Working in Magaluf

The fact that I am back here now would point to the idea that I made the wrong decision leaving the Island in the first place, I don’t really believe that to be the case though. It’s more something that I needed to do in order to know for sure where I wanted to be, I can say now with certainty that it’s not the UK!

At the end of 2011, another season working in Magaluf, myself and my partner at the time decided to give the ‘normal life’ a try and move back to the bright lights of Hull.  For me this was no easy decision as I left my home City in 1999 and spent the next 13 years working the summer seasons in Magaluf and the winters travelling the world, a very happy man!

I only came here in the first place for a 2 week lads holiday, I got offered a job and never went home.  I remember going to the phone box with a handful of pesetas to make 3 phone calls, 1st to my Mum, 2nd to my girlfriend and 3rd to my boss.  Safe to say none of them were too happy to hear I wasn’t getting on the flight with the rest of the lads!

I think anyone who has worked away for a number of years will understand the underlying feeling that you often get, telling you that you just ‘can’t do this forever’ especially when that’s all you hear from friends and family back home!  It wasn’t until I hit my 30’s that I even considered it, why on earth would I want to leave here (Mallorca) to go back there (UK)?!

By the end of 2011 I had worked 13 seasons in Magaluf, 11 of which spent in Boomerang Nightclub and the final 2 years Managing The Red Lion, both on Punta Ballena, aka ‘The Strip’.  I’d also had a couple of businesses in that time, one which cost us a great deal financially when we opened and then closed 2 years later ,Lao the Lounge on Platja De Palma, with my business partners, Javier Pierotti (RIP), his brother Martin and Tereza.

I think it was losing Lao that hit me hard to be honest and for the first time I started to feel like my future might not be on this island.  

So when I had a chat with an old friend which turned into a very good opportunity to move back to the UK I thought that it was time and that we had to give this a go.  After all you can have a good reputation and great network in Mallorca but 13 years in Magaluf on your CV doesn’t exactly open many doors, especially in the UK!

I’m still extremely grateful for the opportunity that I was given, full training in a new industry, salary, free apartment in the commercial district in Liverpool, company phone and car! It was hard to say no as these offers aren’t given out very often especially to those with my CV.

I learnt a lot in my time in the UK and the 3 years working for Gray Healthcare in Liverpool and then Halltech Energy Partnership in Hull have given me great experience and a new skill-set that I never had previously. It also allowed us to get on the property ladder which is a huge ‘tick’ from the list.

After the novelty started to wear off and the daily grind started to kick in though I soon realised that I just didn’t belong there.  I was suddenly doing the ‘9-5’ thing I had slated during all my years in the sunshine.  I really struggled to settle back in and never really felt ‘at home’.  I think the final straw came when I realised I was saving money every month and counting down the days until my holiday, yep 7 nights in Mallorca!  I suddenly found myself saving and looking forward to just a week of the year visiting a place I used to get paid to live! Something didn’t fit.

So back we came.

I had spent the time at home working hard in the UK but always with an eye on Mallorca and in-particular Magaluf.  It was hard to forget the place as it seemed that the press had nothing else to write about!  Everyday I would turn on the TV or open a newspaper to see another Magaluf headline!  

People were very quick to judge and many old pals of mine that had worked the summer seasons out there jumped on the band wagon (as did I) talking of how the resort had changed and it would never be as good as ‘our days’.

I hear that a lot to be honest, how it’s not the same and don’t really buy it,  i’ve always heard that! right from my first season I remember 2nd, 3rd and 4th year workers telling us how much better it used to be.  I think people just say that though as they find nothing really compares to your first couple of seasons you do working abroad. They wonder why it doesn’t feel as good as that first season and point the blame at the changes in people and the resort.  

Let’s be honest it’s not that at all, it’s your age and the simple fact the first years will always be the best, high on adrenaline, new to it all and loving every minute!.  I listened to people saying this to me in 2000 and all I remember thinking is what a load of b******s – I’m having the time of my life!!!

You try telling the first years that are here now that the resort is not all that and not what it was, they will just laugh at you, and continue to have the best season of their lives!

One thing I will say is that the workers here now are much more money orientated than we were back in the early 2000’s.  You can’t really blame them though as there is so much money to be made here at the moment with those selling tickets, running bar crawls, selling shots, booze cruises etc.  This never used to be the case, people got whatever job they could, some bars paid a bit more than others but the money was never really the issue. The wage was what paid your rent which ultimately allowed us to live on this amazing island. So outside of work all you did was enjoy yourself.  

Talk of ‘smashing it’ and ‘i’m all about the money’ never came out of workers mouths really as pretty much everyone was in the same boat and just wanted to know when the next workers party was!.  There were always a few getting paid more, doing parties or renting out apartments etc. some of us also ended up on very good wages as bars rewarded loyalty to go back year on year and more importantly they didn’t want to lose good staff to the competition!  I fell into that category and would never complain about the wages I got paid, which enabled me to take the whole winter off and in that time visit amazing places and to see and do some unbelievable things.

Where there is money to be made you will always attract those that want to earn it, and with that the bad blood and competition, same as any town or city in the world.  The good ticket sellers here can earn up to 800€ (sometimes more) a day – much to the disgust of many business owners paying extortionate rates and rents and struggling to keep their ‘legit’ businesses alive.  Good luck to them I say, this is far from being the only resort where people make good commission from bar crawls and ticket sales and while it’s allowed to go on, then why wouldn’t they?

So for now I am officially back in the place I call home and for the foreseeable future have no intention of leaving.  I can’t quite see myself standing outside a bar on the strip until 4am any more but who knows what’s around the corner?  I can see first hand the investment and changes going on here and I think with that is going to come great opportunities, we just need to be willing to move with the times and keep eyes wide open!

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Now read how I ended up here in the first place!