A good first job (Employment at McDonald's Restaurants)

Member Name: alk144

Product:	Employment at McDonald's Restaurants
Date:	26/09/09 (561 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well above minimum wage, great people, free lunch

Disadvantages: Personally I don't like the food, sometimes manky, can get dull

I've been working for McDonald's part-time for about a month now. I'm still at school, and have been desperate for a job since June to help me save up so I can move out of home when I go to university (I hope!!).

I tried hard, to no avail, over the summer and McDonalds seemed like my only hope. After my several applications to various restaurants online, I finally got a phonecall inviting me to an interview. Amanda asked what time would suit me.

As soon I as turned up, I was thrust into a 15 minute OJE (On-Job Evaluation) which was terrible. I was put on the drive through and without any training whatsoever was expected to give people sauce, read the screen above and get drinks, check to see if all the order was in a bag and say something"Here's your meal, thankyou, see you again soon!" loudly whilst handing it over. All the employees I've spoken to about it agree its awful and pointless. But don't let it put you off.

Next, came an 15-minute interview, which was fine. I actually don't think it matters what you say, as long as you say something and smile a lot. I got the job.

I work on the till usually, along with the rest of the girls. Most of the guys work in the kitchen- I've never seen a girl work there. It seems very sexist and I'm trying to work out a way to ask about it!! But I'm glad of where I work.

At first, it's very difficult, very stressful and very easy to get orders wrong. Not so easy to change the order once you've made a mistake. But seriously, it's only a ferw shifts before you get the hang of it. It's still full-on at some times, but knowing what you're doing really calms you down (obviously..)

I get paid £4.35 an hour, which I think is great, at least compared to minimum wage which is £3.53 for under 18's. And I'm told there's load of opportunity to get a rise. Whether it's aa great as they make out I'm yet to discover.

The people I work with are great and I get along with them fine. There's a general belief that people who work in McDonald's all have an IQ of less than 80. This is simply untrue. Most of the people in my restaurant are in the last year of school. Even the people who have left school are mostly still fairly intelligent individuals.

The hours are fantastically flexible. If I want to work 6 hours on Sunday, 4 on Wednesday and 8 on Sunday- that's ok. And if I'm busy one week, I can just get time off. It's that easy.

However, I can't imagine working in McDonald's full-time. I feel it would get tedious and stressful at the same time. For this reason, I think I'll have left by this time next year. Don't get me wrong- I enjoy my job to a point, but I want to work in a shop, ideally a book or clothes store, without having to empty bins and mop floors. Also, I actually feel terrible for serving meat.

A lot of people have nightmares about the uniform. They give you a polo shirt,black trousers, an the dreaded cap. You also have to wear black shoes that cover your whole feet. Good luck finding those!! But it's not that bad, really.

If you're looking for your first job without any luck, try McDonald's. It gets your foot in the door, giving you experience and something to bulk up your CV. The work isn't nearly as bad as people make out, neither is the pay. If you really need/want the money enough then you know what to do.

Summary: A good first job