Kia Ora! I’m Anne, 28 years old and I’m from Holland. I arrived the 4th of September, 2011 after an exhausting 24 hrs trip at Auckland airport. The first weeks I travelled around for a bit, did a road trip with my Kiwi cousin, my aunt took my everywhere I wanted and I had a great first month.
 
After a month of travelling a bit around and sightseeing, I noticed that I was spending more money than I calculated I would. Not a problem, job hunting started! Translated my CV and went into town, to drop it off at some places. I was looking forward to work in hospitality, so most of the places were restaurants and bars. No experience, but back in Holland I used to work as a manager in a supermarket so I had a lot of experience with working with people and customers. Always happy, a smile on my face, make sure that customers have a day out: that’s what you’re responsible for when you have a job in hospitality. I thought I could do it!
After a few days I received a phone call from a restaurant, they wanted me to come in for an open interview, with 4 others. Eventually I was the lucky one and had to come in for a trial. Even after the trial, with no experience ánd a Dutch accent, they hired me! Thirty to forty hours is what they promised me. Lucky me! Waitressing in a good restaurant, making delicious coffees and working behind the bar would be the things to fill in my job.
The first night I was slightly nervous: my first job in a country I just arrived 6 weeks ago, speaking a language that I’m capable of speaking it but which still isn’t my first language, and in an industry I’ve never worked before. After all I did a good job. The girls with who I worked that night were happy, and I was a member of the team!
 
After a few weeks I realised that I still didn’t work thirty hours a week so far, and even after asking for more hours (a girl quit) I ended up with 20hours a week. Not what they promised me. Last weekend, I work here for 6 weeks now, I had to work with this lady who manages the restaurant. Once she entered the building, all staffs faces tightened and I could feel the tense. And indeed, as the girls I was working with once told me: she is a tyrant, snarls at the staff, never let us finish what we have to say, gives us orders in front of customers, always looking for something that she can blame us for, treats you like you’re the most stupid person she has ever met, etc etc... Once she is in, all of the staff rather wants to go home.
Before I applied for a job at this restaurant, a women told me: don’t apply there, I was there once having a coffee with a friend and on older lady was shouting and screaming to her staff. You really don’t want to work there!
But I did...
And no I finally worked with her, I can definitely say that she is not the kind of person I want to work for. I used to managed 20 people, but I never ever treated them like how she treats us. Ever. I know sometimes you have to be hard at your staff, but if you ask it nicely but still letting them know that you’re the boss, they will do everything for you! My team in Holland had never let me down, and I was respectful to everybody. This lady, on the other hand, is the opposite. Never in my entire life I let anyone speak to me again the way she did. 
Tonight I’m going to quit my job. Not only because of her, I just don’t want to give her the joy  that someone quits because of her, but mostly because of the hours that they promised me I would get.
 
I work to live, I don’t live to work.