Formula One star Lewis Hamilton, known for his love of extreme sports, has shared a video of himself displaying his skydiving skills in a daring solo jump off a SkyDive Dubai plane.
In a clip posted to Instagram on Sunday, the British racing driver, 36, can be seen jumping off a plane over the Dubai desert unassisted. He performs a number of flips and manoeuvres as the cameraman, who seems to be his instructor, appears to guide him.
Hamilton then salutes to the camera before releasing his parachute.
"I've been learning to skydive over the past couple of years. It's one of my favourite things to do in my spare time," the seven-time champion posted along with the video on Instagram.
"This is me trying for the first time flying on my back, which I was useless at. After this, I went to spend time in the wind tunnel to practice. I'll post that next to show you my progression."
It is not clear when the footage was taken.
This isn't the first time Hamilton has posted a skydiving video. Earlier in 2019, he shared a clip of himself performing aerial stunts, also solo, in Qatar.
"This is my favourite thing to do currently," he wrote at the time. "The reason I skydive is I love that there are really no limits in free fall. It’s incredible to just let your mind free, remove all doubt and any insecurities you may be feeling in life and jump.
"I think in life many of us don't take that leap because of fear, something of which holds us back from greatness," he said. "Don't let fear dictate your life. You can do anything you put your mind to, I truly believe that."
Hamilton, who has said surfing is his second favourite sport after skydiving, has spoken in the past about how his thrill-seeking activities have been a concern for his family and Formula One team.
"My family give me stick all the time about my extreme sports," he told The Sun in 2017. "I have a responsibility to my team and sponsors who work hard – I would not jeopardise that. F1 means too much to me, there's a very big difference between having fun and taking unnecessary risks."
Hamilton finished seventh at the Monaco Grand Prix last week, leaving Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen to lead the world championship for the first time this season.
______________
Read more:
Lewis Hamilton's 2010 McLaren F1 car expected to fetch $7 million at auction - in pictures
Conor McGregor, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lewis Hamilton: top 10 highest-paid sportsmen
______________
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
