Two meals a day

I worked in the back of house at Mariage Frères & Berlin Tea House for about half a month.

1. During the interview, they said that overtime could be exchanged for compensatory leave. After I started working, I often had to work overtime every day, and there was no guarantee that I would actually receive the compensatory leave.

2. Holidays were given on red-letter days. The amount of leave seemed generous, but when there was a staff shortage, even if you were entitled to 11 days, only 8 days could be scheduled. Then they would tell you that the remaining days would be made up the following month.

3. The mid-shift was from 11:00 to 20:00. There was no evening shift. If there were many customers at 20:00 when your shift ended, you could expect to work overtime until closing.

4. It was only after resigning that I discovered I had not been enrolled in labor and health insurance until the day I left. I had not been insured during the more than ten days I had already worked, but deductions were still made from my paycheck.