The post will be part of a team of three shepherds in Exloo (Gemeente Borger-Odoorn)
Looking for a special job, one that’s usually soothing and calm, but requires manic energy now and then? Then the shepherd’s trade is something for you! In the province of Drenthe they are desperately looking for a new shepherd for the sheep herd in the village of Exloo.
In recent years, one shepherd after another has left Exloo. At the moment the flock of sheep is being tended to by two shepherds, but the local association wants to add a third shepherd, to relieve pressure on the pair. The vacancy for the third shepherd has now been online for more than a month, but has not yet yielded much, reports RTV Drenthe.
An ‘underestimated profession’
So far about eight people have applied for the vacancy, but no suitable candidate has been found. This is partly due to the image people have of the profession, explains Kees Van Wijngaarden, acting chairman of the sheep herd in Exloo. “There are candidates who have never had a sheep in their hands. And they didn’t have a dog either. Those are both requirements.”
The third shepherd is intended to strengthen the team: “We want to have someone else in reserve, so that we can arrange replacement in case of illness. We strive to be able to tend on any day of the week,” explains Van Wijngaarden.
Forming a shepherd team is a new chapter in the drama that has been going on for years around the sheep flock in Exloo, where one shepherd after another left. The last shepherd, Mark Schrale, left a month ago. He burned out after doing the job for about six months. He was the seventh shepherd in eight years.
Image: a shepherd in Spain. By Flickr user Jeromy Johnson. License here.
