“It started off as a way to enter the workforce and ended up being my gateway into Canberra,” says 27-year-old restaurant manager of McDonald’s Dickson, Kailee Murdoch.

Kailee was 15 years old when she decided to apply to work with her mates at the Wodonga Macca’s® on the Victorian side of the border with NSW.

“At 15, it was just a way to save up for Animal Crossing and Pokémon,” she smiles.

While there was no availability at the local Macca’s, the restaurant in the neighbouring town offered her a job on the service crew.

“I said ‘yes’, and in April 2011, I started on fries at the Albury restaurant.

“Back then, I didn’t talk at all, to the point where I was too scared to ask my manager if I could go get more fries from the freezer.

“Now I’m constantly talking – with customers, my team, and my crew. It built up my people skills.”

When Kailee moved to Canberra to attend university, Macca’s became a means of landing on her feet.

“I needed to start working straight away to pay rent here, so I spoke to my restaurant manager at Albury, and he said just go for it, do an interview at one of the Canberra stores.

“They told me that the second I moved into my residence in Canberra, I could start working at the Braddon McDonald’s,” Kailee says.

There she befriended her co-worker (and future wife) Claire, bonding over their shared experiences on the job.

“I never actually finished my degree and ended up following the McDonald’s pathway instead.

“The first year that I lived in Canberra, I was working full-time and studying full-time.

“Even though I liked what I was learning, I wasn’t enjoying the study as much.

Kailee started putting more hours and more effort into her career at Macca’s and began learning the systems.

“Then I was being sent on a course in the Sydney head office – and I loved what I was doing.

“In 2018, when I was given the opportunity to run a restaurant, I absolutely said yes.”

The first restaurant Kailee would manage was at the Westfield Belconnen food court.

“During lockdown, the owner of McDonald’s Dickson called saying he wanted me to come and reopen a fully renovated restaurant with a new big playground to give back to the Dickson community.

“He thought I was the right person because I was excited about the position, I cared, and I wanted to be here.

“All you need to work at Macca’s is a good attitude and that care factor for the people and the food.”

Every day at Maccas is different; every day you learn, grow and teach. Managing a team and seeing them succeed is a special life for a Maccas Restaurant manager.

“Right now, I have nine retail trainees, four of them are getting signed off in November on their Certificate III. And they get that from working with us, they don’t have to pay for any of that.

“The people aspect is definitely the best part of my job,” Kailee says.

“One of my managers, I hired her at Belconnen food court when she was 14. I’ve been able to see her thrive, go through the Cert program, and use those points to finish Year 12 early.

“It’s a great entry point into the workforce,” she says.

“Kids at 14, 15, 16, they don’t know what they want to do yet. Either we can give them the skills while they’re at school so that when they finish school, they can finish up here too and start their careers.

“Or, if they’ve completed school and still don’t know what they want to do at 17, they can stay here for a bit longer; start learning management pathways which, whether they stay or go, is a win-win.”

She explains how McDonald’s is also a means of employment for international students who “while it’s not their first time working, it might be the first time working in Australia”.

“A lot of the time, the reason they come to us is because it’s familiar to them. They come here and McDonald’s will be one of the first places that they know, so they apply.”

Kailee, who became a restaurant manager at 21, says that her situation isn’t uncommon as Macca’s workers often start in their early teens and can become managers in their early 20s by following the pipeline.

“By that time, they already have a really solid understanding of how the business works and can step into these roles.”

As full-time restaurant managers, both she and wife Claire have been able to save up for a house, purchased in 2019, and fund Claire’s new photography business.

“Though she still does some shifts for us when it gets busy,” Kailee smiles.

Kailee, on the other hand, isn’t sure yet which door in the Macca’s pipeline she will choose next, whether it be management, training, or moving straight into the head office.

“I haven’t decided, but I’m sure it will be another call that I say ‘yes’ to,” she smiles.

To find out about career opportunities at McDonald’s, visit careers.mcdonalds.com.au

For more information on sponsored partnerships, click here.