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  • Finito World Q&A: celebrity chef Tristan Welch

    Finito World Q&A: celebrity chef Tristan Welch

    Garrett Withington talks to the co-owner of Parker’s Tavern and host of Cooking with the Stars about life under Gary Rhodes and Gordon Ramsay and how the UK’s attitude to food has changed

    GW: How did you get your start in becoming a chef?

    TW: I fell in love with cooking from a young age at school during Home Economics. I realised whatever I cooked in the class, it made people happy and I really loved that feeling – that is what a get a kick out of, seeing people enjoying great food.

    Favourite Dish?

    Lemon sole with nut brown butter, shrimps and samphire. It reminds me of childhood holidays in North Norfolk – where I am taking my family this summer.

    You have quite a C.V. including Gary Rhodes and Gordon Ramsey. Were you intimidated working for these big names and are their personalities truly reflected when we see them on T.V?

    Working for some of the very best chefs in the world has been an absolutely inspiration to me – we all put on a bit of a pantomime now and again.

    Being a Chef often involves unsociable and long hours which can make it unappealing to the youth. What aspects of the job drew you to the kitchen that may inspire the next Tristan Welch?

    I think the hustle and bustle of the kitchen really enthused me and drew me in. There is nothing quite like the camaraderie amongst a kitchen team. Some chefs I worked with 10 years ago, when we bump into each other now, we greet each other like great friends – it is relationship-forming.

    Famously the kitchen is a stressful environment where much head bashing takes place with expletives thrown at one another, most exemplified by Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsey. But with more workplace environments and office spaces adopting a kinder approach, reprimanding and firing those who shout at their subordinates, is this attitude beginning to change in kitchens or does its unique environment separate it from this problem?

    Those days are gone. We are at a very interesting point now, that I identified 6 years ago (before we started Parker’s Tavern), the training we had and the style of training is no longer relevant to young talent today and as industry leaders, it is for us to take it seriously and find the solution to guide up and coming talent through and help them flourish in this fantastic industry.

    British cuisine has come a long way in a short time, now within the top ten countries with the most Michelin stars. What do you think has changed and is progress likely to continue?  

    I think the country’s attitude towards food has completely changed. When I was fresh out of college (even before then), my father would drive to France three times a year to stock up ‘on the good stuff’. Even in the early days of my career, I was told I had to live and work in France to really understand food and I did, I spent time there. But nowadays you don’t need to – you don’t have to go more than 300 metres in Cambridge to get to an amazing artisan bakery – we have great food on our doorstep.

    What advice would you give to a budding cook and where to start on the career path to become a chef? 

    Follow the food that you love, have a goal in mind and in the back of your head. Understand that there will be hard days and great days but never lose sight of your goal.

    Poor nutrition and obesity appear to be a problem in the UK. Do you think that there is an educational gap in public knowledge?

    Yes, I think there is a gap in nutritional knowledge. However my children are being taught about nutrition to the point they are questioning their own school dinners so the future is bright on that one…

    At school in Food-Tech I made Coleslaw, Pizza and a Trifle. Hardly set me up to be a great Chef. How would you go about inspiring children to cook and take what they eat seriously?

    That doesn’t sound too bad! One of the key things especially for children and young adults is don’t be afraid to experiment. One of the things I do as a parent is give my children the full run of the kitchen. They can mix and make anything – sometimes yes, it may be inedible and sometimes it is great. For me, that is the best way to inspire.

    School canteen food has also been the subject for debate by some chefs, expressed most by Jamie Oliver, but how would we go about bringing a Michelin star experience to children?

    I think in this question lies the problem, we don’t. Michelin star for kids is the wrong idea – it is about good, wholesome food that is nutrient rich and fresh. I know it is the toughest thing in the world to cook for children all the time but it is certainly something we need more of a focus on. Jamie Oliver did a smashing job however it seems to be slipping back a bit and at a time when we need to focus on our kids more than ever.

    Often for those trying to learn the skill of cooking from scratch it can be quite daunting. Thousands of cookbooks, an infinite number of online resources and numerous cuisines. Where would you tell these beginners to start and what path to follow to becoming a professional home Chef?

    During my cookalongs at 6pm every Thursday on @Parkers_Tavern on Instagram! If you aren’t joining, that is why you can’t cook!

    Famously around the world many countries have a negative perception of traditional British cuisine, how do you feel about this international reputation?

    Apparently we have bad teeth too!?

    When discussing British Chefs in general, Pierre Koffmann had stated that “Not enough Chefs cook from the heart. There’s a lack of originality, too much copying”. What are your thoughts on this and what advice would you give to aspiring chefs to avoid this problem? 

    I wouldn’t worry about copying too much, it isn’t something I would advise but I agree with Pierre, cook from the heart, cook what you love. On Cooking With The Stars, we made carbonara, is that considered copying? We made from the heart, it was fantastic and fun.

    Does food have to be complicated to truly be good?

    No – one of the most amazing salads is just picking tomatoes off the vine and serving with olive oil and a bit of seasoning.  Complicated? I think not. Completely delicious? Yes.

    After watching your performance on the Great British Menu it must be asked what you think of food critics. Are they viewed much like music and film critics who can judge but not create?

    Some restaurant critics are better than others, but to be fair everyones a critic nowadays.

  • Opinion: Patrick Crowder on the HR industry

    Patrick Crowder

    The mere mention of human resources can conjure up all sorts of preconceptions and emotions. Often human resource officers are seen as the cops of the workplace – dictating what employees do and say and sacking them at the first sign of unproductivity. “I think it’s certainly true that it’s become much harder to express yourself freely over the past 10 to 15 years and that’s true at universities and it’s also true in the workplace,” the contrarian thinker Toby Young tells us.

    Human resources is also a complex topic, and these more basic misconceptions can be damaging, both to the HR industry and to employees who may be less likely to seek out help from their HR departments when they need it. At its core, HR is about managing people, resolving conflicts, finding solutions, and optimising businesses to improve efficiency. Not all HR departments are perfect, there is no doubt about that, but complex issues require careful analysis.

    That’s why Finito World has spoken to HR professionals across the industry, learned about the rise of new recruiting practices, and profiled 50 HR professionals from top companies to find out the true value of HR and to see how it can be done better.

    The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is the main professional body for HR professionals in the UK. First founded as the Welfare Workers’ Association in 1913, the CIPD now provides resources, support, accreditation, and data about the people profession. Their data shows that Human Resources makes up 1.6 per cent of the UK workforce – that’s around 472,000 individuals working in the industry. HR in the UK has grown 17 per cent overall between 2009 and 2019, and HR Manager and Director roles have increased by 57 per cent.

    There is a perception that the HR industry is paid extremely highly, and while there are certainly a good number of high-paying roles, pay across the industry is quite variable. According to the CIPD, median pay for an HR employee can range from £18,372 to £115,953 per year. Naturally, this will vary based on role. HR Directors have the highest median pay of £91,301 per year, while less senior roles such as HR Assistant will see around £24,712 per year. As with most professions, with seniority comes higher pay, and the opportunity for advancement within HR is one of the major forces which drives interest in the industry.

    A major part of HR is people analytics, which is the practice of using data about a company’s employees to find business solutions. This is where the idea of the HR department spying on employees comes from, and yes, if not conducted ethically, personal data can be used in ways which violate trust, privacy, and even the law. The CIPD recommends transparency, ensuring that the data system does not discriminate against any group, and ensuring that only necessary data is collected and analysed. This is a contentious area because of the ways that it can be misused. Automating a process which directly affects people’s livelihoods is never ethical, so hiring and firing decisions should never be made until a human has examined the data in question. This isn’t always the case, so the use of employee surveillance has gained a bad reputation. When used correctly, people analytics can be used to help employees, tackle pay gaps, improve training, and find the best ways to improve employee wellbeing.

    Middle management was created out of necessity during the Industrial Revolution, when the scale of businesses increased to a point that business owners could no longer oversee all operations of their companies. Since its creation, middle management has been the subject of controversy. Think back to the character of the “straw boss” in early 20th century labour action. In Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath, straw-bosses are portrayed as company stooges, existing solely to ensure that labourers worked hard for little pay, while not doing much if any work themselves. While this is an extreme example of middle management, these perceptions can still be seen in views of Human Resources departments today.

    Recently, Douglas Murray published an opinion piece in the Telegraph entitled Young people aspiring to be HR managers are a dire sign of a country in trouble. In it, he argues that HR is unimportant, that youth should not “aspire to be bureaucratic middle-meddlers” and criticises HR’s place as one of the highest paid roles in the country. Murray questions the necessity of HR, stating that “The principal qualifications for this overpaid role in my experience are stupidity, lack of curiosity, misguided self-worth and odious self-importance.” If this is true, then many young people must be dead-set on making careers of needless bureaucracy, because the HR industry is growing fast.

    With all of the different ideas circulating about HR, it is essential to understand what the role of HR is, why someone would want such a role, and how the practice is changing with the introduction of new technologies.

  • Middlethorpe Hall – York’s hidden gem

    Patrick Crowder

    Middlethorpe Hall is a late-17th century country house with 20 acres of parks and gardens just two miles from the centre of York. Built under the reign of William III, Middlethorpe has an exceptionally classic style, and it holds the status of being the only country house hotel in York. As a National Trust property, conservation is at the forefront, so the rooms and gardens are presented with history in mind. The fine folks at Middlethorpe extended a very gracious invitation to both my girlfriend Martyna and I, so we took the train to York for the weekend to check it out.

    Martyna is a high-toned woman with knowledge of the finer things, but this Californian’s experience with elite hotels amounts to a few visits to the Ritz Carlton in Chicago with my parents as a pre-teen. Nonetheless, we felt no need to put on any airs at Middlethorpe, as there was not a hint of snobbery, so we were free to be our own relaxed selves.

    We had the chance to speak with Lionel Chatard, who has been the Director and General Manager at Middlethorpe for over 18 years. He greeted us kindly when we arrived, accompanied by his friendly brown and white cat. He explains that Middlethorpe has worn a variety of hats throughout its 322 years, and how managing the property brings unique opportunities and challenges.

    “Middlethorpe is rather unique in the fact that it is the only country house hotel in York, rescued in the 1980s from when it was a night club with overgrown or non-existent gardens. This Grade II William and Mary house was totally restored to the highest standard reflecting its noble heritage, and the gardens and parkland brought back to bring pleasure to all who wander through them or look out over them,” Chatard says, “The hotel is secluded in 20 acres of manicured gardens and parkland and offers luxury facilities including a boutique spa and a fine dining restaurant. I am proud of my team who make every guest’s experience unique. Also, working at a hotel which was donated to the National Trust is very unique! The motivation for the donation is to ensure that the houses and their land are kept safe forever, protected from inappropriate development, and continue to be maintained to their present high standards.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    The historic accommodations at Middlethorpe

     

    Our accommodation was not so much a room but the entire ground floor of a house, and when we arrived we were stunned by the care taken in its presentation. A bowl of fresh fruit (which contained the best pear I’ve had to date) was set out on an antique coffee table, alongside a selection of meringues. The bedroom and sitting room were both filled with interesting historical paintings, books, and artifacts, including a candleholder crafted from teak taken from the H.M.S. Terrible which served in the Second Boer War. While the furnishings were antique, the bathroom and kitchen had comfortable, modern fixtures, meaning that we wouldn’t be sacrificing water pressure in the name of historical accuracy on this trip.

    In the daytime we strolled around the historic gardens, and we were perplexed by a small cliff in the middle of the massive lawn! We learned that the sitting area, invisible from the main house, is called a “ha-ha”, which was a popular feature in 18th century gardens. We walked towards the walled garden, passing trees transplanted from all over the world, including a Red Oak, Turkey Oak, and a Cedar al Lebanon, until we came across the beautiful Dovecote. The structure has existed on the site since 1681, and now, bereft of doves, is used as a wine cellar.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    The gardens at Middlethorpe, with Dovecote in background

     

    The gardens have been maintained meticulously, and as Chatard explains, it all comes down to the National Trust’s commitment to conservation.

    “The three Historic House Hotels; Bodysgallen Hall & Spa in North Wales, Hartwell House in Buckinghamshire, and Middlethorpe were donated to the National Trust in 2008, with all profits benefiting the charity,” Chatard says, “It is a matter of pride and joy to my fellow Directors and I, to know that we are making a useful contribution to support this formidable charity. It also means that as well as ensuring we run a profitable and successful business as hoteliers, our responsibilities are wider and also involve, to a certain degree, conservation and gardening. The gardens at the three hotels, as the other National Trust parks and gardens, are managed according to a long-term plan for their conservation, taking into account all their history, influences, qualities and contents, together with constraints that affect them.”

    One thing that Martyna and I noticed about the property and its stewards is the incredible attention paid to ensuring that guests have their needs met and, in the case of the slight misunderstanding I am about to recount, anticipated. Approaching the grand front of Middlethorpe, we decided to break out the camera for posterity’s sake. Being fans of Kubrick, we decided to take a few portraits with the camera pointing upwards at the subject, with the magnificent eagle-topped roof of the hall in the background. When we went back inside, the man at the door had called for a bottle of the finest champagne – when I got down on one knee for the picture he had seen it as a marriage proposal, and had prepared accordingly! We laughed about the misunderstanding, only half-joked that we would return for the wedding, and left extremely impressed by his skills of observation.

    The care taken to ensure our comfort did not stop there. When it came time for dinner, we were treated to a three-course meal with a choice of meat, fish, or vegetable for the first two courses, and dessert or cheese for the final course. Martyna, as she will herself admit, is very difficult to cook for due to her many allergies. I would list them here, but this article has to fit on the page you’re reading… you get the picture. Head Chef Ashley Binder had no trouble navigating the culinary minefield that is the woman I love, quickly crafting items with ingredients which were not even on the menu. This was no matter of lazy substitution, these were whole new dishes, created on the fly, for just one of many guests. The food was expertly made and a joy to eat, and we left very satisfied.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    A view of Middlethorpe showing the ha-ha

     

    Floored by the service provided, I asked Chatard how he maintains such a high standard at Middlethorpe.

    “I believe I am very lucky to lead a team of committed and passionate individuals, who take pride in their work and really enjoy looking after guests; we all work as one team, and always support each other,” Chatard says, “Good and clear communication and staff training are key to a successful business. We truly value comments from our guests and discuss them constructively with the team for further improvements where necessary. Mystery ‘inspections’ are also helpful to ensure consistency of standards.”

    Middlethorpe offers a luxurious spa, which sports modern accommodations while maintaining an old-world feel. The large pool provides a place to soak off a day walking around the city, while the sauna and steam room give guests a chance to cleanse themselves of the thick London air. They also offer a variety of spa treatments in private rooms, which focus on skincare, health, and beauty therapy.

    Before we knew it, our stay had come to an end, but we took with us a feeling of rejuvenation and calm unrivalled by other holidays we had taken in the past. I highly recommend Middlethorpe to anyone looking to get away from the daily stressors so many of us face. After the last two years, we could all use a bit of pampering, and Middlethorpe Hall is just the place.

     

  • Letter from Australia: Ben Murphy on the coal debate

    Ben Murphy

    Sitting on this little red patch of dirt in the South Pacific Ocean, I’ve been trying to get some perspective on the craziness that’s upon us.

    How to make sense of the craziness in the news? One place to start is the global coal debate. The first thing to understand here is the basic difference between metallurgical (coking) coal for steel-making and other coals for energy production, concrete and paper manufacturing, to name only a few. Without this distinction the climate change discussion risks creating significant dangers, and the conversation around ceasing coal production will have an adverse effect on all of us. That’s because of these two coal sources is crucial to the existence of man kind.

    Let’s start with the basic question of where coal comes from. There are many varieties of coal in the world, ranging from brown coal or lignite to anthracite, also known as hard coal. All coal is formed when dead plant matter submerged in swamp environments is subjected to the geological forces of heat and pressure over hundreds of millions of years. Over time, the plant matter transforms from moist, low-carbon peat, to coal, an energy- and carbon-dense black or brownish-black sedimentary rock.

    That means there are two broad types of coal. In the first place, thermal coal makes up for about 65 per cent of all global coal production, also known as ‘steaming coal’ or just ‘coal’. This is widely used as the principal means of generating electricity in much of the world. It’s reliable and stable as a base load energy source and forms part of the energy cycle which includes nuclear, hydro, wind and solar energies to name a few. This is the source of much of the debate around finding renewable energy resources.

    But thermal coal must be distinguished from coking coal, also known as metallurgical coal. This is used to create coke, one of the two irreplaceable inputs for the production of steel, the other being iron ore. The property which really sets coking coals apart from other coals is its caking ability, which is the specific property required to make coke suitable for steel making.

    Now, coke is produced by heating coking coals in a coke oven in a reducing atmosphere. This is known as the caking process. This refined coking coal is then used in blast furnaces along with iron ore as the base minerals to make steel (pig iron).

    So, what will happen if those who win the argument and coal mining becomes phased out altogether?

    Well, in a world where coal-mining stops altogether, there would be an obvious and undesirable side effect: we would stop steel production. That would mean no more high-rise buildings, football stadiums, bridges, cars (Telsa included), trains, planes, air conditioning, computers, mobile phones, solar panels, wind turbines, power stations, refrigeration, hospitals, ambulances, shipping, recycling – and of course the needle used in the syringe that vaccinated you against the Covid-19 virus. It’s a scary but real prospect.

    Humans rely on steel, we have been making it for over 3,000 years. It’s in every facet of our lives and without it we stop. Transportation, communications, food production, economies and modern medicine rely on it. Take away metallurgical coal and you stop steel production.

    Here, we take a breath. There are smart minds looking to alternative fossil-free steel-making processes such as hydrogen steel which is gaining traction and significant investment as a future process. But realistically, we’re decades away from producing steel on anything like the scale we do today.

    Besides, so long as developing and emerging economies such as China, India and Indonesia are dependent on the production of steel – and so long as steel is heavily reliant on metallurgical coal and iron ore – it would seem the debate about stopping coal mining is in some sense a misguided one.

    It seems certain then that coal-mining will remain for some time to some degree. Thermal Coal and most non-renewable energy resources will be slowly phased down as we find and implement renewable alternatives. That’s a good thing, but it will take some time.

    If we agree that steel is important and therefore metallurgical coal must remain in our lives, then we have the parameters of a sensible debate. Perhaps we need to also start at the level of language by referring to thermal coal as ‘energy coal’ and ‘metallurgical coal’ as ‘steel coal’.

    The writer is the founding Director of AMC Supponor

  • Why lifelong learning should never stop

    Why lifelong learning should never stop

    Stuart Thomson

    Too often when we think about lifelong learning, it applies only to those who have been in the workforce for some time.  The reality is that the learning journey should never stop.

    The apparent confusion about terms is partly a result of ‘lifelong learning’ being misapplied to cover only more established team members who need to update their skills or if someone needs to re-skill after losing their job.  But this is all too little, too late.

    Instead learning needs to become a fundamental part of any role from the very outset, from Day One, not simply ‘added in’ later when gaps start to appear. We must get away from the idea that learning ends, or is at best paused, after sixth form, an apprenticeship or university.  

    New employees are often subject to a world of initial training and induction to ensure that they are up-to-speed in the new role.  But once that initial period comes to an end then there is a danger of learning silence.  That person has had their allocated training and the employer moves onto the next new intake.

    Sometimes new employees are expected to impart their knowledge to more established members as a sort of quid pro quo for learning on the job. There is no doubt that such a practical element is essential but there is no guaranteeing that either party is particularly adept at helping the other.  So, it may be that something more structured and formal is required as well.

    It should not be a case of simply being thankful for whatever support you are given.  Instead, we should all be more demanding about the training options open to us, especially early on.  Problems often arise when there is a gap between an induction and then a return to training.  That gap must be filled.  The bigger the gap, the more there is to fill.

    The gap is what causes problems.  These will vary depending on the role but could include an unfamiliarity with current thinking or new technologies, or lacking the skills necessary to cope with a new challenge.

    Some employers will allocate funding or a learning budget per person but that does not always apply to everyone across an organisation.  Again, there can be an over-emphasis on more established team members.  This lack of equality across an organisation needs to be challenged.  Employers could also have a bigger role in communicating more about the potential options available.  It would make joining them even more attractive.

    But we also have a personal responsibility as well.  Even if funds are available then it is up to us to use them. That means being able to identify where our weaknesses are, what we need to improve and frankly how we can continue to get ahead of others as well (internally as well as externally).  We all need to challenge ourselves and ask how we can be a leader in our chosen field and what training support we need to achieve that.

    Looking at what others are doing and being inspired by them is a good starting point.  But also look through training brochures and check the courses available. Consider what your professional and trade bodies offer.  Maybe try and spend time with other teams in your own organisation as well.  The role of mentors too can be hugely helpful in helping identify what to address.

    There needn’t though always be a cost associated.  Many bodies offer free or low-cost options, especially to existing members.

    It doesn’t need to be all about you either.  If there is a common need across a team then employers could provide you all with something as it may be cost effective for them.  Certainly, that has been my experience when dealing with training on public affairs and reputation management issues.

    Teachers, lecturers, trainers of all types have a role in getting us into good habits focused on ongoing learning.  So too do employers.  But we must take responsibility and hold employers to account on training and remind them of the benefits – not least improved retention and loyalty.

    We need to beware of the emergence of learning gaps and think about lifelong learning as the truly continuous process it should be.

    The writer is Head of Public Affairs at BDB Pitmans

  • How to manage your budget when working abroad

    Patrick Crowder

    The lifestyle of the ‘digital nomad’ has become much more popular following the pandemic. Increased work from home infrastructure allows many to live a lifestyle that some see as idyllic – as digital nomads, many are working abroad anywhere with an internet connection, travel frequently, and often set your own hours, all while getting paid.

    Even for those lucky enough to be living out their travel-fuelled dreams, cost of living is hitting hard. William Russell, which provides insurance to people working abroad, has offered a few points of advice to stay afloat during difficult times.

    As inflation rises, many employers are becoming less generous with raises and benefits, so it may be worth considering taking other jobs on the side. If you work at a company which allows you to do so, freelancing and consultancy are great ways to diversify your income streams while still staying on the move. Freelance writing, for example, can be done from anywhere, and even things like teaching singing lessons can be achieved through Zoom meetings.

    Properly managing investments is also paramount to financial stability in uncertain times. Money kept in cash or savings accounts will not keep up with inflation, so smart investing is a good way to ensure that your money does not diminish in value, although with all investing there is risk involved.
    It is a good idea to reduce your cost of living. Obviously, extravagant spending should be avoided, but there are also less obvious ways to save. If you are spending in a foreign currency, make sure that you truly understand the value of that currency, and look out for fees attached to money transfers and everyday transactions. Around the house is also a great place to save, so cut down on energy usage and heating costs if possible.

    There are also a few other ways to protect yourself from unforeseen issues while abroad. International health insurance is a well-known way to help you avoid massive medical costs should something go wrong while you’re away from your home country, but it might be worth looking at your plan again to ensure that you are getting a good deal.

    William Cooper, Marketing Director at William Russell emphasises the importance of international health insurance when working abroad.

    “Starting a new life overseas can be deeply rewarding but is not without its challenges,” Cooper says, “If you don’t have the right health insurance abroad, the cost of medical treatment abroad can be enormously expensive: for example, according to the Association of British Insurers, you could face a US$124,000 bill for treating a fractured spine in Thailand or US$74,000 for a hospital stay following a road accident in Spain.”

    In a time when many people are living paycheque to paycheque, it is important to be prepared in the case that your income streams are interrupted. Global income protection can pay up to 80% of your salary if a medical situation arises which renders you unable to work while abroad, however you must sure that the protection you would receive is worth the cost.

     

    Read our report on how work is changing and moving away from the office here

  • Dream jobs around the world

    Patrick Crowder

    What’s your dream job? It’s a question asked of most everyone, and often from a very young age. An individual’s goals and aspirations often change over time, so it is always important to keep one’s mind and options open. However, if you have a dream, there is nothing stopping you from finding out if it’s truly the right choice for you. A study from Remitly, which provides financial services for immigrants, has revealed the jobs held in highest regard by people around the world. With almost 1 million Google searches per year, becoming a pilot is the world’s top dream job.

    In most English-speaking countries, the top listed dream career is to become a pilot. By analysing Google search data, Remitly found that people in the UK, the US, Canada, Ireland and Australia are most curious about the difficult, rewarding, and highly regarded professions in the aviation sector. 20 additional countries are also interested in taking to the sky, including Cyprus, Moldova, Papua New Guinea, and Montenegro. High pay and frequent travel are likely factors driving this interest, not to mention the fact that pilots often receive generous pensions and benefits.

    Dream Job Map

    Image from Remitly

    The second most desired job worldwide is that of a writer. In general, a career in the arts is a popular dream job choice, with dancing and acting also ranking highly on the list. All of the Nordic countries show the most interest in writing for a living, as do Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. India, Pakistan, Myanmar, Bhutan, and Bangladesh all list writing as their top dream job, and a number of African countries including Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa did the same. The freedom which a career in writing offers is unparalleled as it is often a career which can be built from home. Following the pandemic, we have seen an increased emphasis on job enjoyment, flexibility, and creativity, and a career in writing holds the unique position of offering all three.

    In addition to the more traditional creative careers, the new-age offerings of youtuber, influencer, and programmer were also represented. Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Chile place YouTube as their top dream career choice, as do Slovakia, Indonesia, and the Czech Republic. Columbia, Venezuela, Argentina, and the Dominican Republic are among the countries who chose the more general career of influencer, reflecting the growing number of non-YouTube platforms rising to prominence, including Twitch and TikTok.

    Jago McKenzie, Business Management Director at Remitly, says that the trends reflected by the study are consistent with his expectations.

    “People are getting used to the idea of changing careers at least once in their lifetime as the flexibility to work online and retrain increases. Some of the main reasons people seek a career move are for better work-life balance, higher pay and a more meaningful and fulfilling career. With that in mind, I wasn’t surprised to see so many people around the world showing clear search intent for a change,” McKenzie says, “We can see a huge range of different professions featuring prominently, including many that can be done solely online, from anywhere in the world. It’s clear that our desire for travel and exploration has not been dimmed by the past couple of years and, despite it being a tough time for the aviation industry, becoming a pilot remains a much sought-after lifestyle.”

    Whatever your dream may be, all is achievable with the right amount of dedication and tenacity. Of course, having a network of people to help you along the way is also a major boon to success, so always be on the lookout for mentors. Finito World wishes you the best of luck on your journey.

  • An Inside Look at the Changing Chess Industry

    In this special report, Finito World’s Patrick Crowder examines the post-pandemic chess world, from local clubs to the world’s largest chess website.

    Like many, I started playing chess during the lockdowns to break the monotony of endless media consumption and to give my brain something to do other than worry and slowly rot away. Here at Finito World, we believe that important lessons can often come from unlikely sources. Chess isn’t only something to learn, it is something to learn from. Chess teaches to deal with and learn from failure, to teach compassionately, and trains concentration. It is also a rapidly expanding industry which is brimming with possibility for those who decide to take the plunge.

    Lately, chess has gone out of the chess pages into the entertainment and even the front pages. Of course, there was the Queen’s Gambit which brought the sport – if in fact it could be called a sport – onto people’s radar, and then there was the cheating scandal which led to the lawsuit between Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann. This is all very interesting, but the bigger question is “Can chess be a career?” World famous chess player Hikaru Nakamura would certainly say yes, as he makes a very good living not only by playing in tournaments but also by streaming chess-related content on Twitch. For truly great players, there is quite a bit of money to be made from tournaments alone. Chess.com awards $20,000 in prizes every weekend, $1M in the global championship, and every Tuesday sees $5,000 in total prizes as part of the Titled Tuesdays event. In-person events such as the Sinquefield Cup also have prizes in the high six-digit range. Chess is often seen as one of those routes in life which you find yourself in because the game came unusually naturally from a young age. However, there are now more jobs out there than you might think, and you don’t need to be a grandmaster to get in on the action.

    Battersea Chess Club
    chess

    Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, Maria Emelianova/Chess.com

    Other than a few games with friends I had never played over the board, so I was eager to see what attending an actual chess club was all about. I am not a very good player (about 900 ELO if anyone’s curious) and I feared that the environment may be unwelcoming, but after a Tuesday evening at Battersea Chess Club, I realised my worries were misplaced.

    Leon Watson is fully immersed in both the online and in person, or over-the-board (OTB) chess worlds. He serves both as Secretary of the Battersea Chess Club and as Head of PR for world champion Magnus Carlsen’s online chess teaching venture Play Magnus Group.

    “We are one of the biggest chess clubs in London, and one of the oldest chess clubs in London. We formed in 1885, and we’ve been a fixture in the community for all that time. We’ve survived two World Wars, a World Cup, and we continue going to this day. Even through the World Wars we carried on playing,” Watson says, “We cater to everyone from casual players to very serious players, from beginners to grandmasters. We’ve got members ranging from age seven to 92, and these people are all from different backgrounds. Some members are really struggling in life, and others are high-flying city bankers. That’s what’s great about chess; It doesn’t matter what age you are, your background or your gender, it’s a game where you can come in, sit down, have a pint or an orange juice, and just have some fun or take it seriously. It’s up to you,” Watson says.

    Both myself and my opponents that evening took the “just have some fun” approach, and there was never a hint of pretension or ego. I relate this experience not for the purposes of self-insertion, but to describe the great benefits of trying new things which require concentration in unfamiliar environments. The confidence required to walk in cold to a chess club surely exercises the same parts of the brain as a job interview, and the carefully considered strategy required to play the game itself represents a meditative disconnection from the outside world that is becoming ever harder to find in our busy lives. Watson too has seen the benefits that chess can bring, both to himself and his family.

    “There are lots of benefits to chess. Of course there is the social aspect, but there are also claims that chess is very good for educational reasons. I’m not an educational specialist, but I personally find it very helpful for learning to focus and concentrate on things, and that helps me in life. I also have a seven-year-old son who’s learning chess, and I feel like it is helping him focus… hopefully on his schoolwork! A grandmaster has lost more games of chess than I’ll ever play in my life, but the thing about chess is that you can take a game that you’ve lost, analyse it, look at your mistakes and make sure you don’t make them again. I think that’s a great lesson for life, and as a dad I hope that I can impress that upon my kids,” Watson says.

    Helping people make the transition from playing online to over-the-board is something that the kind folks at Battersea Chess Club excel at. Though new OTB players must learn how a chess clock works and remember not to touch a piece unless they plan to move it, the game itself is of course unchanged. The experience, however, changes greatly. You can play slow, contemplative chess online, but it is much easier to do so if your opponent is in front of you and your environment is free from distraction. Online games are excellent for practicing faster time controls, and online game analysis is an indispensable tool for improvement, but the social and mental benefits of OTB chess are far more applicable to daily life, from the experience of this author.

    The Online Effect

    Chess, Hikaru Nakamura

    Hikaru Nakamura, Maria Emelianova/Chess.com

    Since the dawn of the internet, people have wanted to play chess online. There have been many interesting offerings which provide this service, including caissa.com, chess24, the fully free site Lichess, and play-by-email options dating back to the 1970s. Now, Chess.com is the most popular chess website in the world.

    Chess.com has been instrumental in the growth of chess. The website, which first started in 2005, is now a massive business which holds the title of the largest chess website. International Master Danny Rensch helped found Chess.com. As someone with experience both playing and teaching chess, he realised the potential for a website which combined chess training, casual play, and tournaments which would attract the strongest players from around the world.

    “I learned to play when I was 10 and I was quickly made aware that I had a knack for the game, and I got good very quickly. Knowing what I know now about the levels of chess, it’s not necessarily fair to say I was some sort of child prodigy, but I was definitely one of the best players in the US at one point,” Rensch says, “At around the age of 19 I had some health problems and was kind of forced to stop playing and travelling, which turned out to be a really important, pivotal crossroads in my life. I jumped all-in to running a chess teaching business in Arizona where I’m from, which was an after school scholastic enrichment programme. It was sort of the traditional professional chess player’s gambit at the time.”

    Teaching chess is an extremely common way for professional chess players to monetise their talents, and now online teaching has become the norm. With the Queen’s Gambit came millions of people new to the game who were eager to improve. Rensch has found that the best teachers seek to understand how their students think rather than focusing solely on accuracy and rote memorisation.

    “I think honesty without tact can at times be cruel or disingenuous, and then at the same time explanation without understanding of whether someone can digest the information is also not useful. You have to have an appreciation for what the next steps are for someone’s learning process rather than just saying the answer, because anyone can understand the answer to an algebraic or calculus equation in the back of the book, but your ability to solve it is a muscle that you build along the way. I think you have to focus on it more as a language than simply a problem that you expect someone to solve. You don’t expect someone to read before they understand how to sound out letters and syllables and vowels and put them together, right? People always approach chess as a thing for people with brilliant IQs as if it’s an unsolvable problem, which it is, in many ways, but the core of being a good chess player is about pattern recognition. You can’t expect people to see patterns that are complex before they see basic patterns. I think a good teacher appreciates the need to reach someone at their level of understanding and cares more about them taking the next step in their learning process than they do about whether they’re ultimately right,” Rensch says.

    This understanding of what it takes to teach effectively can be translated to life outside of chess, of course. Compassion and understanding are hallmark traits of a good educator in any field, and Rensch realised in the relatively early days of the internet that this teaching style could be delivered to a far wider audience online than in person. Rensch’s vision led him to look into online options, and through a chance encounter, to the very start of Chess.com.

    “I was running this chess teaching business and putting most of my energy into that rather than travelling due to my health problems, but then the internet happened. The world was changing rapidly before our eyes, and I think I quickly saw the internet in terms of what it could be for chess in a non-traditional sense. I was immediately looking to build an online chess business, so having learned about SEO and keyword optimisation I went to get the domain name ‘Chess.com’. And there, like ships in the night, I found that my eventual business partners and co-founders Erik and Jay had just acquired the domain name out of bankruptcy in the Bay Area,” Rensch says, “Their vision for chess.com was to be the MySpace of chess, and my vision was for it to be a place for professionals to coach and to teach, as well as a place for tournaments. When I came on board, within about a year after launching I was always pushing things in this direction, and that’s why when Erik, Jay and I talk about it I’m considered an honorary co-founder.”

    Now, Chess.com is a platform which allows people to play, teach, communicate, and entertain. Before platforms like it existed, the only way to enter the chess world was to attend a chess club or read chess publications to improve your game. Without a large emphasis on chess in the US, Bobby Fischer’s rise to fame and eventually the World Champion title was unprecedented. It also came at a time when chess was highly politicised. The 1972 World Chess Championship wasn’t merely a game between two men, Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky, it was a battle between the US and the Soviet Union. Fischer’s success was attributed to the mind of a prodigy, a rare chess genius who was born in America, but intelligence and prodigy are spread across all nations. Now, the accessibility of the chess world is beginning to allow these prodigies who would otherwise be unknown to reach their full potential.

    “Traditionally, before online chess existed, if you didn’t have a very rich chess culture in your backyard, you had no chance of developing into a world’s top player. Even Bobby Fischer was in New York – Greenwich Village and the Marshall Chess Club were a block away from where he lived – and so he grew up around the best of chess in the US at the time. There’s a reason that all of history has seen dominance by Soviet chess players. And I say Soviet because it’s not just Russia, it’s all former Soviet states. At the peak of the regime chess was a state sponsored sport throughout all of these countries, which is why until Bobby Fischer you saw only Soviet world champions. Since Bobby Fischer we had Kasparov and Karpov, and they were great players, but since then we’ve had Viswanathan Anandfrom India, we’ve had Magnus Carlsen from Norway, and I would say that we are on the verge of potentially having a Chinese World Champion in Ding Liren. But regardless of the label of world champion, what we have are prodigies rising from all over the world because of their access to the best chess players. What’s happening online is actually changing the game,” Rensch says.

    Chess coaching was, and still is, a major way for players to earn enough money to compete, but now online tournaments also offer that chance. As we will explore later, this has led to some significant challenges in terms of ensuring fairness. Rensch is confident in Chess.com’s robust anti-cheat methods and explains how the good that these tournaments bring outweighs the risk of misconduct.

    “Just to talk directly about the elephant in the room in terms of anti-cheating and the scandals that currently face the chess world, people don’t know that we’ve been dealing with scandals effectively and appropriately,” Rensch says, “It has allowed us to continue to invest and increase the money that’s in the game, and therefore the opportunities for professionals and therefore the livelihood of coaches, and who knows what trickle effect that’s having downstream on the next generation.”

    The Rise of Chess Entertainment
    Chess, Danny Rensch

    Daniel Rensch, Daniel Rensch’s personal collection

    The sudden, massive interest in chess following the Queen’s Gambit formed an unlikely link between the worlds of chess and e-sports, and the pandemic ensured a captive audience. Now, chess streaming is a multi-million-pound industry which is only growing. Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, who is one of the best players in the world, streams on Twitch, interacting with fans and providing funny, insightful commentary. International Master Levy Rozman, who goes by GothamChess online, has provided countless free lessons on YouTube and frequently streams games, and reviews the games of his followers. The Botez sisters, IM Eric Rosen, and many more have become stars of the chess world, both for their skill on the chessboard and through their engaging personalities. Not only is online streaming a way for people to interact with top chess players like never before, it is also yet another way to make money in a field where it was once so difficult. Danny Rensch believes chess streaming’s influence goes beyond mere entertainment.

    “I think chess players are approaching the game in a much more social way, not just online but because the community has grown,” Rensch says, “I would say that’s another reason why technology has been so good for chess, because it’s brought these communities together. Chess has merged communities that existed locally in pockets all around the world. You had the Detroit chess community and the Moscow chess community. Well, guess what? Now you can actually see them online together at the same time, sometimes on camera with a grandmaster from Michigan playing against a grandmaster from Russia. And there’s something really cool and unique and challenging about that, and it’s pushing people’s stereotypes of chess players.”

    At first glance, there is something slightly surreal about seeing the Twitch stream format applied to chess. Watching streamers yell into their microphones, fully hyped up about what many consider to be a quiet, dignified game has an element of the absurd to it, but on closer examination, it’s really not that strange. Twitch streaming is one of the main forms of next-generation content taking hold today, and many young people are interested in chess, so the marriage of the two is simply a natural progression. What is unique about streaming chess is that you don’t have to be a master at the game. It certainly helps, but there are plenty of streamers who have a relatively low rating – it’s their personality and ability to entertain which keeps people watching, not their skill. For the first time ever there is a way to make money and gain popularity from chess without teaching lessons or playing major tournaments, and it is a new industry begging for further exploration.

    The Prodigy’s Gambit

    If you’ve seen chess in the headlines recently, that’s probably the doing of Grandmaster Hans Niemann. In what has become the biggest story to hit the chess world in many years, the major cheating scandal involving a $100m lawsuit against top players and Chess.com has taken many turns and is at the time of writing unresolved.

    Hans Niemann is a 19-year-old chess player who has shown unrivalled skill and progression. He achieved the title of Grandmaster at only 17, and he has since gone on to perform well in top-level competitions against other extremely highly rated players. The scandal began when Niemann beat current World Champion Magnus Carlsen in the prestigious Sinquefield Cup tournament, breaking Carlsen’s 53-game winning streak. Even more remarkably, Niemann beat Carlsen while playing with the black pieces, putting him at a disadvantage as the player with the white pieces makes the first move. During Niemann and Carlsen’s matchup the next day, Carlsen made one move against Niemann then resigned and withdrew from the tournament. This led to wild speculation online and prompted Carlsen to author a Tweet which implied he was in “big trouble” if he spoke out.

    Niemann admitted to cheating in his chess career while playing online, once when he was 12 and multiple times when he was 16 to grow his online streaming career, but he insists that he has never cheated in an OTB game, and that he does not cheat now. This was already known at the time of the Niemann-Magnus scandal, but it prompted a further review by Chess.com, analysing Niemann’s games on the website for signs of irregularity. Niemann’s Chess.com account was closed, and he was banned from competing in the upcoming Chess.com Global Championship before the release of a damning report which asserted that he had cheated over 100 times on the website. The alleged online cheating occurred in games against other top players, while Niemann was streaming his games, and in events with large prizes attached to them. The report was careful to point out that Chess.com had no concrete evidence of any cheating OTB at the Sinquefield Cup, and stressed that Carlsen’s team had not pressured them to take action against Niemann.

    On October 20th, 2022, Niemann filed a $100m defamation lawsuit against Magnus Carlsen, Chess.com, and Magnus Carlsen. Describing “devastating damages that Defendants have inflicted upon his reputation, career, and life by egregiously defaming him and unlawfully colluding to blacklist him from the profession to which he has dedicated his life,” Niemann seeks damages and vindication for what he sees as a massive attack on his livelihood. It is unclear what will be proven should the case go to court, but top players have predicted that finding evidence of cheating will be extremely difficult.
    Many media outlets have reported that cheating represents an existential threat to chess, but chess experts insist that cheating is not as prevalent as reported. Large-scale cheating would threaten the sport, however online cheating is already fairly easy to detect, so it is far more likely that we will see higher security measures and new methods of cheat detection at OTB tournaments. These could include a time-delay between live play and broadcast, which would make it difficult to run chess positions through an engine in real time, and it is also possible that players could compete in a Faraday cage which eliminates cellular and radio frequencies.

    Despite the drama, it is clear that chess is here to stay. The game which has fascinated mankind for over 1500 years continues to do so today, and there is clearly a reason why people keep playing. The mental and social benefits of chess cannot be ignored, and as an industry it shows massive room for growth. The new horizons of online streaming, teaching, and playing allows the game to be accessible to anyone with an internet connection, and chess entertainment has proved to be an excellent way to monetise a love of chess and the talent of charismatic presentation. The world of chess is very much worth diving into, and the breadth of opportunities available is surprising, so if you think chess could be for you or you think you might want to return to the game after many years away, there’s only one thing to say: your move.

  • Report shows best way to approach mentorship, and why it is crucial to success

    Patrick Crowder

    Mentorship is a practice which dates back to the beginning of human relationships, and it is an intrinsic part of how people learn, make connections, and thrive in the workplace. However, mentoring is often overlooked as a ‘tick-box’ exercise with no real value. A new report from the HR tech company MyKindaFuture shows the state of mentoring, and proves its importance, especially in the current job market.

    This is a time of major change for many workers, with a large amount of people leaving their current companies following the pandemic. The report shows that under one third of UK employees feel that they fully belong at their current company, and of those who feel they don’t fit, 80% are considering resigning to pursue a different role within the next year.

    Large career shifts which can affect your work-life balance, stress levels and ultimately your livelihood are often scary, but with the help of a trusted mentor who has been through the process before many of these fears can be alleviated. Will Akerman, who founded MyKindaFuture, explains the issue with current mentoring practices.

    “Although many mentoring programmes exist, the majority remain ineffective, undervalued and underrepresented,” Akerman says, “When implemented properly and with purpose, mentoring is a crucial tool in boosting employee engagement, progression, and retention.”

    Despite mentoring’s clear contributions towards success, only 37% of UK professionals have a mentor. The younger generation understands the importance of effective mentoring, with 79% of Millennials surveyed stating that mentorship is ‘crucial to success’. And they’re right – people with mentors are five times more likely to be promoted than those without a mentor.

    It is known and accepted that mentoring is an extremely valuable tool, but how can it be done effectively within a business? The report outlines a few key points to take into account when considering mentorship. Setting clear objectives and expectations surrounding communication, matching mentors to mentees with shared values, and measuring the outcomes of a mentoring programme are all ways to improve the effectiveness of mentorship.

    The report also suggests that mentoring programmes most often fail due to lack of clarity, poor matching of mentor and mentee, lack of personal choice in the mentorship process, and the use of a mentoring scheme to reinforce company culture with no room for flexibility. Many mentorship programmes are effective, but Akerman believes that more employers must start taking mentoring seriously.

    “Employers cannot continue to view mentoring as a simple tick-box exercise,” Ackerman says, adding that, if done well, mentoring “can directly benefit a business’ bottom line.”

    Credit: https://www.mykindafuture.com

  • The highest paying travel-based jobs

    Patrick Crowder

    For many people, getting paid to travel is the dream. For many, it also seems unattainable, but that isn’t necessarily the case. While some travel-friendly jobs are quite obvious, others fly under the radar, so we’re taking a look at research from Absolute Digital Media (ADM) which shows top roles for the aspiring jetsetter.

    The highest-paying profession which involves travel is architecture. Architects earn £43,729 per year on average, according to ADM. Not all architecture jobs require or even allow for travel, and many are office based. However, the nature of the profession means that there are roles available in overseas construction monitoring, on-site design, and other overseas roles. While architecture is no guaranteed ticket to travel, the roles are out there if you look for them.

    The nice thing about being a qualified bartender is that, largely, the work doesn’t change no matter where you go. Sure, some countries will have different license requirements and regulations, but at the end of the day it comes down to mixology, people skills, and common sense. Bartenders in Australia make around £31,947 per year, so that is a common destination for qualified mixologists looking to live abroad. In the US, bartenders can make up to $28 per hour. Of course, there are bartending roles in nearly every country, so the options are plenty and the final choice of country will come down to personal preference and experience.

    There are a few obvious choices when it comes to travel jobs, but that does not mean that these options are any less attainable for those looking to escape the desk. One (which is fairly close to home for this writer) is journalism. Journalism, depending on publication and reach, can take you all over the world meeting interesting people and having irreplicable experiences all while getting paid for it. Journalism is by no means an easy job, but whether your expertise is in radio, film, research, or the written word, there are probably travel opportunities in your future. Journalists earn £25,910 per year on average.

    Cruise ship staff, Event Planners, Freelance Travel Photographers, and Flight Attendants also live lives full of travel, and they all make somewhere between £23,000 and £25,000 per year. It all comes down to where an applicant’s strengths lie; Some people are made for freelance work, while others prefer the structure of working for a company. Some people love planning events and networking with people, while others prefer solitary, self-dependant work. Some people are terrified of flying, and even more have rough stomachs on the water. With the wide variety of roles available, the choice is yours, so be aware that getting paid to travel can be much more than a daydream.

    Source: https://absolute.digital