Français
English
A Pvtiste recalls a New Zealand moment: she joined a small French bistro as a barista assistant just days after landing her first job. Her duties included pulling espresso shots to support the barista, making ice coffees, fruit juices and smoothies, and sometimes waiting or washing dishes. The state of flow while making coffee and a healthy, caring environment with constructive feedback made it one of her favorite jobs. The main downside was the short contract and visa limitations that prevented staying longer and learning how to work with milk. Bottom line: tested, more than approved—and this chapter leaves readers curious to see how it shaped her path as a Pvtiste.
Chapter 1
My backpacker jobs
Chapter 2
Workaway: assisting a tetraplegic person
Chapter 3
Customer Service at Abel Tasman AquaTaxi
Chapter 4
Kiwifruit pruning
Chapter 5
Glassy
Chapter 6
Barista assistant
Chapter 7
Blueberry picking
Chapter 8
Kiwifruit packing
Chapter 9
Kiwifruit repacking
Chapter 10
Liquor retail assistant at Liquorland
Chapter 11
Model for a cosmetics ad
Barista assistant
Barista assistant
A few days after finding my glassy job, I was contacted by a small French bistro to learn how to be a barista assistant. Again, I knew nothing about this field. I didn’t even drink coffee at the time. But I had a very good feeling with the owners, so I tried it.
Specifically, for this job, I was doing the espresso shots to help the barista who was working the milk. I also made ice coffees, fruit juices and smoothies. Sometimes I was a waitress or a dishwasher.
Pros
This was one of my favorite jobs in New Zealand for many reasons.
First of all, I loved learning more about coffee and how to work with it. I also loved the dynamics and speed: grinding the coffee beans, weighing them, tapping, making the shot, checking the flow time, sending the coffee out. I constantly felt like I was in a state of flow and “dancing” with my hands.
Secondly, the work environment was probably the healthiest of any job I have ever had in my life. The employers were so caring. I felt respected and appreciated. When I made mistakes, they would talk to me about it with an approach such as “here’s your mistake, what can we do to prevent it from happening again?” In addition, since I worked at 2 locations, I saw very little of my partner, who would therefore come to work for coffee in the afternoon just to spend a few moments in my company. Many times, the bosses would send me on break at those times so I could enjoy being with him. It may be just a detail, but all these little details make a big difference to me.
I think the well-being of everyone was really a priority at this place. So there was a very nice atmosphere and it was a real pleasure to go to work. Everyone was nice and I had a wonderful time with my colleagues.
Cons
If I had to point out one negative, it would be the length of my contract. Unfortunately, my new visa did not allow me to work there any longer but I would have loved to stay. I would also have liked to learn how to work with milk but, again, the duration of my contract did not allow me to do so.
Bottom line: tested, more than approved.
0 comments
{{like.username}}
Loading...
Load more