Bolton teacher says: Make mine a Big Mac

12:58pm Tuesday 15th April 2008

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WHEN Steven Glass weighed up his job prospects, he decided against the teaching career he had trained for - and decided to work at McDonald's instead.

Mr Glass, aged 25, works at the fast-food chain's Bolton town centre restaurant.

He says there is more to McDonald's than burgers - and the pay and opportunities are better.

The fast food chain is keen to encourage people to consider a job in its restaurants as a gateway to a long-term career.

It has launched a number of incentives, offering external qualifications, franchising opportunities and transfers to stores in other countries.

Mr Glass, first assistant manager in Bolton, began working for McDonald's in 1998 as a 16-year-old part-time worker serving customers in a store near his family home in Fallowfield, Manchester.

He went to Manchester Metropolitan University two years later, to study Educational Studies and Sociology, with a view to becoming a primary school teacher.

Mr Glass spent some time at the university's campus in Crewe and continued to work at McDonald's restaurants there. But after completing his degree and doing several teaching placements, he decided the profession was not for him.

He said: "When I finished university I decided to stay with McDonald's because there were better opportunities and pay than in teaching.

"I applied for a position as a trainee manager on a salary of £18,500 a year and was put though a three-month intensive training programme.

"I have been a full-time manager for eight months and have had two promotions in that time, my next move is store manager."

Newly-qualified teachers earn just over £20,000 - or £24,000 in London - McDonald's assistant managers typically earn upwards of £21,000.

Mr Glass now lives in Worsley with his girlfriend of eight years, Helen.

The couple met on a night out in Manchester and found out they both worked for the fast food giant. Ironically, she is now a teacher.

Despite negative publicity from documentary makers, who have branded McDonald's food unhealthy and its business practices unethical, Mr Glass says the firm has been great for him and other employees. Around 60 per cent of employees are aged between 16 and 21 and McDonald's provide 25,000 first-time jobs every year, whether full or part-time.

A new scheme called Our Lounge is providing employees like Mr Glass with work-orientated qualifications, via an intranet system, that will be nationally recognised and carry points equivalent to GCSEs. He recently completed an NVQ in health and safety.

The company also offers franchising opportunities for aspiring business people. Around half of McDonald's stores in the UK are franchises, employing around 32,000 people.