Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
COUPLE ALWAYS ON THE PULL
ONE couple who certainly won’t have time to snatch a kiss under the mistletoe at their local this Christmas are Dawn and Peter Bramall.
Pulling pints together behind the busy bar at Wetherspoons’ Flying Boat in Dartford, Kent, puts paid to any of that romantic nonsense.
Today Dawn, 57, fills us in on what it’s like working alongside the man you’ve been married to for 33 years.
Do you get sick of each other at work?
We don’t even get a chance for a chat unless I’m asking Peter as my team leader to do something on the till. Beyond that I ignore him. I’ve known him for 39 years so we can easily save whatever we have to say for when we get home. We catch up on our shift in the car on the way back, but beyond that we keep work at work.
What made you start working in the pub?
Peter’s now 65 and had run our bicycle shop for 30 years and then 10 years ago was looking to retire and sold it. He got bored really quickly and our daughter Hannah was working here and suggested he come in for a shift or two.
It grew from there. When I got laid off three years ago from a local shop, I thought I might as well give it a go too. It’s a real family affair.
What do you like about the job?
We both love being busy and are real ‘people’ people. This industry is ideal for both those things.
Was it hard to learn the ropes?
I had years of customer service experience, but I admit I found getting my head round all the cocktails took some doing. I got there in the end. The job as a bar associate starts with intensive training so you can get used to the tills and everything.
On top of that we were both offered apprenticeships which we have just finished. I’m never one to say no to an opportunity. It even gave me the chance to get on top of maths and English which had always been my downfall.
We really supported each other at home doing all the studying and when we both got a distinction in our Level 2 Hospitality Team Member (Food & Beverage Service), we were so proud. The course made the job even more enjoyable as it gave us the chance to focus on customer service and keeping calm at all times.
What’s it like working at Christmas?
The first year it was a bit of a shock. But I realised very quickly I just had to go with the flow and keep going. Before long you’ve made it through to the other side. One highlight for me is that, after years in shops with Christmas tunes on a loop, we don’t play music. I love the peace.
EARN & LEARN
Pub giant Wetherspoon has been introducing apprenticeships, from basic NVQS to degree apprenticeships to develop and retain its staff, as well as bring in new talent to its 875 pubs and 58 hotels. More than 650 staff across the chain are on an apprenticeship.
“The hospitality sector is more competitive than ever, so it is vital we offer potential recruits the best opportunities,” says Wetherspoon senior recruitment and qualifications manager Katy Wade. There are 480 jobs open at Wetherspoons. Visit jdwjobs.co.uk or check in at your local pub.
MORE JOBS
From hotels and restaurants to events and pubs we have found 23,432 hospitality jobs.
At fish4jobs.co.uk we found 1,030 including a kitchen assistant in Bletchingley, Surrey, (£9 an hour), a kitchen supervisor in Salford (£14,222), a chef in Salt, Stafford (£18,000), New Year staff in Edinburgh (£8.21 to £12) and in Newquay, Cornwall (£7.70 to £8.21).
At gov.uk/jobsearch we spotted 5,127 jobs including a sous chef in Leicester (£9.75), a food development chef in Slough (£50,000 to £65,000), a care home caterer on night shift in Hemel Hempstead, Herts (£10) and bar staff in Armitage, Staffs (£8.21).
We found a further 16,619 jobs at caterer.com including 7,950 hotel jobs and 5,100 bar jobs. The NHS (jobs.nhs.uk) also has 314 vacancies while large catering firms like Sodexo (sodexojobs.co. uk) and Compass (compass-group. co.uk) always need staff to help them fulfil big contracts for businesses and organisations.
To find an apprenticeship, check out apprenticeships.gov.uk where we tracked down 342 hospitality opportunities nationwide.
‘‘ We love being busy and are ‘people’ people – this industry is ideal for both of those