    • Ways to Engage
    • Apprenticeships
    • Hire a young person
  • Education
    • Marketplace for Education
  • Parents
    • Discovering their career options
    • Choosing their next steps
    • Getting their first job
    • Unlocking their potential
  • Latest News
    • #NoWrongPath
    • Orkney Careers Fair 2024
  • Work Placements

latest news

Sector Spotlight: Nikki Wylie, Tour Guide and Bar & Production Operative

11/4/2019

 
PictureNikki Wylie is a Tour Guide and Bar and Production Operative at the Orkney Distillery and Visitor Centre.
Continuing our Sector Spotlight on Tourism, today we hear from Nikki Wylie, who is a Tour Guide and ​Bar and Production Operative for The Orkney Distillery and Visitor Centre. Her career journey has included university, working in a bank and working in wine, whiskey and gin production and sales.

Picture
Can you describe a typical day in your roles as a Tour Guide and Bar and Production Operative?

“I have wonderfully varied days! Often, I’ll do some production in the morning, which means being part of making and bottling the actual gin. I’ll then guide a tour in the afternoon before serving drinks at the café-bar for the rest of the day.”
 
How did you end up in your current role as a Tour Guide and Bar and Production Operative?

“When I was at school, I felt the pressure to go to university, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I first went to an informatics course and then into teacher training.

“I wasn’t happy on my courses and got more joy from my holidays at home spent working in Orkney Wine. I would help with bottling and labelling, run tastings for the public and chat away with visitors from all over the globe.

“When I decided to leave university, I had some experience and an interest that led me to my first full time job at The Whisky Trail on the Edinburgh Royal Mile. I learned so much in those months as a whisky specialist and had to get used to long, hard days around festival season. It was great fun, but I missed home.

“When I moved back, I first worked in the bank. I planned for this to be my new career path, but in practise, it was not a good fit. I was delighted when I discovered Orkney Distilling were hiring. Much more up my street as I had been selling Kirkjuvagr all the time in the whisky shop already!”

What is the best thing about being a Tour Guide and Bar and Production Operative?

“I always find myself surprised by how lovely people are. I sometimes get strange questions on a tour but invariably by the end, we will all be laughing and chatting away. People come to us in a good mood, looking for a fun time and someone to talk to about interesting things.”

What is the worst thing about being a Tour Guide and Bar and Production Operative?

“Although I love the variety, I guess the worst thing about my job is when I have to put on too many different hats in rapid succession. It can be easy to get flustered if you are serving behind the bar one moment and working on the distillation of the gin the next. Nothing that a breath of fresh air and a good to-do list can’t solve though.”

What skills do you need to be a Tour Guide and Bar and Production Operative?

“Working as a team is an obvious and important one. At the distillery we need to work as one unit across the different aspects of the business. It’s very clichéd but communication really is the key! Everyone must be able to help when and where they are needed so we do the best job we can.”

What qualifications do you have?

“I have a Higher Diploma in Education and Standard Grades, a few Highers and an Advanced Higher in Maths from school.”

Why would you recommend working as a Tour Guide and Bar and Production Operative?

“Its good varied experience, the customers are great and you can learn a lot about the tourist and the food and drink industry.”
 
Visit The Orkney Distillery and Visitor Centre on:
Website - https://www.orkneydistilling.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Orkneygin/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/orkneygin/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/Kirkjuvagr_Gin


Comments are closed.

    Archives

    July 2025
    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    September 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018

    Categories

    All
    A Job For Everybody
    Apprenticeship
    Aquaculture
    Blog
    Business And Administration
    Careers Takeover
    Construction
    COVID-19
    DYW Orkney Board
    Education
    Employment
    Energy
    Engineering
    Exams
    Financial Services
    Fisheries
    Food And Drink
    Foundation Apprenticeships
    Graduate Apprenticeships
    Health And Beauty
    Healthcare
    Hospitality
    Internship
    IT
    Jobs Of The Week
    Key Worker Campaign
    Kirkwall Grammar School
    Land Based
    Leisure And Sport
    Modern Apprentice
    Modern Apprenticeships
    Newsletter
    No Wrong Path
    Oil And Gas
    Orkney Careers Fair
    Orkney College UHI
    Project Manager
    Sanday Junior High
    Scottish Apprenticeship Week
    Sector Spotlight
    Skills Development Scotland
    Social Care
    STEM
    Stromness Academy
    Stronsay Junior High
    Third Sector
    Tourism
    UHI Orkney
    Volunteering
    Westray Junior High
    Young Enterprise
    Young People Are Great Campaign

    RSS Feed

GET IN TOUCH   |   ABOUT US   |   CONTACT US
TERMS & CONDITIONS   |   WEBSITE PRIVACY POLICY   |   CRM PRIVACY POLICY   |   DATA PROTECTION   |   COOKIE POLICY   |   ACCESSIBILITY
Proudly powered by Weebly
© 2019 Developing the Young Workforce
  • Home
  • Young People
    • Careers in... >
      • Aquaculture
      • Construction
      • Early Years & Childcare
      • Energy
      • Food & Drink Production
      • Health & Social Care
      • Land-based
      • Retail
      • Tourism & Hospitality
    • My Options >
      • Apprenticeships
      • College
      • University
      • Employment
      • Planning for the Future >
        • Making Decisions
        • Your Options
        • Finding and Getting a Job
      • Your Next Steps
    • Get Hired >
      • The CV
      • The Job Application
      • The Job Interview
    • Stand out from the crowd >
      • 10 Ways to get Experience
      • Make the Most of Your Work Experience
      • Get Creative
    • Work Placements
    • Employment Rights
  • Employers
    • Get Involved
    • Activity Planner
    • Employer Testimonials
    • Ways to Engage
    • Apprenticeships
    • Hire a young person
  • Education
    • Marketplace for Education
  • Parents
    • Discovering their career options
    • Choosing their next steps
    • Getting their first job
    • Unlocking their potential
  • Latest News
    • #NoWrongPath
    • Orkney Careers Fair 2024
  • Work Placements