Nothing wrong with service jobs

AFTER working part-time at an ice cream shop for almost a year to supplement my income, I see nothing wrong with work in the service sector.

Despite having to stand for seven to eight hours four days a week, plus the less than glamorous cleaning duties and having to work on some weekends and public holidays, it has been my most enjoyable job to date.

There are always difficult customers to deal with - those who blame you for a wrong order, even when the fault was theirs. This is a job that demands teamwork, initiative and innovation.

But there is scarcely a dull moment at work as each new day brings a new challenge as well as encounters with varied personalities.

While the pay is definitely not as high as other jobs, given the satisfaction I derive from work and the tough job market, I am considering taking on service jobs full-time after graduation.

Anna Wong, 23, is completing her honours in psychology at the National University of Singapore

Consumer is not always king

MY GRIPE with the service sector is not the remuneration package.

Let's face it: There are other industries which offer lower wages and demand more. More pertinently, the job demands conflict with my personality.

Service staff are expected to smile even if they are not in the wrong. I cannot do that because of a strong sense of personal pride: I speak up when I feel wronged.

Besides, some Singaporeans are known to be difficult customers. They often expect to get more than their money's worth and firmly believe the 'consumer is king' in virtually every situation. I cannot imagine myself dealing with such characters, day in, day out.

Money is not an issue here. I would rather remain jobless than face patronising attitudes and unjustified verbal tirades.

Berton Lim, 21, is a first-year business administration student at NUS

Call me high class?

I WAS 17 when I landed my first school holiday job working at a sandwich bar in Chinatown. To my horror, I was overwhelmed with menial tasks like washing dishes, wiping tables, cleaning the coffee machine, mopping the floor and taking out trash.

Though my working hours were only from 3pm to 8pm, I quit after two days.

Call me high class, but I'll never choose a job that gets my hands dirty - not to mention how mundane such jobs can be. For these reasons, I've always respected people who work in the food-and-beverage industry.

Now I focus on finding jobs in other service-related industries. Customer service, whether it's a front line or desk-bound job, appeals to me especially.

It seems that even in these hard times, when my peers aren't as choosy as before, I will still pick and choose jobs which suit my taste.

Oliver Sayson, 20, is a full-time national serviceman

The price must be right

I WILL insist on being choosy when it comes to employment, even in hard times.

A bad economy does not mean that all considerations go out of the window and I will always consider the monetary benefits and the experience which I can get vis a vis the labour requirements of the job.

For the measly pay many get for service sector jobs, I'd much rather do a desk-bound job that pays more.

My first job was in retail. I stood around for hours on end, six days a week including public holidays, on a minimum wage of $6 an hour.

I liked my job and learnt a lot.

But I felt silly compared to my friends who were sitting in some nice office earning $1 to $3 more an hour or a monthly stipend despite working fewer hours.

They may not have enjoyed their job as much as I did, but they didn't have to stand for hours or clean their workplace before opening time.

Eef Gerard Van Emmerik, 20, has a place to read law at Singapore Management University

This article was first published in The Straits Times.