Friendly Fellow at Ryan's Hotel, Killarney, Co Kerry:

I enjoy being around people; this is not the job for anyone who doesn't. I also love kids. I'm training to be a teacher at Mater Dei in Dublin - studying English and religion with a H.Dip combined - so it's good practice for me.

Children give you a lot of energy and satisfaction. The ones I look after in this job are aged between three and 15 (there's a creche for the under-threes with qualified nurses). There's a lot of variety and no time to get tired. You're going all day. There are 18 Friendly Fellows in total. There's a good mix of us: 10 from Killarney, and the rest are from all over the country: Cork, Kildare, Limerick, Tipperary. I'm from Mountmellick in Laois.

It's great for me to be seeing a bit more of the country and not working at home for the summer. Those of us who don't live locally stay in a house across the road from the hotel. We all get on really well.

There are only four males. Not many males apply; I don't think they are as interested in working with children. I was a Friendly Fellow last summer too. I decided to try it because my cousin and her friends had been doing it for four years and really enjoyed the work. Each day I do a different shift. It's an eight-hour day but you could start at 9.30 a.m. or 4 p.m. We get two days off each week and free food and accommodation. Every hour there is a different activity. The groups are divided up into different age brackets: three to four years, five to six, seven to nine, 10 to 12 and then the teen club. The three to six-year olds could be painting or making butterflies. The older ones are more likely to be outside playing tennis or rounders. Some Friendly Fellows are more focused on art but I really like sport. I play tennis and handball in my spare time anyway. The kids are entertained the whole time; they have no time to get grumpy. They get tired because the day is hectic but they usually don't want to leave. It's a great way for them to make friends.

Every day there is a trip and picnic for the over-sevens. Activities range from cinema to bowling. We bring them to Crag Cave, Inch Beach, Fota Island; we bring them to see Fungie in Dingle. In the evenings we have family events like soccer, quizzes and Blind Date. We try to encourage the parents to get involved because it can be just as much fun for them. We have a prize-giving ceremony each night to encourage the kids in whatever they've been doing, from art to dancing; and for the family events.

When I'm not working I go cycling around Killarney looking at all the sights, like the Killarney National Park and Muckross House. In the evenings I meet up in town with the other Friendly Fellows. There's live music in the pubs. I sometimes use the Leisure Centre in the hotel or just watch TV. I took a week off at home after I finished college before starting this job and I'll take another week off when I finish here at the end of August. Then it's back to college. The money I've earned this summer will help me to pay my living expenses during the year.

In conversation with Katie Donovan.