A CHAMPION CAREER CHOICE
DESPERATE to care for his baby son but still earn enough to make ends meet, Aedan Evans was searching high and low for a job with flexible hours. When he spotted something at Travelodge, Aedan, 24, of Forres, near Inverness, leapt at the chance, knowing the firm would help him juggle both work and home life.
What are you doing?
I’m a supervisor in the Bar Cafe at the Elgin Travelodge, and I’m responsible for the day-to-day running, from stocktaking to serving customers, all while ensuring my team have what they need to provide the best possible service.
No two days are the same and I get to meet new and interesting people every day.
My favourite part of the job is the cooking – that’s what I did for many years before joining the company, and I definitely want to keep doing it.
If I’m down on the roster to cook breakfast, my day starts in the kitchen around 6.30am, a little later if I’m in the restaurant, where my role is to make sure customers enjoy the famous unlimited breakfast – the most important meal of the day.
If I’m on the afternoon shift, I start work at 3pm through to 11pm where I oversee the dinner and bar service. Most of our customers are there for a staycation, so everyone is always cheerful and happy and very much in the holiday spirit.
What have you been doing since you left school?
I left school at 18 with a few qualifications, and got a full-time job in a cafe and worked on getting my catering qualifications.
I’d been working there part time since I was 14 so I could focus on my dream of representing Scotland and Team GB in the 10-metre pistol shooting.
Self-funded all the way, I competed in two European Championships, three World Championships and the 2018 Commonwealth Games – rising to number three position in the UK.
Why did you stop the sport?
Last year I left the cafe to become a car salesman so that I could earn some extra money and be able to spend more time practising and competing in competitions.
In the same year, my son, Oscar, was born and my priorities changed, even more so when his mum and I split.
I found that there simply weren’t enough hours in the day to juggle work, high-level competition and my responsibilities as a single parent. Unfortunately, my sporting aspirations had to go.
I had to set myself a different target. I started searching for a job where I could work flexible working hours. I applied for dozens of jobs, but companies were not that understanding about juggling work with raising a family.
What changed?
Earlier this year my luck changed when I saw a job advertised at
Elgin Travelodge, which is 15 minutes from my house.
The position was working in the hotel’s restaurant, the Bar Cafe, which was perfect as I could put my catering qualifications to good use.
I applied for the position straight away and was over the moon when I was called in for an interview a few days later.
The hotel manager was fabulous, and we had a great chat about the great career opportunities for a working parent like myself.
The company is dedicated to helping parents return to work by offering flexible working hours and providing the support that they need to climb the career ladder while raising their family.
What do you like about the job?
The supervisor role has worked out perfectly for me, especially with my parents living up the road. They are ready and more than willing to babysit their first grandson.
If I’m working during the mornings I get to enjoy afternoons and evenings with Oscar before reading him a bedtime story. If I’m working afternoons, I get to spend most of the day with him.
I also like that there is a dedicated fast-track management programme called Aspire.
Ultimately I want to manage my own hotel one day.