Halloween came and went this year with little excitement in our home. Usually we make a big deal out of it by hosting a party and dressing up. This year we didn't even dress up, and I had to work at a snooty mall for rich people where no one was dressed up at all, not even the kids!
We did go to our friend Margot's place to watch Rocky Horror and to eat some spooky treats. That was nice.
Unfortunately on the way there I was almost mugged at the Saint-Laurent metro station. A couple weeks ago a man was brutally beaten up there, and was in critical condition in the hospital afterwards. Scary. This group of young guys were hovering around outside, where I was waiting for a bus after taking the metro, and they started yelling things at me while coming towards me quickly. I started running to get inside the metro station, and they grabbed another guy who was also trying to get inside. They grabbed his coat off of his back and took it. It was very scary. I reported the incident to the metro attendant, who called the police. I hope they punish those jerks. I was so scared afterwards and will think twice about taking the bus alone at night!
I've been working at a muffin shop at a mall for weekends the past month, but I've decided I can't go back there. Working for minimum wage at a job that kills me, isn't at all in my field, and takes me an hour just to get there isn't worth it. So, I'm still on the lookout for something else...even if that means a crap job at a closer location. I've been seeing a career counselor at YES Montreal (Youth Employment Services) and he's been giving me some really good tips. I'm hoping they pay off soon. I also went to a job fair, and I think I impressed the lady at the McGill table. She said someone would be calling me soon, and we're hoping and praying this happens.
Adam has quit his job a Moishes. They wanted him to commit to at least a year, and he didn't have the heart to lie to them as he was actively looking for other work. He didn't love working there, and they didn't pay enough, so he didn't want to stay any way. We're both a bit scared that we've been here for two months and still don't have employment, and our resources are totally gone. It's a bit scary, and we're wondering if we made a huge mistake coming here. We're still trying to keep up hope, and I think things will be better once I start my French classes in January.
We're thinking we're too nice for this city. People pay you nothing and expect the world from you, and we're too nice to lie and be dishonest to employers. Adam has worked at countless restaurants for "trial runs" for free... he is sick of working and not being paid for his hard work. I'm almost wondering if employers try out new cooks on a regular basis just to have someone do the work no one else wants to do. There are certainly enough unemployed people in Montreal to exploit. How sad.
My mom is coming for a visit on Nov. 10th. I'm so excited to have her here. I know she'll be a huge encouragement, and it'll be a lot of fun.
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7 comments:
I spent two years bouncing from low skill job to low skill job in a seemingly futile effort to find work that remotely resembled my education.
The pressure was awful.
You're definitely not alone. I know scores of people who haven't been able to find employment relevant to their education. The other day i ran into a girl from my highschool graduating class. She informed me that she's working for a crown corp in customer service and complained that she's not using her education as a "medical office assistant"...
Needless to say it's a damn competitive work world we live in if our trained medical office assistants can't find work in a medical office!
Sarcasm aside, friends outside of Saskatoon have just started to find jobs that are not in the service industry... 3 years later. So there is hope.
I also wanted to say that I went to a training session filled with commerce grads, and not a single one of them had an original/critical thought. Most of them were talking about original thinking using cliches like "thinking outside the box". Employers somewhere in the world must recognize this and understand the value of arts grads...
With that said, I guess it's unfortunate that in many cases the people responsible for hiring are human resource majors from the college of commerce.
P.s. I apologize to all commerce majors who've read this comment and do not feel like it applies to them.
Hang in there with the job search! It sounds like you're making the most of the resources available to you, and these things just take time. It takes an average of six months for grads to find employment in their field. Going to YES was really smart, because the counsellors there will know more about opportunities in the city, especially since you just moved there. You are wonderful and I'm crossing my fingers that you get your dream job soon!
Also, have you guys looked into Montreal's labour laws? Is it even legal for them to make Adam do an unpaid "trial run"? That doesn't seem right.
-Alynne
Thanks for the encouragement guys. Also, who is Anonymous #1?
Oh Anne, that was heartbreaking. But chin up. I've moved several times to several different cities. It takes me 6 months every time to start making enough money to bank and to feel comfortable. It's perfectly normal for you guys to struggle right now. It's supposed to be difficult. And that's what makes all the fortunate things that happen along the way sooo sweet.
I've just written all the people I know in Montreal for advice or contacts. I hope that turns into something.
"Too nice" may be a problem. Adam should be more firm. If a restaurant is worth working at, they wouldn't make him work for free.
He's gone to school and his references are excellent. That's more than enough. I'm sure if he tells the employer this with some confidence, they would be willing to compromise.
These businesses are taking advantage of him and I agree with Alynne that it doesn't seem legal.
If Montreal is as sweet as they say, ride these hard times out. You two are creative and as long as you stay away from complaining you'll be okay.
Good luck,
-Bob
Thanks Bob. Your words are much appreciated. That was really nice of you to message your Montreal contacts.
I know the restaurant thing seems sketchy, and it is probably not legal. But it's kind of the restaurant way.
Adam says that it is a way for the worker and the restaurant to get to know each other. He says that at a lot of places he probably would have just quit after one day anyways, because they weren't good. So it's a way to make sure that he wants to work there, and that they want him, too.
Hopefully this won't be a problem in the future, as he is waiting to hear back from a couple places this week. I agree that it isn't fair, and I certainly wouldn't work for free, but Adam says that it is a pretty expected and regular thing. He usually gets a meal or some bread out of the deal at least.
HI Ann,
I am sorry to hear that your experience in Montreal is not quite what you expected so far. Montreal is a charming and fantastic city however it can often be frustrating. Although English is frequently spoken, the language barer, makes it more difficult for one to feel at home.
I am not sure where you are located at the moment in Montreal but I would suggest that you focus your research in the west of the city. NDG, Cote des Neiges ( you might already know that)
Also you mentioned about the woman @ Mc Gill.. Try going on the Campuses of both Concordia and Mc Gill University, navigate their websites. talk to people go to you might find good information.
I believe you studied journalism,
You should knock on doors of small independent free news paper like "Mirror" and the others like that. I can't quite recall their names but you find them in the Metro.
Also I would suggest to try to meet with people,
as Montreal is a "People's city"
People in Montreal are usually very friendly and helpful. The more the both of you talk and meet people the better your life will become.
The restaurant business in Montreal can be a little be of a snobby things, From what I have heard from Bob, Adam should be able to get a good position easily. It might take a bit of work but he WILL find something good in his domaine.
HOTELS... There are many hotels in Montreal and this is where is talent is gonna be the most appreciated. All the most expensive hotel in Montreal have pastry chefs plus, Make sure you go to the CP s hotel queen mary and ... I forgot the name
Crescent street, St Catherin, Peel, Mc Gill ,René lesveque... These streets all have many high class restaurant, St-Laurent as well.
Your husband should walk in with a resume in hand and maybe some pictures of his creations and distribute them all over the city over and over again. Go to the Queen Elizabeth once a week with your resume, ask for the chef every times. I Promise he will get notice and hired.
In Montreal we know good food and we appreciate people who make such delicacies.
All the years I have lived in Montreal I always found jobs by dropping out resume and keep coming back, to show interest.
Forget about Jobboom and Monster.ca. Go to the places you want to work for and apply in person... don't forget to keep coming back if you really want the job.
I will email some friends in Montreal for you.
Sincerely
Francis
"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it"
Paolo Cohelo The Alchemist.
Thanks for the tips Francis. Adam has been dropping off resumes in person, but it seems like a lot of places turn him away because he doesn't speak French. I'll definitely let him know about the Queen Elizabeth. I checked out the website and it looks great.
I have been in contact with the Montreal Mirror, but they aren't hiring. They want me to pitch them story ideas for freelancing, and I will be doing so.
Thanks again for the info. I will let you know how it goes.
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