A stepping stone, thats sll

My boyfriend decided he had no choice but to change jobs this week, I can't really blame him, considering the boss was trying to sell it from right under his feet, I don't know why the boss didn't have the decency to tell him out straight that they are planning to close up, instead they just carry on some sort of charade.

To be honest I am not happy about where he is planning to work next, a place called Shelby's Brasserie, Bray The first time I went there with my family, I didn't know anything about the restaurant or how it was run, and thought the food was delicious. All European food, I think I had spare ribs, duck and choclate fudge cake.

They market themselves as a family run restaurant, which sounds really sweet and lovely, like a mom and pops sort of high class restaurant. Little did I know at that stage that not even one member of the kitchen crew was European, let alone Irish, The whole restaurant seems anything but European. Its just got an artificial dressing of Irish and European waitresses

Now I have nothing against people from outside Europe working in European restaurants. My issue is the pay. The owner "the supposed all round family front man" offered my boyfriend 300-350 euro per week to be a starter chef in the kitchen (I don't mean starter as in beginner. I mean responsible for cooking the first course) 8.65 per hour basically, Almost everyone working in that kitchen is getting that.

Do you know how many starters are on the menu? 15. My boyfriend has stayed up til 3 in the morning studying this menu for the last 3 nights and has been waking up early, cause hes stressed out thinking about the menu.

Then they asked him to come in for 3 days training Sunday, Monday and the coming Thursday. They worked him to the bone on Monday and Sunday and didn't even pay him twopence. Its unbelievable, I know its training but seriously I know he worked just as hard as the others in the kitchen.

The other reason I didn't want him to take this job, is because his friend who's working there as a kitchen porter, was given a zero hour contract, meaning they can call him any day at any time to come and work so basically he has no free days at all. I don't want my boyfriend trapped into something like that. Its disgraceful.

Last night when my boyfriend came home from the training he looked so sick and then he told me that the boss does not allow them to eat any of the food in the kitchen not even a morsel. I swear its like a modern form of slavery.

Anyway I tried to reassure him that this job is just a stepping stone. your not going to stay here forever, I told him to keep looking for another job in the meantime.