WELCOME TO HOTSEAT!

The recurring article where Matt puts various UpBeat staff members on the Hotseat - from hobbies to professions and maybe even some hot takes, you'll get to know our staff much better after this article!
In this article, we welcome our beloved Content Administrator, Jay! Without further ado, let's dive right in!

GETTING TO KNOW YOU...

Matt » Hey Jay! Thanks for doing this interview with me. How've you been? Anything you've been up to recently?

Jay » Hey Matt! I've just got back from work. so tired from the day, but otherwise i'm great thank you!

Jay » Most significant thing I can think of for what ive done recently is camped in Dartmoor National Park in England!

Matt » Woah! That's really cool. Tell us more, how was camping?

Jay » It was great! Except the fact that it was incredibly stormy on the first night, so there was 3 of us sleeping in a small(ish) car! The 2nd night however was great as we camped in a lovely spot and it was calm weather.

Matt » Nice. Did you do anything fun while camping?

Jay » Yea I did! It was a hiking trip alongside camping, so on the Saturday I did a really wet hike (so much rain that day!) and on the sunday we did a longer, and half drier (other than my feet) hike. Spent lots of time with great people, and most importantly, went pub after the hikes!

Matt » Classic British activity for sure going to the pub! Tell me, what made you go on this trip?

Jay » Haha yea, Pub after a hike is the law in my book!

Jay » I love camping and the outdoors, so hiking is me! As it was a group trip, there were more people than just me and my friends, which made it more enjoyable. Being with people who like the same things as me is great! Especially as we talk and tell each other about places we havent been, so way more places get added to my list for where to go!

Matt » Glad you had fun! Though, how did you get into this niche? Any specific influence or just a general attraction towards it?

Jay » Well I grew up in Scouts, so that was a big influence! We did so many hikes, camps and outdoor things, and some of my closest friends to this day are from Scouting! And well, the outdoors is pretty!

Matt » Woah! Really cool! What's the coolest place you've been to or hiked so far?

Jay » Honestly the coolest place I've hiked is close, cause i've hiked in so many cool places! But if I had to choose, i'd probably say it's the B29 Overexposed Crash Site in Peak District. Its an old wreck of an US Air Force Boeing 29 Superfortress that crashed in 1948

Matt » How'd you find sites to hike? Is it through word of mouth? And how do you pick one?

Jay » I mean its kinda whatever really. Word of mouth, searching things up or just picking a direction and finding somewhere remote and picking a trail. No technique to it just whatever the vibe is really

Matt » Fair enough. Is there any specific type of trail/route you like going on the most? Any characteristics that make it enjoyable?

Jay » Well, honestly any - but coastal and mountainous is my favourite! You can imagine why

Matt » They have got to be super beautiful! Any recommendations or starting tips you got along the way for those wanting to get into this?

Jay » Honestly, a good pair of walking boots. Its an investment, but look after them and they'll last and your feet will thank you

Jay » You also dont need all the gear, short and easy hikes dont need fancy walking boots or anything special! But if you want to get into it then it can be worth spending that money

Matt » Thanks! Now, we've talked about the good, how about some of the bad? What's some of your absolute horror stories?

Jay » Honestly ive not had many. Key things I can remember is almost slipping down off a ledge but thats really it

Matt » Yikes. Tell us more, how did that happen and what happened next?

Jay » Was running on a narrow path, almost rolled my ankle but luckily nothing serious happened

Matt » Glad that you're alright! Let's move on from hiking a little bit, you told us you came back from work earlier. What do you do?

Jay » I work in a specialist school for kids with Austrian Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Matt » How'd you get into this job?

Jay » I got into this job as I was looking for work as a Teaching Assistant. I applied for an agency and as I’ve got a lot of non-education based work/volunteering work with kids and some basic training on additional needs, myself and the agency decided it’d be nice to give a go at a SEN school. That was like 6 weeks ago now and I’m loving it!

Matt » Glad its going amazingly! What inspired you to go into teaching?

Jay » Honestly it’s as I enjoy working with children and young people. It’s a worthwhile job as it really makes a difference, and no day is the same which I enjoy

Matt » Nice. How was the training helped you step into the role? What did you do during training in specific?

Jay » Well, I’ve had limited training as most is on the job experience and training, but I previously did a Level 2 course in understanding autism, which has proved incredibly useful in this job! I’m set to have more official and role specific training after I become a permanent member of staff, as I’m still agency!

Matt » Works out well then! What's the biggest lesson you've learnt from your current job?

Jay » Patience… that’s all I can say really haha

Matt » Makes sense! Well, thank you for telling us about your experiences! Let’s move onto some rapid fire!

RAPID FIRE

Matt » Diet or Regular (Coke or Pepsi)

Jay » Pepsi max!

Matt » Phone call or text?

Jay » Text

Matt » What are three things you can’t live without?

Jay » Cheese, butter, cucumber

Matt » Who inspires you?

Jay » Idk tbh, there’s a few who do

Matt » What’s one quote you live by?

Jay » Just do it!

Matt » And finally, all about UpBeat!

ALL ABOUT YOU

Matt » How did you find UpBeat? Did you just run into Che and he dragged you here?

Jay » So, I found upbeat back in November 2018, it was not quite Che that dragged me here, but yes i got dragged here and ive been here on/off ever since then! 

Matt » What's your favourite thing about UpBeat so far?

Jay » My fav thing about upbeat is honestly the community, always very welcoming and fun to chat too!

Matt » What's kept you here?

Jay » The thing thats kept me here has been the people, Che and Georgia and liz are some of those people, but theres lots of people here that are great!

Matt » Thanks Jay!

Jay » No worries!

That's a Wrap!

Thank you for reading this edition of Hotseat, I hope this article gave you a little bit more insight into the life of Jay, once again, our AMAZING Content Administrator.
Have any suggestions as to who should be on the Hotseat? Feel free to let us know in the Discord or Direct Message Matt. Thanks for reading again, and stay tuned for the next edition!