Getting a job - Aramark Catering

After returning from a busy summer of going all over the place, next step was to get a job.

I applied to a ton of jobs all at once, and the work experience I had from the Olympics really helped! I had a phone call from Aramark Catering, who cater at Worcester University, inviting me to join them on a paid trial week of work.

This news was amazing - although catering wasn't my ideal job, I had experience in it from the Olympics, the pay was pretty good, and the hours were very full. 

I was working in the Pear Tree cafe in the Student Union part of the university, with Tash, Alex and Carla. I worked with Jade in the evenings, who is one of the loveliest people ever. We did Starbucks coffee, so I learnt how to make all the drinks! It took a while, but I got the hang of it eventually! My favourite bit was putting on whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles :) We also did food, so chips, burgers, panini's, sandwiches etc. Over the two weeks I was there I learnt how to cook most things, and also did cleaning up, temperature checks on the fridges and freezers, and obviously the till.

The seating area in the Pear Tree Cafe

The job was okay, not my ideal thing as working with food really puts you off eating, and it's just not my favourite thing to do. Most of the students could be quite rude, too, and we had hardly any stock so I was constantly apologising for advertising things on our menu that we didn't actually have.

The big problem for me was being messed around with my shifts. The rota went up a week in advance but changed all the time. I was asked to stay late on my first Tuesday to serve wine and.. what are those things called? That posh people have, served on pieces of slate, with teeny portions of fancy food on little crackers or whatever? Does it begin with C? That's going to drive me crazy.. Anyway, those. We had so much wine left over it was unreal - Alex downed about eleven glasses and got pretty tipsy pretty fast. I was asked to work till 7, which I said I could do, but no later, as I had Fusion (my youth group I help at) at 7.30pm. However, they kept me there until well after 9! I was so angry. My shifts were constantly messed around, at one point my hours for Sunday changed four times in one week. Nobody asked me if it was ok, I just got in, and on the rota someone had scribbled out my old hours and put in something new! I'd be at home with a morning off and get a text asking me to come in asap to work. You really had to learn to say no - something I'm not too good at in the world of work. I've been learning more and more though that if you don't people really do just walk all over you, you're like the easy option to come to and get to do whatever you want. On one Saturday, I arrived at work after checking the rota the day before, and had been scribbled out as being 'Off'. Nobody bothered to let me know! I couldn't stand not knowing when I'd be working, so I really don't think it was for me.

Homesense Worcester!

BUT..... God is good! With perfect timing, I had a phone call from Homesense, where I had also sent an application in. They asked me to interview on the Monday (my very first day at Aramark) which I did, and I got a call about a week later asking me to work for them on a 12 hour contract!

At the time, I was in such a dilemma as to what to do. I'll draw you up the reasons for staying at Aramark/accepting the Homesense offer:

Aramark

Pro's

Lots of hours = money 

Good pay

Con's

Never know shifts

Working with food - not ideal

Not even on a contract - no security

Homesense

Pro's

Job/environment I could enjoy

Proper contract, more reliable company

Con's

Only 12 hour contract

In the end, I phoned Homesense back and told it to them straight. I said that I had another job offer which had good pay and lots of hours but I really would prefer to work for Homesense. Sindy who I spoke to (now one of my lovely managers!) told me the pay would be around £6.20, and I would have more hours than 12, although most likely not near full-time. I accepted the job. I think a lot of people thought I made the wrong decision - even I wondered if I'd done the right thing! I'd given up all these hours for a job where I might only get 12! Now, however, I cannot thank the past me enough! I definitely made the right decision!

You see, just when you're worrying about if you've done the right thing, you can get a sign. For me, the sign was in the lack of pay from the 70 hours work I did for Aramark. Four months on, and I'm still owed over £350. Ask God for a sign, and he'll give you one!

(If you're wondering about the money issue, I'm still in the process of getting it sorted. I have been assured that I will be paid - although I've been told that about three times now! All I can say is that I am so glad that I took the job rather than someone with a rent to pay, family to support etc - they'd be in a right pickle now.)

PS - I remembered the word for the fancy food beginning with C! Canapes!