Maria Amanaki – Front of House Staff

What is it you do as Front of House staff?

I do the cloakroom, taking people’s jackets and bags and umbrellas and keeping an eye on them, and the box office, taking tickets and money at the entrance.

So you’ve been working at 53 degrees for a while now?

Yes, since the first day it opened on April 11 2005, almost four years now! The first day was very exciting. I met a lot of students who I’d be working together with at 53 and they showed us around the new building and the cellars, fire doors and everything. It was really good.

Have you always been working in the box office and cloakroom then?

No, I started off as bar staff first of all for one year, and then I didn’t like it so I asked to change to glass collector but I also asked to change this position because it was too hard for me! So they moved me on to front of house and I’ve been in this position for two years.

What do you think it is about 53 that makes it such a fun place to work?

It’s just a really exciting student club and it makes students act really strangely, partly because it’s pretty cheap, alcohol isn’t expensive. I prefer Promo from the other days, I enjoy myself every Thursday, because I know it will be busier and there will be more students than any other days, I don’t really like the gigs.

Is Promo the best night to go there then?

Well it is a very nice night when we have Good grief as well, they play house and trance and it’s always very busy. I don’t like the house and trance so much, I prefer pop, but it’s still really entertaining to be there.

Why did you decide to apply to work at 53?

Just for fun, I never thought they’d actually hire me! I was really surprised when they asked me for an interview. It was just to earn some money really, and also to meet new people, because being from Greece I wanted to make friends from the UK. Now I have some really true friends, especially from 53 Degrees.

Greece?! Why did you decide to come to rainy Preston then?

First of all because UK universities, as we all know, are the best in the world, especially for education. Then I decided to come to Preston because I had friends starting here as well, so I had company, in the end it has been really helpful for me and my career. I’m doing my post-graduate degree in Msc Global Management, which I’ll finish at the end of January and then I’ll go back to Greece.

Do you think you’ll visit any other countries for your career?

 My dream is to travel around the world, so that’s why I did this course. I think I’ll see more countries after graduation but I don’t mind where! It would be really interesting to get a job abroad, just for a few years, and then I’ll go back to Greece.

Do you hear from your family a lot?

Almost everyday, I talk to my mum on the phone, because it’s cheap and easy to call home. I missed them for the first year, but then I made friends with people here so I don’t miss them anymore, because I think of this as my home now.

So what’s the most exciting thing you’ve seen in 53?

I’ve been really disappointed with the drugs here. There have been drugs almost every night since 53 opened, especially Goodgrief, but it is zero-tolerance there so if people try it they won’t be around for long. But I also have funny nights like Thursday on the door, because they always say such funny things to me when they give me their tickets after 11 o’clock when they aren’t valid anymore, they look so disappointed and I laugh at them.