Pros
This company has put a lot of effort into its public appearance as an employer, but behind the scenes the reality is completely different - this is a bureaucratic, disorganised organisation that does not care about its employees. I will cover the main positives and negatives of the position below, but unfortunately there were more negatives than positives. On the other hand, there are reasons why this job might be good for some people. All of the hostels are in beautiful locations and for someone who likes hillwalking and or/other outdoor pursuits, this could be a good way to enable these hobbies. Also, as the organisation has a set wage regardless of age, this could be more rewarding financially for someone under 21 who would normally get a lower wage. However, even for someone under 21, I would recommend trying to find a Living Wage employer that has reasonable expectations and standards. To summarise: not a good employer, but still possibly a good position for some people with specific interests and/or circumstances.
Cons
The job I applied for was called "hostel assistant". This is a misleading job title and an accurate description of the job would be "hostel unassisted". When I applied for the job, the job description had a very short sentence near the bottom of a long list - this sentence said: "Deputise hostel manager as and when required by effectively operating the hostel in the Manager’s absence and lead team members by example at all times". This essentially IS the job. The manager was absent almost ALL the time that the hostel assistant was working (the managers are not paid much more than the minimum wage, so there is no reason they should be available to help). In most of the smaller hostels (not the big ones) the hostel assistant is working alone 95% of the time and this reality of the job is not made clear in the job title, the job description or the interview. This was the most isolating job I have ever had - if you want a job where you are cleaner, receptionist and supervisor all in one for very little more than the minimum wage then this could be the job for you. You would have to search very hard for a job that entailed so much work and responsibility for such low pay. Of course, this level of responsibility and isolation at work suits some personalities, but for many people the reality of the job is a recipe for unhappiness and the reason the organisation is not honest about the reality of the job is probably because they wouldn't get enough staff if they were honest.
