Yeah, But Where Are You Really From? by Marguerite Penrose

Author:Marguerite Penrose [Penrose, Marguerite]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781844885947
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2022-03-23T00:00:00+00:00

8. Adult Life in a Changing Ireland

Although I had enjoyed studying social care and psychology, when I graduated with a Higher National Diploma, I realized that I did not want to be a social worker after all. I knew that I would take my clients’ problems on board, and that their problems would hurt me too, and then I would be no good to anyone. I had to come up with another plan.

I took a year off to think about what I wanted to do, during which I worked full-time in Dunnes Stores, stepping up from my part-time job while at college. Then, still not very sure about the direction I wanted to take, I did a year-long course on travel and tourism in Stillorgan College of Further Education on the southside. It dawned on me too late that I hated the course, but just as I was approaching the end, my friend Lorna told me that her employer, Ryanair, was looking for staff and there might be an opening.

‘Do you think you might be interested?’ she asked.

‘Yeah,’ I said, ‘I’ll give it a go.’

I interviewed for Ryanair, and was able to tell them that I already knew all about ticketing and other aspects of the travel industry, and I was hired.

Being a Ryanair employee, as you might imagine, can be a bit of a trial by fire. The staff are expected to put in very long hours, and to really give the job their all. The pay was OK, though considering how hard we all worked, it was not brilliant. But although it could be stressful at times, I liked the work, had a lot of fun, and found most aspects of it rewarding. In typical fashion for us, when a position was available, Ciara applied to Ryanair too, and soon we were working in the same business, just as we had studied in the same school for all of our childhood. We had lots of mutual friends and I think that people enjoyed how Ciara and I are so different, and yet so close at the same time.

Having started in ticketing, in the days when people still used physical, printed tickets, I moved through the company until I knew all the aspects of the business like the back of my hand. The only division I really hated working for was debt collecting for Ryanair Direct, because I found it very difficult being assertive and stern on the phone with people who owed Ryanair money. When I was moved to customer services in head office, right beside Dublin Airport, I knew that I had found my niche, as I was much more comfortable sorting out any issues people had. I did a six-month stint as a PA for the Director of Ground Operations because I wanted some experience in that area, but what I liked best was helping customers navigate their way towards a great holiday experience. I know that a lot of people complain about Ryanair, but the

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