I drink too much bubble tea. And KOI’s one of my favs. In fact, I just had a cup of KOI yesterday in JB (SO MUCH CHEAPER there). So I found out via Instagram that KOI is recruiting – in fact a company (FindSGJobs.com) is assisting in their recruitment efforts. They have a number of “workshops” held at various KOI outlets, where you will learn (briefly) what a Tea Barista does. There’s also a “special surprise gift” if you were to attend one of the workshops. So for today’s session at PLQ mall, 7 people had pre-registered, but ultimately only 3 showed up. One lady was early, I was punctual and one guy showed up after all the demos were over. LOL.
First up: the 3 plastic carrier sizes that KOI has (for 1 cup, 2 cups and 6 cups of bubble tea) and how the cups are positioned within the carrier to prevent spillage. Though I have NEVER had a spilled KOI drink – the seal’s always perfect, the cups are solid and not the flimsy ‘crushable’ sort, so I don’t know why spillage is even an issue to be concerned about.
Then the two types of straws – the fatter one being for the drinks with toppings. (>_<) Like you didn’t already know that.
Then how heavy the pot for cooking the boba is (6kg to 10kg). And how one might be carrying such pots out from the kitchen like ten times a day depending on the sales volume.
Then how many scoops of the boba go into the M-size cup and the L-size cup. And how some people may request for less (or even really few) boba. <- All these ‘healthy’ people who still want to chew on boba for just a little bit OMG.
And how to use the cocktail shaker.
ALL WITHOUT ACTUALLY MAKING A SINGLE CUP OF BUBBLE TEA. Muahaha.
I can’t say it was very insightful but thankfully, the supposedly 1-hour workshop ended in half the time. XD The recruiters were just more concerned about finding out who’s really keen to join KOI so they can send the particulars over to KOI’s HR team.
There was a Q&A session and I asked a simple and arguably very relevant question: So how much is the pay? The recruiter duo didn’t seem to have the answers at their fingertips and referred me to the banner outside KOI instead. So later when they asked if I’m interested in the jobs available here, I said I’ll have to look at the payscale first. XD (Actually no lah, I’m not looking for a job – I have my hands full already. I’m just keen to learn more about this company I’ve spent so much money at!)
If you want to know how much the KOI full time and part time salaries are:
Also, I had another question about the Progressive Wage Model and whether KOI was already on board. The guy – A – I asked tried to sidestep the question and said KOI offers a lot of benefits (yeah I know. That’s not my question). The lady – Y – said that all F&B companies have to follow the PWM recommendations and I think she’s right. Can read more about it here.
So… for the special gift for attending the workshop: a KOI gift card…
At the counter, I realise the card has just $5 value. So if the drink costs more than that (mine did), you’ll have to pay for the balance amount. XD
So… if you work at KOI full-time, you can earn up to $2,800 per month. And it’s the same case over at Saizeriya in the same mall:
I think a big difference is that Saizeriya clearly states that they welcome housewives and retirees and offer flexible work hours.
Companies cannot be discriminatory in their job ads so bubble tea joints cannot state that they want only people within a certain age group but when’s the last time you ordered a cup of bubble tea and the person taking your order was a 60-year-old auntie (who might tsk tsk at your 100% sugar request) or a previously-retired gentleman who’s raising his glasses and stabbing at the POS screen with a finger or two index fingers… slowly?
I would think the profile of a tea barista would be: female, between the age of 20 and 30, slim, fast learner, works well in a fast-paced environment, and about the same age as the majority of the company’s customers. And… probably Chinese too. (A little bit different across the Causeway but that’s to be expected)
Also… I need to reiterate this point, in case kaypoh relatives are reading this blogpost: I am NOT looking for a job! I have my hands full with a baby who grows ever more demanding with each passing day… and I don’t want / need a job. I just want / need / desire to get more sleep. Hahaha! Unless the job involves testing mattresses to see which results in more quality sleep… I’m not interested. Thanks hor!