We recently shared an Evening Standard article about Sam, who works at The Waldorf Hilton London.
We got in touch with Sam to get a few more details about his life and his job, which he got with support from our WorkFit programme.
Here’s a taster of Sam’s interview…the full article will appear in the September issue of The Journal, which is sent to all our members twice a year. Find out more about membership here.
Could you please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your family.
My name is Sam. I am 24 years old and am the middle of three siblings. I have a younger brother, Tom, who is 22 and an older sister, Josie, who is 29. Tom has just finished university and Josie is a primary school teacher. My Dad has just retired and my Mum is a Pilates teacher. I do lots with my family and we are all very close. We often meet up at weekends at our parents’ house to catch up, have a drink or dinner and see the dogs (we have a 13 year old black Labrador and a 1 year old Golden Retriever). I am very excited as my sister is getting married next year so our family is getting bigger. I am very proud as I am going to be best man!
Sam and his brother and sister
We understand you live independently with some assistance, can you tell us what that is like?
I live in a block of 38 flats for people who need some assistance but want to live independently. I have my own one bedroom flat with a balcony. As a young man, I wanted to move out of the family home and be independent like my siblings. I love having my own place, which I am in charge of, but with a bit of help when needed. I have a key worker and am allocated a certain number of hours of help a week to help with things like cooking, budgeting, medical appointments and cleaning. But I decide what I am going to do each day, when and what I am going to eat, when I go out, when I go to bed and get up and how I spend my time, whether that is playing FiFA or having my girlfriend round for dinner. No one tells me what to do, but I can get advice from staff or my family when I need it. There is always a member of staff on duty, so if I had an emergency I would be able to get help. There is a communal lounge downstairs where I can mix with other residents. I do this sometimes but I am also very busy and happy in my own flat so I don’t spend much time there.
Please tell us where you work.
I work at the Waldorf Hilton Hotel on the Aldwych in central London. It is a very smart hotel and I love wearing a waistcoat and tie and dressing up to a high standard. I am a Food and Beverage Assistant in the Homage restaurant. This means I work as part of the team who serve and clear breakfast, and set up afternoon tea. I particularly like the customer service elements of the job and often get compliments from happy customers!
Sam on his first day at The Waldorf
What are your plans for the future?
I am planning to continue working at the Waldorf Hilton Hotel as I love it there and it brings me lots of joy. The staff are all great and very supportive and I love all the interaction with customers. Ideally I would like to work there until I retire as it is my dream job.
Outside work I would like to continue to live independently and hopefully get married. One day I would also like to be an Uncle.
Would you like to share anything else with our readers?
Believe in yourself and have high standards and you will be able to do anything. Don’t be scared to take on new challenges like moving out of the family home and starting work as although it is very scary at first, people will be very helpful and supportive and it is so rewarding to overcome your fears and learn new skills and move on in life.
