I first arrived in Sydney, Australia a few days before Christmas I decided I was going to give myself a couple of weeks holiday to make the most of my free time around Christmas and New Year.
Back in England they stay open all year round and possibly only close on Christmas day and Boxing day.
When I was told that lots of workers in the cities go to their respective homes to spend quality time with their families it made a little bit more sense.
Still though, with all the students off on their holidays how could it still be possible.
When I first started looking for work after most places had reopened I stumbled upon several problems. To work in the alcohol industry, you need to complete a course and get an RSA certificate. It is a completely pointless and bureaucratic device to allow the government to make even more money from the production, sale and distribution of alcohol. This set me back and caused a slight inconvenience as I couldn't go for the 'easy to get hired' bar work.
Another complication and annoyance was the fact that nearly all free slots had been taken by the university students on holiday.
Everyone I met kept on saying the same thing, “we're full at the moment, try again in a few weeks time after universities start up again”. Some places were supposedly hiring so I handed my CV in not expecting anything after spending a week going all over the city and handing out my CV. I got a response only moments after I left one bar, they wanted me to go in for a trial. I jumped at the chance, how could I possibly screw up a trial?
After my first trial, I was given a preliminary roster for the next few days. I was very excited, I finally had a job. As I was waiting for my bus about half an hour after my trial I received a call. The manager wanted to speak to me. I couldn't get hold of him until the morning after. I was handed bad news, as it turned out they didn't need anybody, they were overstaffed as it was and it had been a big misunderstanding between the supervisor and manager. They were both very apologetic and said they'd keep my CV and give a good word for me. I was gutted.
My money was fast running out and I was getting very needy for a job.
One of the many wine bars I gave my CV to called me and asked if I could do a trial on that following Friday. One week and I only had two trials from a solid couple of weeks giving out my CV and applying for work.
I did the second trial, it was terrible, I would have to say it was unbelievably easy. It involved me taking care of the tables out the front of the bar. Taking orders, serving food and drink. How could I do that badly, it went very well as expected. I did the standard 3hrs unpaid trial. The manager said he would call or email me a roster for the following week. I never received a call or email. After a few days I went in and asked what was going on. The manager greeted me very politely and said he was sorry, he had been very busy. He said he would get back to me in a couple of days. I waited a few days and gave up, the job clearly wasn't for me.
I haven't mentioned the need for qualifications or experience. Most places in retail and hospitality claim they don't require experience but they clearly do. All my experience is in retail and hospitality so in theory I'm and ideal candidate, I also have a vast knowledge of wine. Being qualified as a Wine Specialist I thought it would help.
Apparently it is a common thing for places to ask for people to go in and do trials on busy nights unpaid, I suppose it is a free extra pair of hands. They usually never contact the person ever again after the trial. I was used, I felt used. More to the point, I was fuming. It had now been about a month since I started looking for work and I didn't have a job and there was no clear sign of me getting a job.
I was getting desperate now!
During my days I would apply to about ten or twenty jobs online, not expecting to get a response, then hand in about ten CVs in various places. I wasn't getting anywhere. I would say I was beyond desperate now, the only thing saving me was the fact that I was being put up by my brother and his girlfriend. I was sleeping at their flat in the city.
I had become a regular at a local pub called the Hotel Hollywood in Surry Hills, a lovely little relaxed pub during the day. It was a really chilled out place to go for a quiet lunchtime beer. I would talk to the staff and tell them stories of my trouble finding work. One day I was in there having a beer at lunch and the manager came up to me and asked how my job hunt was going. I told him my sob story of my trials and disappointments and that I couldn't seem to get employed. He told me he may have a vacancy and needed staff, he asked for my CV and said he would be in touch. I got a call that afternoon, he offered me a trial shift the following evening.
I did the trial, it went well and he said he'd be in touch. He told me to pop in in a day or two to collect my pay and discuss the roster. It was a paid trial, I had worked 4hrs and was getting paid for it all in full. He asked when I was free and I told every minute of every day.
I was given my roster for the week and was a now an employee at the Hotel Hollywood.
I have been told by nearly everybody I have spoken to about applying for jobs. They say “you can't apply online, you have to go in and do it person to person”. It couldn't hurt for me to do it online as well, just in the slight chance that something might pop up.
I became a regular at this tea shop in Pitt St Mall in the city. It's called the Tea Centre Sydney. I found it whilst looking for a very specific tea for a friend. I was immediately a fan from my first visit, I quickly became a regular. I now go roughly twice a week.
The same situation I got into at the Hollywood happened there too. I became friendly with the staff and told them all about my troubles. The supervisor of the store said that he may have some positions opening up soon and if I could email him me CV. I did as soon as I got in. He gave me an interview, unfortunately I didn't get the job but he had another slot for me and I was due to start in a couple of weeks. That would have been perfect, the Tea Centre during the day during the week and the Hollywood some evenings and weekends. The guy called me back and left a voice mail, he wanted to speak to me. I was planning to go the next day to buy some of their lovely teas so I went to catch up with him then.
Unfortunately I was hit with some bad news. The head office would allow him to employ me, they do not employ people on who are on Working Holiday Visas, due to the restrictions.
The restrictions on my visa state that I can only work for any one employer for a maximum of 6 months. This bloody visa has been the bane of my stay so far in Sydney. It turned out that I am nearly unemployable, I don't know why but I am. I would imagine that if I were a girl it would be very different. So many of my rejections have been as a result of them finding out about the visa I am on.
It is a working visa, surely the restrictions shouldn't matter to part time and casual work, even temporary full time work, apparently it does!
From here in I plan to try my hardest to find work and overcome my difficulties but who knows what other unseen obstacles I may have to conquer.
