Finding work in restaurant management!!!

[sissy1512]

Hi All,

I am feeling so frustrated! After working for 13 years in restaurants being qualified and experienced I am struggling to find work just because of the hours I need to be able to look after my daughter as a single mum. I had flexible hours in the last place I worked and now the place has closed and I have been out of work for a month and feel so depressed... The rude and unhelpful recruiting agencies that kind of laugh or make comments about finding a job with this schedule etc... I look at anything and everything but can't stop thinking this is unfair. I always worked hard and can't see the end of the tunnel. Any tips form home working mums etc will be welcome!!!

Thanks!!

What kind of hours are you able to work? Restaurant hours are notoriously family-unfriendly but if people have some idea of days/hours you are prepared to do, may be able to offer suggestions.

Well the ideal will be a 9 to 5 Monday to Friday but it doesn't seem to be what's on offer.

I supposed you can appreciate yourself that those hours don't sound at all realistic for a restaurant. You will never be able to do dinner shift. I must admit I've never worked in catering so I don't know much about it but if you are to have any chance of getting work you will need to be creative about what kind of place you work. It's not clear if you are a chef, waitress, other worker but could you e.g. work in a coffee shop, sandwich shop, restaurant which only opens for lunch. Lots of restaurants in garden centres, NT properties etc only open for those hours. Otherwise do you have any possibility of being able to take on a job with evening hours and then negotiating down to core hours once you have proved yourself as a good worker? There's no incentive for a restaurant to take on someone with such limited flexibility when there are so many other applicants who are willing to work all kinds of hours. However, if you are a known good worker, then they may be more willing to compromise.

Oh and apologies if you are going to come back and say that you are used to working in Michelin starred restaurants and don't want to consider a coffee shop but with your limited hours you may have to be very willing to compromise.

I wrote to all the restaurants in the area with a copy of my cv and covering letter explaining the hours I could do (not many!) and I got offered a job. It just so happened that they had a slot that they were struggling to fill because it wasn't many hours.

No harm in trying.