Inside Story - Managing Director of Voovs.com



Efrem

Age Range
36-45

Countries of Work
UK

Study and Career History
Efrem Leigh- Managing Director, Voovs.com Limited, has had a varied career and has probably worked in more diverse jobs than most people. He started his career at the age of 18 as a trainee accountant within the accounting function of BBC Television, London and then moved into the Treasury of a major Oil Exploration company where he took on an Interest Rate and Foreign Exchange dealing role for four years, before deciding to go travelling at the age of 26. He then worked as a steward onboard a 282ft Saudi Royal Yacht in the South of France, crewed on a 62ft sailing yacht on charter in the Caribbean, then worked at Eurodisney Paris as a waiter. He then moved back into a senior Treasury role for a Speciality Chemicals and Paints Company in London, dealing with their interest rate and foreign exchange exposure management before deciding to escape the City once and for all, to pursue a career in catering and hospitality, where he has since managed a village pub and a small hotel in the UK, sailed across the Atlantic as delivery crew on an 80ft sailing yacht from Palma to Antigua via Gibraltar and the Canaries, managed chalet hotels in the French ski resort of Val d'Isere and then moved into ski company management roles with Inghams, Bladon Lines and lastly Thomson Ski, where he was responsible for the recruitment and operations of their chalets, hotels and bars for all 6 countries in their ski programme. He left Thomson to launch the Internet’s first database driven ski recruitment website www.findaskijob.com and has never looked back since, now managing Voovs.com which has 8 websites under its umbrella covering catering, leisure, travel and tourism jobs in the UK and around the world. A varied career that has given him practical experience of many jobs that now give him the ability to offer hands on advice through his websites under voovs.com.

How long have you been doing the job?
Mega-Yachting:Deckhand on Saudi Prince’s 284ft Royal Yacht in South of France in 1991,Deckhand/Steward on 62ft sailing yacht in Caribbean late 1991/early 1992

Did you decide on your career path or did it all happen by accident?
I was working in the City for an oil company dealing foreign exchange and interest rate products and decided at the age of 26 to give up the ‘city life’ and to go travelling around the world. I had tried to have a structured career in accounting and then treasury but knew my long term my career lay elsewhere. City life was good, it was the 80’s and plenty of partying in London and corporate hospitality to Lords, Wimbledon, Golf etc but I just decided enough was enough and the world beckoned me... I loved catering and hospitality and had a vision of running my own pub or restaurant one day! So I resigned, packed my rucksack and was off!

How did you get your "Glamour Job" ?
Yachting Jobs: First stop was the South of France after getting a cheap one-way ticket to Nice and pitched my tent on a local campsite and that’s where I was taken by the variety of jobs available on these ‘mega-yachts’. The pay was tax free, food and accommodation was included and the lifestyle was good. Work hard and then play hard was the motto of the day.

There were no websites like www.findatraveljob.com to give me advice so I used to walk the docks in Cannes, Antibes and Monaco going up to all the boats and asking if they had any work going whether just a day washing down the boat or full time work onboard.

At one stage I ran out of money so walked the docks washing cars for the yacht captains to get enough money to pay for my campsite and a beer.

I handed a CV and letter to the biggest and most lavish boat along the coast and a few days later had a call from the skipper asking me to come for an interview. I had said in the letter that I was a hard worker and could apply myself to any situation and that’s what got me the job as a steward, looking after the lounge, cinema, hospital, disco and recreational areas on the boat which was valued at around $50m at one stage.

I had my own cabin, 3 full meals a day and I was in charge of the crew wine and beer! Tax free salary of $2000 per month as well !!!!!

Skiing: I had been managing a pub and thought I would try something different and so the ski job was for a company called Bladon Lines, now owned by Inghams. My sister had worked for them the year before as a chalet girl so I thought I would give it a try. I phoned up on the Monday and was out to resort after an interview a few days later.

It was a 2 star hotel in Val d’Isere, which is one of the best resorts in the world for skiing and partying. 72 beds with 12 staff. I was dumped in the deep end and just got on with it. It was hard work but the guests were there to ski and have a good time so were easy to keep happy. As long as their rooms were clean and the food was good with plenty of chalet wine then they were happy. That is the good thing about guests in a ski resort they are on a high as skiing/boarding is such a buzz that they just want to have a good time.

What does the job involve?
Yachting: As a steward onboard the Saudi Yacht I took care of the interior of the dining room, sun deck, sauna, saloon, corridors, cinema, hospital and communal areas including the disco (with dry ice and mirrored ceiling!). Basically cleaning, hoovering, polishing the gold plated taps & sinks, stair rails etc. Ordering drinks for the crew, doing a ‘watch shift’ on the aft deck and helping out elsewhere when needed.

When the owner came on board for a meeting I would serve him and his guests their drinks/food and look after their needs whilst they were onboard. The boat used to belong to Donald Trump and had only recently been taken on by the Prince so we only had him onboard on a handful of occasions.

Skiing: As a hotel manager I had to ensure that the hotel provided the guests with all their meals, that the dining room lounge, bar and bedrooms were all cleaned daily, that the staff were managed and motivated with rotas and jobs delegated. I also did the basic hotel accounts and weekly report forms returned to head office.

As it was a chalet hotel and was very relaxed and informal the staff, including me, used to sit and eat at least the main course with the guests as well. This was a great part of the job as you used to sit at a different table each night and get people socialising and introduce different groups to each other and get a good atmosphere going in the hotel.

The guests were a real cross section of society from brickies and carpenters to accountants, doctors and Mps to even a brain surgeon. Anyone and everyone goes skiing so it was a varied bunch who arrived each Saturday.

Describe a typical day at work.
Yachting: If the owner was onboard I would be on duty all day tending to his needs. Ie making drinks, snacks etc and cleaning up after him. Sweeping the lush carpets of his footprints, polishing the gold plated taps and sinks after he had used them and ensuring the interior was immaculate.

If he was not onboard I would work the mornings from 8am and finish around 1pm. Ordering flowers or cleaning products or drinks for the crew. (26 crew on board at that time)

The crew would have BBQs with other boats or we would sit on the beach and have sun downers or meet other crew (yachties) in one of the local bars so it was a good social life .... The yachting workers are split up between those who work on sailing yachts (yachties) and those who work on motor boats (stink pots). All good banter between the groups.

I was based in Antibes in France and sailed between Monaco, Nice, Antibes, Cannes, St Tropez, Toulon, Corsica and Sardinia. Only trouble is you may be in a lovely bay on a hot day and be working and be dying to get in the water but cant as the owner is on board! The hours can also be long. I worked from 0600 to 0100 during the summer of 1996 looking after the Austrian owners and their guests.

Skiing: Breakfast was served from 8am onwards so I would always be on duty from then ensuring the food was of the right standard and that their packed lunches were ready. I would ensure that my office door was always open so that any guests could come to see me about anything during the morning and in the early evening as well. Kind of like an office hour. They would want ski lessons booked, ski passes, ski equipment, excursions, après ski events, bar crawls and I would also have to deal with any breakages or damage by guests to rooms and furniture as well as injuries and even a death to a guest. No day was ever the same!

Because all the guests would go skiing/boarding straight after breakfast and not return until 4/5pm I got to go skiing as well. Perk of the job! Nothing better than a good 3 hours on the slopes after a fresh fall of snow and the sun shining ....

I would sometimes meet up with guests or staff on the mountain for a ski and also after work in the evening after dinner service which would run from 530 to 1030 at night. I recall wondering up the high street of the resort with some of my guests on my way to a party in a local bar dressed only in a black bin liner! It cant all be hard work after all!

What do you like most about the job?
Yachting: Having grown up by the sea in Cape Town I love the sea and life on the coast and had been living in and around London after leaving south africa when I was 13 so that is what I loved the most. Plus being able to anchor in secluded bays and swimming in crystal clear water and sailing with just the rush of wind and the sound of the water lapping on the yacht’s hull. Perfect.......

Skiing: Ski resorts are amazing places to work. The snow capped mountains around you, sitting on a chair lift surrounded by blue skies and fresh snow. Perfect.... My favourite time was at around 6am on a Saturday morning when our guests were leaving and I used to go outside for 45 minutes and look at the sunrise and the colours on the mountains around the resort whilst I cleaned the hotel’s front windows. Very relaxing. I also enjoyed meeting such a wide cross section of guests and making new friendships which I still have to this day. Same for yachting as well. You meet so many people and that's it in a nutshell, the people and the places make the job!

What don’t you like about your job – if anything?
Long hours, but most of all when you had whinging guests who just couldn't or didn't know how to relax and enjoy their holiday whether in a ski resort or on a boat. Life is for living I say and some people just don’t know how to do it without being stressed!

During your teenage years did you have much vocational guidance from school, university, family or friends? What was your biggest influence?
School pointed me towards accounting so I did A level accounting and A level business Studies which I enjoyed.

Family supported me in what I was doing and so got my first job in Shepherds Bush for the BBC. Drove to work in my white Beetle convertible from Hatfield every day. Roof down, sun shining, 19 year old, very happy!

My family were great and never knew what I was going to be doing next and gave me all the support I needed. It used to be a bit of a joke around my friends and family in that they never knew what my next project was going to be.

I left home to live in Ealing at the age of 20 so was pretty independent all along.

If you took end of school examinations did you get exam results you were happy with from your education?
18 after taking A levels

Didn't work as hard as I could have but really enjoyed the sixth form days. Good social life and plenty of friends and holidays away with them. I used to DJ a reggae half hour at our 6th form school discos and would have a pint at lunch time so was quiet happy there.

Do you think that what you studied in school or in your further education was right for the career you are in now? Any regrets?
Yes I have used the accounting, economics and business studies and maths in the various jobs I have done. All put to good use. No regrets whatever!!! Even my level 1 of the accounting and also the treasury professional qualifications has been of use from my 20’s.

Have you taken further studies since leaving secondary or tertiary school. If yes, what did you study and why did you decide you needed more qualifications?
No, apart from the level 1 of the treasury and accounting studies and numerous career and management courses.

What was your first job?
At the age of 9 I used to pack and push shopping trolleys for people at the local supermarket in Cape Town. Used the cash to buy my first watch.

The first job when I left school was working as a clerk in the Harrow Tax Office during the summer of 84 whilst I waited for my A level results.

What has been your most bizarre or challenging job to date?
Most bizarre is definitely working for the Saudi Prince and having to call him ‘your highness’ and bow and serve silver service which I wasn't very good at. He always had at least 1 or 2 bodyguards with him which took getting used to. He loved water skiing and would go off on his 36 ft speedboat with 1 body guard followed by another speedboat with at least another one on it following him as he would water-ski around the bay. All that money but couldn't feel safe or relax without security around him.

The most challenging was working as a chef for these 3 very demanding Austrian millionaires on their 82 ft motor yacht in France. I had to design a varied menu, do all the shopping, cook the food, clear up, serve as well as make the beds, keep the cabins and communal areas clean and clean the outside of the boat and do mooring duties as well. One time we were reversing into a berth in St Tropez, I was on the aft deck ready to throw the lines and secure the boat and I had to go forward and drop the anchor as well and communicate with the captain on a walkie talkie. All of this dressed in a white polo shirt with blue shorts. I got covered in mud from doing the anchor, had to run to the back of the boat whilst the owners sat on the aft deck posing and then threw the lines, secured the boat, ran into the galley, changed my shirt and then walked out all fresh with a silver tray with champagne, crystal flutes and nibbles to serve the owners in front of a gallery of around 75 people who were on shore only a couple of metres away. Bloody hard work but rewarding!

What is your ultimate goal.... is this it, or do you have a pinnacle you have yet to reach?
My ultimate goal is to have a property in the South of France and to manage my company from there and an office in London. Monday to Friday in London and the weekends in France.

I aim to make my websites a global one-stop-job-shop which it is already albeit on a small scale. It now has over 80 different nationalities from all around the world on it and I still get a real buzz from knowing that there is someone far across the world using it to find a job. It is very weird being in a ski resort or down the South of France and meeting people who have heard of the website and found a job through it. I just want people to discover the joy of sailing or working in a ski resort like I did so that’s why I try to cover as many different jobs as possible.

I am now ready to take in new investors or business partners to help to take the business to its full global potential!

What are your top tips for personal success?
Work hard

Play hard

Be honest

Respect others

Respect those who have more experience than you and learn from them

Be prepared to fail and if so keep going

Believe in what you are doing and it will happen!

Never give up!

Marry a wealthy woman! (I am still available!!!)

As Jimmy Cliff said in one of his songs ‘you can get it if you really want! But you must try, try and try!’

Any comments?
Just that it has taken me almost 20 years of my working life to find what I enjoy doing and to do something that I don't mind waking up to.

Don’t rush into any career if you have any doubts. If you really want to travel or work a ski season or go do volunteer work before settling down then do it.

Things always happen for a reason and there is always something better around the corner waiting for you to come along!

Vote for Efrem, click here

Find out more about Efrem, visit the website http://www.Voovs.com