FINALLY Kat, Nic and Roz get a job where they use their degrees

How not to fold a bed 5 star standard

Nic making the uniform look good

Nic demonstrating the difficult art of towel removal

Finding ourselves sort on cash yet again, we took drastic action. We thought finding work in Cairns would be easy as it is full of pubs, restaurants and generally full of tourists that need our work! Well that's what we thought. We signed up to an agency that seemed a bit funny and in asking to apply for general cleaning or hospitality jobs we were hit with a barrage of tests to weigh up our skills. I believe one of the vital questions was 'You find a spillage on a TILED floor, mention the 3 steps you would take to clean it up'. Many a rocket scientist failed this test. The next disheartened day we signed up to another agency who had given us name badges, security passes and uniforms within the first 5 minutes! This could be good! The next day Nicola and I both worked at the Cairns Convention Centre, waitressing for a conference on Viagra (hmm?!?) and then in the evening at an event at the Botanical Gardens, where the guests got progressively sloshed and we just stood back and minced as much as we could. This all seemed pretty easy, although we were gettting a bit fed up of waitressing and work like that, having worked so long in the pub in Mingenew. So we thought that all three of us would get together and finally do what our parents have been wanting us to do since we graduated. That's right, finally get a job that uses our degrees. You guessed it, we are now cleaners in a hotel! We got up at about 6am the next day and got in a minibus up to Port Douglas (about an hour North of Cairns) to work at the Sheraton Mirage hotel. It's not only a 5 star hotel, we had to sign a disclaimer to say that if we meet any celeb guests at the hotel we are not allowed to speak to the media. We had high hopes for this place and getting to spend the day cleaning on your own means optimum mincing time. The reality my friends, was so much harsher. We were shown how to clean a room, both for a new arrival, and for an occupied room, and it is painfully thorough! Even the taps get brasso-ed, towels, toilet roll and tissues folded in a certain way, baths sinks and toilets get dryed off and every single bloody room gets vacuumed!!! Even after all this your rooms get checked and undoubtedly asked to clean something again. Nic and I kind of just got on with it but Roz decided to challenge the rules and after a heavy night ended up being sick in a guest room and generally being, how should I say, not 5 star quality! Her supervisor was a bit of a hard arse and made Roz 're'hoover a room (the 're' as in she swore blind that she did it, but obviously she hadn't!) and generally check every single thing that she had done until the height of it all, when she started shouting at Roz and generally telling her she was doing a rubbish job! Nevermind, after 4 days Roz made out with as many toiletries and teabags that she could smuggle out and swear she would never work there again. Nic and I are going to keep going as our money situation is slightly worse! If you want to check out the ritzy hotel then go to www.sheratonmirage.com.au