When I got up, a note from my mother was on the fridge, as per usual. It said, ‘Some of us have to work, Hailee. What about you? You have now been unemployed for 17 days.’ She has posted a version of this note every day since school broke up. Typical of her to count the week-ends. The only way to shut her up is to apply for one of the easiest-to-get jobs around. Later, I can look for something more challenging and satisfying.
Hailee Moxie is having a gap year. She is going to work and save up for a trip to Asia, before deciding if she wants to go to Uni or do something better. There are plenty of jobs out there for school leavers – all she has to do is apply for one. But soon, Hailee is discovering that jobs aren’t so easy to come by, and (sometimes) even harder to keep. With her Escape to Asia account holding a mere $129.65, Hailee needs to get a job. Fast.
Fill Out This Application and Wait Over There is a funny diary format account of life at the bottom of the job market heap. Fresh out of school, Hailee learns the hard way that applying for jobs is tough, and that working in low paid jobs , with few perks, is even tougher. At the same time she navigates the minefield of friendships and family relationships.
Hailee is a caustic observer of the world around her, making scathing observations about workmates, supervisors, uniforms and more. Whilst this is funny, at times it also shows her lack of awareness of the real world, allowing readers to compare Hailee’s attitudes with their own experiences and with reality.
A humorous read for teens.
Fill Out This Application and Wait Over There, by Ruth Starke
Omnibus, 2009
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