All Round Trainee job abroad summary
My name is Hayley and I'm Dave's assistant here in Malia. I've been working with Dave since May and started my first official shift 1st June 2011.
I am here to tell you that the job is real, that I'm here right now in Malia working for Dave and to tell you my opinions about the job.
I found relocating rather easy bringing my suitcase and my personal belongings with me from England all on my own. I have been to university so it felt like the same process when moving here.
In the first few weeks I found working here rather difficult because I was learning new things everyday, trying to get used to the location, the work load and the long hours.
There is a lot to remember and it does not come naturally to pick everything up in the first few weeks, in fact it's taken me a month now to really settle down, to know what is happening on working days and what I have to do. I still am learning and Dave usually points out where I have gone wrong each week and I write it in my notepad and try to improve myself.
I am here to tell you that the job is real, that I'm here right now in Malia working for Dave and to tell you my opinions about the job.
I found relocating rather easy bringing my suitcase and my personal belongings with me from England all on my own. I have been to university so it felt like the same process when moving here.
In the first few weeks I found working here rather difficult because I was learning new things everyday, trying to get used to the location, the work load and the long hours.
There is a lot to remember and it does not come naturally to pick everything up in the first few weeks, in fact it's taken me a month now to really settle down, to know what is happening on working days and what I have to do. I still am learning and Dave usually points out where I have gone wrong each week and I write it in my notepad and try to improve myself.
It has been difficult with the recession so less people can afford to buy photos and videos, and because the drink prices are so high, people are opting to buy a drink rather than a photograph.
The long hours can be tough, especially working in the hot sunny climate. You can be working from morning til midnight, I do get a break for about 4-5 hours.
I make sure I have visited guests, delivered and collected money. It is tiring and can get very sweaty after a shift.
I don't recommend going out drinking the night before a shift due to the early (11 am) starts and wanting to last all day working to the best of your ability. The shifts here are not like home so you could be working long hours some days. The pay is a standard seasonal staff salary, so you do have to have some money saved from home before you come and be careful with your money. You have the chance to earn unlimited bonuses on sales of photos, DVD, keyrings and the package deals, but this season (2011) it's been difficult due to various econimical issues everywhere.
The long hours can be tough, especially working in the hot sunny climate. You can be working from morning til midnight, I do get a break for about 4-5 hours.
I make sure I have visited guests, delivered and collected money. It is tiring and can get very sweaty after a shift.
I don't recommend going out drinking the night before a shift due to the early (11 am) starts and wanting to last all day working to the best of your ability. The shifts here are not like home so you could be working long hours some days. The pay is a standard seasonal staff salary, so you do have to have some money saved from home before you come and be careful with your money. You have the chance to earn unlimited bonuses on sales of photos, DVD, keyrings and the package deals, but this season (2011) it's been difficult due to various econimical issues everywhere.
The satisfaction of the job is when you do sell photos and DVD and deliver them to people. It's also a great feeling when someone has brought a photo you have taken and it brings a smile to their face, you feel like you have done a good job.
The weeks are getting busier and busier now as we are in the high season so it's gettng more difficult making sure you visit everyone when they 1st arrive to intro myself, so that everyone knows who you are and to make sure you get photos of each group. A lot of people tend to buy one photograph per group, e.g a group of ten girls buy one photo and say the are going home to photocopy it, so as you can see it's bad for business.
The highlights of the job is documenting the events of the days and nights here in Malia for the 2wenty's guests, you get to be around a lot of people who just want to have fun on their holiday so mostly the events are really fun unless you have a quiet crowd and obviously it's not the best day. Everyday is different from the next, every event each week will be different, the guests arriving are differnet and you have to be on your toes.
I am grateful of my job here in Malia and I have learnt certain photography skills that I did not learn in university, I've been practising on a different editing software and got to know how Smiles photos business runs abroad. It's been an eye-opening experience. It's not been an easy road but I'm learning and building up my portfollio, meeting loads of different people from all over the UK and living in another country so it's a great experience if you have the chance to do it.
Money cannot by real life working experience.
The weeks are getting busier and busier now as we are in the high season so it's gettng more difficult making sure you visit everyone when they 1st arrive to intro myself, so that everyone knows who you are and to make sure you get photos of each group. A lot of people tend to buy one photograph per group, e.g a group of ten girls buy one photo and say the are going home to photocopy it, so as you can see it's bad for business.
The highlights of the job is documenting the events of the days and nights here in Malia for the 2wenty's guests, you get to be around a lot of people who just want to have fun on their holiday so mostly the events are really fun unless you have a quiet crowd and obviously it's not the best day. Everyday is different from the next, every event each week will be different, the guests arriving are differnet and you have to be on your toes.
I am grateful of my job here in Malia and I have learnt certain photography skills that I did not learn in university, I've been practising on a different editing software and got to know how Smiles photos business runs abroad. It's been an eye-opening experience. It's not been an easy road but I'm learning and building up my portfollio, meeting loads of different people from all over the UK and living in another country so it's a great experience if you have the chance to do it.
Money cannot by real life working experience.