Rotary Club vs Round table
Discussion
Does anyone know anything about these two clubs? Had a quick look at their websites and they both look like good fun, but does anyone have any first-hand experience?
I've recently moved from Derby to Essex and I'm bored out my mind! Everyone in my office is at least 10+ years older (I'm 21) and married with kids etc so no-one wants to go out. I need to find some new, fun friends and joining one of these clubs seems the best bet (better than being the creepy loner in the pub anyway). Advice, opinions, suggestions?
I've recently moved from Derby to Essex and I'm bored out my mind! Everyone in my office is at least 10+ years older (I'm 21) and married with kids etc so no-one wants to go out. I need to find some new, fun friends and joining one of these clubs seems the best bet (better than being the creepy loner in the pub anyway). Advice, opinions, suggestions?
Rotary and Round Table are totally different, although as said a lot of the 'old' RT boys end up in Rotary.
With RT you get kicked out when you are 45. You can still join in (many tables have a 41 club for old boys (It used to be 41 was the age you were kicked out) ) but you are an Honorary Member and so have nothing to do with the day to day running and can dip in and out as you please.
RT has a requirement that you must commit to attending at least 60% of the meetings each year but this is policed very differently from table to table.
Some Tables are very large and very formal but still good fun, others (like the one I'm in) are very small, not too hung up on formality so long as business is properly transacted, and a bloody good laugh.
Every year we pull a shed on a trailer with a Santa sticking out around the local area collecting funds for local charities. Most of us do at least 10 nights of this in December and every table has some sort of fundraising do at least once a year.
You can visit other tables just by looking in the book and calling the Chair in advance but again it is very much an individual thing. Our Table doesn't travel, other than to visit an old tabler who moved back to Holland every so often...
As with all of these things you get out what you put in, and it shouldn't cost the earth.
With RT you get kicked out when you are 45. You can still join in (many tables have a 41 club for old boys (It used to be 41 was the age you were kicked out) ) but you are an Honorary Member and so have nothing to do with the day to day running and can dip in and out as you please.
RT has a requirement that you must commit to attending at least 60% of the meetings each year but this is policed very differently from table to table.
Some Tables are very large and very formal but still good fun, others (like the one I'm in) are very small, not too hung up on formality so long as business is properly transacted, and a bloody good laugh.
Every year we pull a shed on a trailer with a Santa sticking out around the local area collecting funds for local charities. Most of us do at least 10 nights of this in December and every table has some sort of fundraising do at least once a year.
You can visit other tables just by looking in the book and calling the Chair in advance but again it is very much an individual thing. Our Table doesn't travel, other than to visit an old tabler who moved back to Holland every so often...
As with all of these things you get out what you put in, and it shouldn't cost the earth.
Round Table is for younger people. You get kicked out at 45.(it used to be 41 which is why the follow on club is called 41club) Round Table is a gentlemans club where as Rotary now let girlies join so you cant go along and have a quite pint with the lads.
I found that Rotary is an older demographic. Round Table are younger and tend to do more social events like kart racing, paintball, bowling, drinking beer, etc.
Rotary sit around talking all evening.
Just my experience, in my area. All the people from RC and RT have one thing in common, they are all very nice, polite people.
Go along to both and check them out, see which one fits.
I found that Rotary is an older demographic. Round Table are younger and tend to do more social events like kart racing, paintball, bowling, drinking beer, etc.
Rotary sit around talking all evening.
Just my experience, in my area. All the people from RC and RT have one thing in common, they are all very nice, polite people.
Go along to both and check them out, see which one fits.
As said by the chap above.
This year we have done the following:-
Karting
Scalextric evenings
Clay shooting
Duck Flighting
Poker
Bowling
Bangers/Stock Cars (watching only
)
Dog Racing
Horse Racing (this was our ladies night when we invited them along and pretended it was more than an excuse for a piss up with mates twice a month)
We've driven diggers, tractors, quads, MotoX bikes, done wake boarding/speed boating and had wine tasting evenings as well as nights when we have just gone out for a meal and a few beers.
This year we have done the following:-
Karting
Scalextric evenings
Clay shooting
Duck Flighting
Poker
Bowling
Bangers/Stock Cars (watching only
)Dog Racing
Horse Racing (this was our ladies night when we invited them along and pretended it was more than an excuse for a piss up with mates twice a month)
We've driven diggers, tractors, quads, MotoX bikes, done wake boarding/speed boating and had wine tasting evenings as well as nights when we have just gone out for a meal and a few beers.
If you're only 21 I would actually recommend Rotaract which is like the younger version of Rotart.
A Rotaract club consists of 18-30 year old people who have club meetings that are often more socialised in pubs and the like.
The aim of the clubs are to socialise, meet new people, do new things and raise money for local charities (almost exactly the same as Rotary and Round Table)
A Rotaract club is often sponsored by a Rotary club, so in my area, the High Wycombe Rotaract Club is sponsored by the Rotary Club of High Wycombe. This means we're entitled to go along to their talks (guest speakers and people of interest) and work along side them at community event.
It's pretty interesting stuff to get involved in, and like most clubs, it depends on how much you put into it, to what you get out of it. You can just be a member for the social aspect or go more in depth to the running of the club at a local level, district level or national.
Also like Rotary it's an international organisation, so if you get really involved you can get into doing some foreign exchanges.
For more info just google Rotaract UK and Ireland, on there website you should be able to load a portal showing where your nearest club is and when they meet.
Hope that helps!
A Rotaract club consists of 18-30 year old people who have club meetings that are often more socialised in pubs and the like.
The aim of the clubs are to socialise, meet new people, do new things and raise money for local charities (almost exactly the same as Rotary and Round Table)
A Rotaract club is often sponsored by a Rotary club, so in my area, the High Wycombe Rotaract Club is sponsored by the Rotary Club of High Wycombe. This means we're entitled to go along to their talks (guest speakers and people of interest) and work along side them at community event.
It's pretty interesting stuff to get involved in, and like most clubs, it depends on how much you put into it, to what you get out of it. You can just be a member for the social aspect or go more in depth to the running of the club at a local level, district level or national.
Also like Rotary it's an international organisation, so if you get really involved you can get into doing some foreign exchanges.
For more info just google Rotaract UK and Ireland, on there website you should be able to load a portal showing where your nearest club is and when they meet.
Hope that helps!
As an ex-Tabler I'd say it is well worth trying out with a couple of meetings.
It is nice to socialise with blokes from a wide variety of occupations who you probably wouldn't meet in the normal course of events.
Essentially 'Boy Scouts with beer' I found the fundraising and community service aspects of it to be more rewarding than drinking for its own sake.
In my day there would be formal dinners at any excuse which meant a guest speaker and the opportunity to invite other tables to visit, they then offer reciprocal invitation.
In Cardiff we organised a big firework display, ran a Father Christmas float and so on.
AIRC the protocol is to be introduced by an established Tabler but it won't be too hard to find one.
It is nice to socialise with blokes from a wide variety of occupations who you probably wouldn't meet in the normal course of events.
Essentially 'Boy Scouts with beer' I found the fundraising and community service aspects of it to be more rewarding than drinking for its own sake.
In my day there would be formal dinners at any excuse which meant a guest speaker and the opportunity to invite other tables to visit, they then offer reciprocal invitation.
In Cardiff we organised a big firework display, ran a Father Christmas float and so on.
AIRC the protocol is to be introduced by an established Tabler but it won't be too hard to find one.
Thanks for the replies. My dad was actually a tabler for about 20 years before moving on to 41club and he's only ever had good things to say about it, but I wasn't sure how much its changed over the years.
I looked at the rotary thing for younger people but wasn't impressed with the website and couldn't figure out exactly what they did for fun so dismissed it however I'll have another look at it tomorrow!
As for Ford's graduate social events, its a bit awkward because all the grads I've met so far don't really fancy going out at all or live quite far away and so have to rush home! To be fair that's only based on a few grads however I'm struggling to get the details of others as the HR department are useless
I looked at the rotary thing for younger people but wasn't impressed with the website and couldn't figure out exactly what they did for fun so dismissed it however I'll have another look at it tomorrow!
As for Ford's graduate social events, its a bit awkward because all the grads I've met so far don't really fancy going out at all or live quite far away and so have to rush home! To be fair that's only based on a few grads however I'm struggling to get the details of others as the HR department are useless
ali4390 said:
As for Ford's graduate social events, its a bit awkward because all the grads I've met so far don't really fancy going out at all or live quite far away and so have to rush home! To be fair that's only based on a few grads however I'm struggling to get the details of others as the HR department are useless
I think you'll find that there is a fair bit of organisation amongst the grads, fear not, best to speak to a gened-up grads than HR!Our lot even organised a Ball.
I serve both the rotary and the 41 club (round table) at the hotel I work in. In my experience the rotary is a very organised and formal club. he 41 club is much less formal and more of an old boys club.
If you are wanting to socialise and meet new people around your age, I would join the round table.
If you are wanting to socialise and meet new people around your age, I would join the round table.
NightRunner said:
Do it properly. Become a Mason.
Very different.
With Table you are free to ad lib and change plans at a second's notice.
Try that at Lodge
Don't get me wrong in another time I would be back into the Masonic fold like a shot but with my life the way it is the two are incompatible right now. The aims and ideals stand, the pomp and circumstance are too much of a commitment to make.
Rude-boy said:
Don't get me wrong in another time I would be back into the Masonic fold like a shot but with my life the way it is the two are incompatible right now. The aims and ideals stand, the pomp and circumstance are too much of a commitment to make.
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