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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think McDonalds can lead to a decent career?

63 replies

ProverbialOuthouse · 19/09/2017 12:51

Ok I'm looking for reassurance.

DS2 has just left school at 16. Applied for apprentiships but got nowhere. His gcse grades were not great. It got to September and he still wasn't sorted so I said he had to go to college. He agreed. His useless selfish bastard of a father then totally put him off and talked him out of it as it meant he would need to carry on paying maintenance so instead he applied for him a job at McDonald's. he had his interview which went well and now has a trial which sounds promising. Ex has already decided that if he gets the job he will stop maintenance with immediate effect.

So now it looks like DS may end up working full time at McDonald's. I'm so pissed off as he could have done more.

However looking on the bright side I suppose he will gain work experience, retail experience, catering experience and a job reference as well as money in his pocket (to be fair the pay is pretty decent for a 16 year old).

AIBU to kid myself that a start at McDonald's could potential lead to better things in his future or is he doomed to a life of minimum wage?

OP posts:

alltouchedout · 19/09/2017 16:17

You know what? My son works in fast food, he earns a decent wage for his age, he works bloody hard and he's happy. I don't give a flying fuck if he works there for the rest of his life.

Thank fuck someone said this. I started my career supporting NEET young people whose prospects were bleak. If any one of them had secured a job with McDonalds or similar I would have been delighted, proud, and happy dancing in the office. I would have deemed them successful, because they bloody well would have been.

My eldest son struggles to achieve in education. He's not likely to get 10 GCSEs, 3 A Levels, a degree and a professional career. Hell, at this rate he's not likely to get level 3 qualifications. But if he goes straight from school into work I will be enormously proud of him, I will celebrate his work ethic and his achieving employment, and I will look askance at anyone who sneers at him for working in a minimum wage job.

CockacidalManiac · 19/09/2017 16:19

I've got a family member who started work at McDonald's. He's now wealthy and owns his own business.

Eliza9917 · 19/09/2017 16:50

I worked in McD's, but while I was at school/6th form/college. I'm doing pretty well really, never used/been asked for any of my qualifications and have a very good CV in my field, although all my knowledge is self taught, pretty much.

Could you get DS to compromise by working P/T and still going to college?

Gottagetmoving · 19/09/2017 17:34

Do people actually realise that not everyone has it in them to be "successful" and earn 6 figure incomes? These threads piss me off so much with their sneering undertones of "well it'll do for now but of course no-one would want to work there forever tee-hee

Actually.....well said.
We should want our children to be happy and enjoy whatever they choose to do.
I'm afraid I was guilty of that attitude.

MyBreadIsEggy · 19/09/2017 17:37

A friend of mine has worked at McDonalds since we were 16. She started at the bottom of the totem pole, serving on tills and flipping burgers, but she took them up on every offer of extra training courses, managerial course etc. She's now the area manager and is earning considerably more than my husband who is a 10 year RAF soldier!
I think it's one of those jobs where you get out of it what you put in!

Polarbearflavour · 19/09/2017 17:50

WomblingThree - why so angry and sweary?

I did say in my post that there is nothing wrong with any kind of job.

Personally I wouldn't like to work retail and I couldn't live on the low wage or be inspired by the work and I don't want to work unsocial hours.

Yes, a few people do well, gain qualifications and work their way up into management. Most people do not as the vast majority of retail jobs do not pay well or lead anywhere. The small Co-Op near me was advertising for supervisors on £8 an hour I think and for a manager on £20k.

I don't think there is anything wrong with acknowledging that. It's not judging or looking down on anybody. It's a fact. An awful lot of jobs out there (not just retail) are dead end jobs. It doesn't make the people doing them worth any less as a person, it's just a job.

shhhfastasleep · 19/09/2017 17:57

I once selected someone at interview because they had worked at McDs and other closest candidate had nothing similar in their cv. They had started junior management training there and I rated that too. I proved to be correct about this young person who was a real asset to our office and who has left for bigger things.

opinionatedfreak · 19/09/2017 18:01

I did a similar job while a student. The experience I gained (I was promoted to team leader and had a training role) really helped me in the early part of my professional career.

However, what is good to see is that when I'm back home visiting my parents, I see a lot of the full-timers I started with (mostly 16yo school leavers) have been promoted and supported to develop in different ways.

The drive that helps you get and keep a job at 16yo often means that you will do well. The definition of well varies - not everyone wants a mega stressful job with a six figure salary (and tbh with the way I'm feeling today I'd be quite happy to go back to making some bleeps).

thethoughtfox · 19/09/2017 18:11

The management experience opportunities you get there will get you management jobs elsewhere.

WhatToDoAboutThis2017 · 19/09/2017 18:26

I wish people would stop saying "flipping burgers". There really is no flipping of any burger being done.

We should want our children to be happy and enjoy whatever they choose to do.

Exactly. I work at McDonalds because I enjoy it and it makes me happy. I love the job itself and the people I work with.

I have chosen not to climb the ladder simply because I don't want the responsibility and extra stress. I want to be happy, and a career would not make me happy.

People can assume I'm unskilled or unqualified all they like, but they'd be wrong. And while they're sat there judging, I'm over here enjoying my job, and considering being happy is my main focus in life, I'd consider myself very successful.

WomblingThree · 19/09/2017 18:35

@Polarbearflavour you are still missing the point. Not everyone can progress. Not everyone wants to progress. You say you "couldn't live on the low wage". Lucky for you then that you don't have to; and actually, yeah you could - £8 an hour is way more than you get on JSA or SSP!

ForalltheSaints · 19/09/2017 18:52

Isn't this the place where they are about to have a strike?

WhatToDoAboutThis2017 · 19/09/2017 18:58

ForalltheSaints Two branches in London had a strike a couple of weeks ago.

The majority of McDonalds are franchises, so the conditions at one won't always be the same as another.

The owner of our store owns many others, and he is brilliant; has the utmost respect and time for all his staff. The London striking McDonalds are a world away from any of the stores our owner has.

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