I HAVE A JOB! 

After two extremely long months off from work (and burning through about 2 grand of savings) I have finally found employment once again!  

Huzzah! 

I used to work in an ice cream van in Geraldton, and because it was such a small town I was actually called ice cream girl A LOT. Like by teachers at school. And my ex, who I met while working in the ice cream van.  

But thats a different story. 

Once I finished WACE exams I fully intended to get a second job, not that working in the van was bad, but I could only work a tops of 3 days a week because thats all that my boss went out for. People get too sick of ice cream if they get it every week. 

I had completed a barista short course at Tafe at the end of October so that I could work in a cafe, and I applied to one place in town that I knew were hiring… but no luck. Their loss tbh. 

So I never ended up worrying about a second job for the three months I had left in Gero. But I had a solid plan for Bunbury. I would work a cafe job a couple days a week, and then get my RSA and work at a bar or restaurant as well at night times.  

Yes yes, I know split shift is hard, but I have an awesome brand of autism where I believe I could do it. Plus, they’re different jobs, not like I have two shifts at the same place in one day.  

I even emailed San Churro at the shopping center closest to our new house, sucking up about how great my experiences there have been and that it would be the perfect job for me. No reply. Damn you churros. 

Oh well, I’m sure everyone is looking to hire more young staff that they can exploit for minimum wage, right? 

WRONG! 

I got to Bunbury and it was not what I expected. Moving was soo much more difficult than I thought it would be. Not only did we not have the keys to our house yet when we moved, and were staying with family and/or airbnbs, but without a car for myself (cough cough or license cough cough) I was immobile without my parents. Then my younger brother started school, and we couldn’t leave the dog by himself anywhere because he has worse attachment issues than me… does anyone know a dog therapist perchance? 

And even once we did move in, there was so much to move and unpack and then we all needed new drawers and dressers and miscellaneous other furniture that we had to build on the hardwood floors. I had a really hard time even looking for jobs.  

Don’t get me wrong, I did try to put myself out there. I went to the local library, printed 8 copies of coloured resumes, and handed them out to the stores at the closest shopping centre. The thing with my autism though, is that I have a very specific work environment that I have to be in to feel comfortable and therefore able to function at work. For me personally, somewhere big and with lots of staff and people like Coles or Kmart just completely overwhelm me even thinking about working there. Like I can handle lots of customers, and most noises and lights well, but just big open spaces doesn’t do it for me. Thats why it has always been a cafe that’s ideal. Also why I can’t just hand out resumes everywhere because some of those places I just would not be able to function in, and lets be real, the world isn’t exactly ASD friendly. 

I am also used to working in an ice cream van, only three steps length, with one other person at a time working with me soo…. 

However, I sucked it up and made a list of places I can see myself working at. No, there were no mirror shops i could apply to.  

Ha haha ha ha 

First couple on the list were San Churro, Universal Store, and Boost Juice. By the time I was at Boost Juice handing in my resume, I was getting a call. 

Unrelated but I FRICKING HATE PHONE CALLS WHY CAN COMPANIES NOT ATTACH THEIR NAMES TO PHONE NUMBERS SO I AT LEAST KNOW WHO IS CALLING ME 😭😭 

It was San Churro. The manager messaged me back after I let the phone call ring out and asked me to come back for an interview. 

!!!!!!!!! 

I did, and the manager was soo nice and accomodating, we waited for the owner to get off the phone though because ultimately it would be his call.  

Some of the questions he asked were weird, he asked if I could get myself to work and its like huh?? I’m always punctual for work but my parents would drive me? I don’t have a car? Yes I know I shouldn’t have to (and I don’t want to) rely on them but I can’t drive? So? 

He also didn’t seem to understand that we just moved here. And not from like Busselton or South Bunbury. From 7 hours away. He was asking about other commitments and I obviously answered professionally but in my head I was like ?? We JUST moved here. I know no one. I have no friends. I am part of no groups. I have no car. What commitments could I have?  

Anyway, the manager wanted to get me in for a trial shift, but when I messaged her later that evening to ask if there was something specific I needed to wear (black shirt, jeans, enclosed shoes..?) she said the owner had decided they didn’t need to take on any new staff right now. 

Oh. Ok.  

*glass shattering sound effects*

No problem.  

*gets stabbed in the heart and bleeds out*

And that was in the first week of February.  

In the meantime I had started looking online for more jobs that were actually hiring. Doing it online meant that I couldn’t see the space I would be working in however so I was a bit wary of that. I got so desperate that I literally sent an online application for an administrative gap year position with the Royal Australian Air Force, and started considering researching FIFO jobs. (The RAAF messaged and said they weren’t taking any more applicants right now, luckily because I am NOT cut out for military life.)

I was getting really down about not having a job, just feeling really worthless and purposeless and lonely and bored and getting crazy from staying home all day everyday. 

When I got a message. 

From the manager at San Churro. 

Asking if I was still looking for a job and would I like to come in for a trial shift. 

YES YES YES YES YES!!!!  

Thank fuck. 

So I went into San Churro on Friday and met with the manager, she said I’d pretty much shadow her for the hour and they would see how I go. 

And thats what I did. The owner was there as well, and he watched how I was going. At a couple points him and the manager were talking so I sort of just used my brilliant inituitive and common sense and went to clear and wipe down the empty tables, check up on customers, take numbers from tables that had their orders.  

It was really fun, and I can imagine it gets super busy even though I went in at probably one of their quieter times, but I lowkey live for the fast paced jobs. When we did events in the ice cream van I used to try to clear the line of customers, like I was racing myself. Loved it, and with so many stations and types of orders and jobs to do I could just imagine having so much fun every shift. 

So I got to the end of my trial shift, making a takeaway pack of churros to take home with me when the manager said that they’d contact me next week about a job. 

The owner messaged me yesterday! OFFERING ME A JOB! 

Heckkk yesss!  

Even though I know the trial went well, I was still nervous. Especially because I was going to NSW for 4 weeks over the easter holidays, and I know that’s a busy period when they need more staff on. 

But they hired me anyway baby! Boo-yah!

Now I’m undergoing the grueling task of completing a 5 WEEK online training course. You read that correctly folks, 5 weeks of online tasks. The owner asked me to complete them as soon as possible and to let him know when I finish so I can be scheduled on. But they literally don’t open all the modules at once, they release them at week intervals essentially, which I don’t think is right because I could totally smash out 5 weeks of work in a couple days.  

It worked for ATAR.  

So I’m going to message the owner and ask about it, but otherwise I can sleep easy knowing I will be making money shortly and am no longer unemployed.  

Being unemployed is scary guys don’t do it. 

So that is how I’ve gone from ice cream girl to churro chic. 

I must accompany this by saying all of my posts are entirely my opinions and are not the opinions or values of San Churro Chocolateria (I signed some policy agreements today, I must say this) 

As we speak, well as I speak, and by speak I mean type furiously on my laptop, I am also working on plot twist of the century part 2! I hope I haven’t built it up too much because ya’ll might not find it as twisty as I do, but I’ve thought about it a lot and still think its comedy gold.  

See ya!