Glastonbury Festival is one of the biggest music events in the UK every couple of years, and as a result buying tickets for the festival can be near to impossible. Therefore, our new service, Professional Glastonbury Queuer, is designed to give people the best possible chance of securing tickets for the 50^th anniversary event next June.

The service is available across the whole of the UK and is designed for music fans who don’t have the time or ability to buy the tickets themselves when they are released.

To use the service, you must have completed your registration with Glastonbury Festival, which required a passport photo and personal details, and be willing to share your registration numbers and corresponding postcode with your Professional Glastonbury Queuer ahead of tickets going on sale. If you are booking for yourself and other people, each individual’s registration numbers and postcodes must be sent ahead of sale so a ticket can be allocated specifically to them. Members of the public who are not already registered will be unable to use the service for 2020 tickets.

As with all Bark.com professionals, Professional Glastonbury Queuers can set their own fees, but it’s thought prices will start from £50. All fees must be paid in advance of queuing, and you can negotiate an optional ‘buying bonus’ with your Professional Glastonbury Queuer if they do manage to secure tickets on your behalf.

A weekend ticket to Glastonbury Festival costs £265 plus a £5 booking fee and can be secured with a £50 deposit per ticket plus coach fare if purchasing a coach and ticket package. The deposit money, booking fee, and coach fare (if relevant) must be given to Professional Glastonbury Queuers prior to tickets going on sale so they can purchase them on your behalf.

Those who sign up to be a Professional Glastonbury Queuer will have to provide a photo ID and be subject to a full background check. Bark.com will facilitate the agreement but recommends a contract is written up between the customer and Queuer to agree on the transfer of money and terms. While paying for the help of a Professional Glastonbury Queuer can greatly increase people’s chances of securing the coveted Glastonbury tickets, it is not a guarantee of tickets to the Festival.

The general admission tickets for Glastonbury Festival 2020 go on sale Sunday 6^th October at 9am. Tickets to Glastonbury Festival including coach travel go on sale Thursday 3^rd October at 6pm. The 50^th anniversary Glastonbury Festival will be held from 24^th to 28^th June 2020 at Worthy Farm.

People looking to get hold of Glastonbury tickets can book a Professional Queuer here.

If you’d like to become a Professional Glastonbury Queuer, check out how to sign up here.

Bark.com co-founder, Kai Feller said,

“Glastonbury Festival is one of the biggest music events in the world, with hundreds of thousands of people trying to get tickets all at the same time. Our Professional Glastonbury Queuer service aims to give those Festival fans that can’t get online when tickets go on sale – whether that’s due to work and/or family commitments, unreliable WiFi, or no access to a smartphone or computer – the same chance as others to secure their tickets.

“While we sadly can’t guarantee tickets for anyone that uses the service, we hope we can help make some Glastonbury fans dreams of attending the 50th anniversary of the Festival come true.”

Glastonbury Festival is one of the biggest events of its kind, but every year thousands of people miss out because they can’t get their hands on any tickets. That’s why we’ve launched our newest service – Professional Glastonbury Queuer.

We’ve launched the service to help time-strapped members of the public who are desperate to secure tickets as soon as they go on sale – but may not have the time or ability to do so.

The Glastonbury Queuing service has launched across the whole of the UK, ahead of the 50^th anniversary of the event next June and is available to all members of the public that have registered with the Festival.

Customers will be asked how many tickets they require (up to a maximum of six) and if they want tickets with a coach package included, as well as a number of other questions relating to the transaction.

If you’re looking to sign-up as a Professional Glastonbury Queuer, you must provide a photo ID and be subject to a full background check. Bark.com will facilitate the agreement but we recommend a contract is written up between you and the customer to agree on the transfer of money and terms. While paying for the help of a Professional Glastonbury Queuer can greatly increase people’s chances of securing the coveted Glastonbury tickets, it is not a guarantee of tickets to the Festival.

As with all Bark.com professionals, Professional Glastonbury Queuers can set their own fees, but it’s thought prices will start from £50. All fees must be paid in advance of queuing, and customers can negotiate an optional ‘buying bonus’ with Professional Glastonbury Queuers if they do manage to secure tickets should they wish.

The general admission tickets for Glastonbury Festival 2020 go on sale Sunday 6^th October at 9am. Tickets to Glastonbury Festival including coach travel go on sale Thursday 3^rd October at 6pm. The 50^th anniversary Glastonbury festival will be held from 24^th to 28^th June 2020 at Worthy Farm.

If you think this sounds right up your street, sign-up here.

People looking to get hold of Glastonbury tickets can book a Professional Glastonbury Queuer here.

Bark.com co-founder, Kai Feller said,

“Glastonbury Festival is one of the biggest music events in the world, with hundreds of thousands of people trying to get tickets all at the same time. Our Professional Glastonbury Queuer service aims to give those Festival fans that can’t get online when tickets go on sale – whether that’s due to work and/or family commitments, unreliable WiFi, or no access to a smartphone or computer – the same chance as others to secure their tickets.

“While we sadly can’t guarantee tickets for anyone that uses the service, we hope we can help make some Glastonbury fans dreams of attending the 50th anniversary of the Festival come true.”

We pride ourselves at Bark.com on our ability to connect customers with the right professionals, no matter how crazy the job, and we’ve had our fair share of quirky requests! Sometimes some requests are little bit too niche, even for our big community of service providers, so we find reaching out to the public is a good way to get the word out and help our customers find the perfect person for the job.

Last weekend we had a couple get in touch after their previous wedding staff cancelled due to the nature of their wedding. The engaged couple are naturists and are looking for four waiting and two bar staff who are comfortable serving nude guests, as well as being in the nude themselves on the big day – this is a must.

Here is the full request:

Hi Bark,

I am in desperate need of your assistance…

I’m getting married next month and urgently need to find four waiting and two bar staff to help on the day. We’re having a small ceremony with 30 guests at my fiancé’s family home in Berkshire. We don’t require much from the staff, they just need to help serve food and drink throughout the day, the only thing we do ask, is that they do it naked. Bear with us…

My fiancé and I are naturists and fully celebrate that way of life, as do all of our family and friends, so having a nude wedding was the only way we wanted to promise ourselves to one another. 

We had previously considered having clothed staff, but we do not feel comfortable in the presence of clothed people, so why would we want to feel uncomfortable on the most special day of our lives? To say finding staff who are happy to work naked has been tough is an understatement, we’ve been let down by three sets of people so far, with the last ones initially agreeing and then as the day nears pulling out at the last minute, it’s an incredibly stressful situation when all we want is for our wedding be 100% authentic. 

We know that this isn’t something the average waiter would be happy doing, but we’re hoping that we can find people out there who are comfortable in their own skin or are naturists too. We’re not even bothered if they have waiting experience at this point, as long as they are professional and polite! We’re getting married on the 2nd of October so due to the late notice and obvious uniqueness to our circumstances, we are willing to pay a bit more than average, £30 and hour, to anyone willing to help. I’ve very successfully used Bark.com to find a dog walker and make up artist, so fingers crossed you can help us find some wedding staff!!

If you think you can help, or know anyone who can, please, please let us know!

Thanks,

*name removed as requested*

If you think you can help this couple out, please fill in this form:

Everyone remembers earning pocket money doing odd jobs around the house, but at Bark.com we wondered what would be the most lucrative chores to turn into a business.

With several hundred thousand self-employed professionals using Bark.com, we are well placed to interrogate our internal data to see which household jobs are worth the most to professionals. We looked at 11 different sectors and more than 12,000 quotes provided through our platform and calculated the average price per task to come up with our ultimate guide to the most profitable jobs in and around the home.

To work out the salary equivalent, we assumed professionals would work six hours a day, five days a week and take four weeks off throughout the year. On that basis, here are the annual salaries for household chores going professional.

Car valeting: £79,200

Dog walking: £56,160

Oven cleaning: £51,840

Painting and decorating: £40,320

Window cleaning: £36,000

Carpet cleaning: £36,000

Flatpack assembly: £33,120

Gutter cleaning: £28,800

Gardening: £25,200

Handyman services: £21,600

Cleaners: £18,720

We can’t help but think that some chores around the house could in fact be perfect training for a successful self-employed job in the future. There must be more than a few people wishing they’d thought more about becoming a car valeter judging by these figures!

Kai Feller, Bark.com co-founder, said,

“At Bark we work with thousands of consumers looking to find a professional to take the load off and make their lives easier. In today’s connected world, people are working longer and have less time to spend looking after their home, so it’s not surprising that the potential earnings for jobs around the home is so high. We’ve certainly seen significant increases in quotes and business conducted through our platform over the last five years.”

We have launched a service for new students to help them with their new found independence. 

If you’re worried about your young adult heading off to start their new life, the new service is offering structured tutorial sessions for students to become ‘certified’ in life skills.

Our professionals are offering tutorials in life skills such as kitchen cleaning, how to repair clothes and other domestic tasks.

Sessions can be booked for groups of up to six flatmates or friends. Costs are estimated to be around £150 per session, but as with all Bark.com service providers, support tutors can set their own rates.

If you or a young adult you know needs ‘survival support’ then please click on the service required below for more information on how to book:

Cleaners

Laundry

Clothing repairs

Ironing

Oven cleaners

Financial advisors

Kai Feller, co-founder of Bark.com, said,

“Going to university can be such an exciting yet worrying time for both the student and their parents. A lot of young adults are starting on their journey of independence lacking in skills outside of their subject knowledge and these skill gaps are ones that we feel, can be easily addressed.

“We believe that providing young people with these skills will not only grow their confidence but give them the opportunity to thrive independently, which is exactly what we want and need from our young professionals.”

Every year in the UK thousands of people learn to drive, and as resources continue to be stretched, the waiting list for learner drivers to take their test is forever-growing. So, making sure you’re as prepared as possible is important, otherwise you might end up wasting money and time should you fail.

So, we decided to survey our driving instructors to see what the most common mistakes are that learner drivers make which result in them failing. 

We asked 2,000 of our driving instructors which minors and/or majors their clients fail their test on the most and found that ‘a lack of mirror observations’ is the most common cause for a fail, followed by ‘poor road positioning’ and ‘frequent hesitation’. Failing to appropriately apply the handbrake and interpret road markings and signs were also common mistakes. 

We used the results to create a ‘top 15’ list of the most common reasons:

1)  A lack of mirror observations

2)  Poor road positioning 

3)  Frequent hesitation

4)  Failing to appropriately apply the handbrake 

5)  Failing to interpret road markings and signs  

6)  Moving away from a position when it isn’t safe   

7)  Failing to use the controls appropriately (headlights, wipers, indicators)

8)  Mounting the curb  

9)  Failing to safely stop at a junction  

10) Frequently stalling the car 

11) Pulling out from a side road when it’s unsafe

12) Lack of observations when moving across lanes

13) Pulling out unsafely at a junction

14) Being unable to follow a sat-nav/directional instructions

15) Lack of understanding of the components underneath the bonnet

As well as the list, we asked our driving instructors to put together a few top tips on how to ace a practical driving test – here’s what they said:

1) Always check your mirrors.

“Even if you’re driving in a straight line, it never hurts to continually check your mirrors. Not only does it show the instructor that you are constantly aware of what’s going on around you, it also makes driving much easier if you know where each car is placed around you. This becomes even more important when you’re moving lanes or coming up to a junction, and should be an ingrained habit by the time you come to do your test.”

2) Be aware of the other exits at junctions and roundabouts

“One of the biggest reasons people fail is because of repeated hesitation, and one of the best ways to combat this is to keep an eye on where each car enters the roundabout, and which direction they’re indicating to go. Obviously hesitating relates to confidence, however if you’re aware of where each car on the roundabout/junction is, you’ll feel much better about pulling out, and will likely find it much easier to pick your moment.”

3) Make sure you take it as easy and slow as you need

“Even though you can be penalised for going too slow, if the driving is starting to feel a bit too fast, or you don’t feel fully in control, never be afraid to slow down. The instructor would much rather you take it slightly slower and drive more safely, than to keep up with the traffic and drive in an unsafe fashion. Remember the basics your instructor taught you, don’t panic, and concentrate on driving safely at all times – it’s all about finding a balance between concentration and being relaxed.”

When asked ‘what should learner drivers focus on the most during their test’, the majority (88%) of driving instructors said ‘being aware of their surroundings’. 

More than two thirds (64%) also said examiners are looking for ‘confidence’ when marking a practical driving test.    

On top of this, more than three fifths (61%) said they regularly feel unsafe whilst instructing a lesson.

Bark.com co-founder, Kai Feller, said,

“Learning to drive is something which thousands of people go through every year, so we decided to see what the most common reasons for them failing are – and the results were insightful. Not using the mirrors properly might seem like a minor thing to fail a test on, but it’s crucial for safety and is monitored closely by examiners.

“Hopefully the guide we’ve put together with our driving instructors will shed some light on what learner drivers should focus on when preparing and taking their practical driving exam.”

Everyone has something they’re afraid of, whether common fears such as spiders, heights or something a little more unusual. However, there are people across the country who struggle with the most irrational fears and phobias.

Phobias are most commonly triggered by a particularly stressful or traumatic event, and can be linked to a certain place, situation or object. They can develop at any time, however simple or specific phobias, such as a fear of heights, usually develop during childhood. Phobias can also be caused by learnt behaviour or picked up from an early age. 

We have seen a 36% rise in demand for phobia therapists in the last three years, and a 2016 study by the Mental Health Foundation found that approximately 2% of the UK population will have a phobia, with women twice as likely as men to suffer*.

From a fear of knees to a fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth, we asked surveyed more than 2,000 of our phobia therapists ‘What unusual phobias are you currently treating or have recently treated?’.  

The most unusual phobias which therapists are treating in the UK, along with how many clients are receiving treatment include:

1. Arachibutyrophobia – the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth (1)
2. Genuphobia – the fear of knees (1)
3. Anemophobia – the fear of wind (1)
4. Nomophobia – the fear of being without your mobile phone (2)
5. Domatophobia – the fear of houses or being in a house (3)
6. Omphalophobia – the fear of belly buttons (4)
7. Allodoxaphobia – the fear of opinions (5)
8. Venustraphobia – the fear of beautiful women (7)
9. Linonophobia – the fear of string (9)
10. Chorophobia – the fear of dancing (9)

Bark.com also worked with its therapists to put together a general guide on how to deal with a phobia. 

1. Try exposure therapy – also known as flooding, this is a form of behavioural therapy and desensitisation that works by exposing you to your fear for an extended period of time. Once your immediate panic subsides, you can confront your fear directly.
2. Learn and practice what calms you down – try different calming exercises and workout what helps to keep your calm. When you are feeling particularly scared or anxious, you can use these techniques to stop you from feeling overwhelmed. Taking slow, deep breaths is a tried and tested method.
3. Exercise – a short walk, a run or a session at the gym can help to refocus your mind and keep you grounded.
4. Find a support group – seek support from like-minded people who will listen to you and understand what you’re going through.
5. Educate yourself – the vast majority of phobias are irrational, so making yourself more aware of your fear and reading up on it can help you understand more about the phobia, as well as reduce the amount of anxiety you feel.
6. Meditation – mindfulness-based stress reduction, such as meditation, can help sufferers to soothe nerves and better regulate emotions, reducing the anxiety felt when facing a phobia.
7. Seek help from a therapist –  if you decide that you need help from a professional, there are various forms of ‘talking treatments’, including cognitive behavioural therapy and hypnotherapy that can help you manage and lessen your symptoms.
8. Consider medications – medication is usually only recommended for a short period of time, as it’s best to see if other forms of therapy will work in the long-term, but medicine such as antidepressants or beta-blockers can be used alongside these techniques to help treat phobias.

To find an experienced therapist near you, click here.

Kai Feller, co-founder of Bark.com, commented,

“We all have our own anxieties, but there are a lot of people who suffer from irrational and often crippling fear. Some phobias may seem trivial, but they should be taken seriously, which is why we have partnered with our therapists to create this comprehensive guide. I’m sure many who read this will be amazed at what some people are scared of, we hope that these tips will be helpful to those suffering from even the most unusual of fears.”

*https://www.clinical-partners.co.uk/for-adults/anxiety-disorders/phobias