Magic Noodle
ok so this isn't really work experience. just a bit of a story. sorry.

I've been a couple of months at my first non-paper delivering job* working at a chinese takeaway shop called Magic Noodle.
I get paid AU$8.50 an hour, just over a dollar LESS than minimum wage, for an 18 year old, which i am. yes, i would get almost 50% more at the golden arches.
so how i got the job is my mum and dad (who had been pushing me to get a job for a while)came home from grocery shopping saying that there was a job going at the takeaway shop, and although they didnt understand totally what the deal was (they went in and asked (yes, my mummy got me my job), but it turns out there is a rather enourmous language barrier) they thought that if i went in at 5 that afternoon i would be able to work for an hour so the noodle magicians could see if i was any good.
so i go in at 5, am given a t-shirt with the logo on, and a 30 second miming lesson on how to use the cash register. i had no idea. within about half an hour the queue had grown to the door thanks to my frustratingly slow ordertaking, and the many many mistakes i had been making.
i'll put in my favourite part of the story now which is when the phone rang and I had to look for a leaflet/menu before i picked it up because i didnt know the name of the shop (so i could answer "hi. magic noddle..." or similar)
anyway, so eventually the orders stop coming and i am sent out back to wash up the ridculous amount of buckets that seem to be involved in running a noodle shop. i had been working for two hours now, twice what i thought i would, and had enquired as to when i would finish, but the question was not understood (i was the only english speaker working, although now there is a younger chinese guy who can act as translator)
so anyway. it gets to about 10ish and eventually i am told when i will work next and sent home(the boss has me write my phone number and points to the next day on the calender, and writes 5:30, i nod to show i know what he means, and then he points to the door and gives me a box of noodles)
this carried on for a week or two until they wisely employed someone who could speak both mandarin and english.
hmm not really a great story. or that accurate. they (i know the boss is named tony, but not the names of anyone else) are very nice, and i have eaten with them at closing time a few times (very interesting, unknowingly ate pigs lung, although it doesnt bothee me)
i am also better at negotiating(miming) now and can work mostly when i want.
the actuall wrost part about the job so far was that last friday my bike was stolen from out back. i did some maths and figured it would take me more than 85hours working there to earn the money to buy it again. fuck.
(woo who?, Fri 11 May 2007, 16:06, Reply)