"I'm very grateful someone saw something in me and I can continue to do this great job with its amazing opportunities."

Business Manager Eileen started her McDonald's journey 31 years ago. Eileen has grown with her restaurant, climbed through roles and built her team up, and she's not done yet.

When she first started as a Crew Member, Eileen never expected she'd become a Business Manager. But it was after being recognised by her manager and team that she realised it was the perfect job for her. "I never saw myself as a Business Manager, I almost had imposter syndrome. But everyone around me said I was practically doing the role, anyway, always putting in the extra effort and supporting the team."

Now firmly in her role as Business Manager, Eileen balances her time working across the restaurant floor, supporting her team and engaging with customers, blended with tasks like managing sales projections, staff scheduling, overseeing training and more. "No day is ever the same which is why I love it. There's always something to do."

Progressing from Crew Member to Shift Leader to Business Manager, Eileen credits the training and support McDonald's provides to her success. "There's so much invested in you when you start in McDonald's, as crew or as a manager. I've realised how much is given to make sure I can learn everything I need to, like how to be a great leader or leading the employee experience. McDonald's really supports me to be the best version of myself, enrols me on courses, provides me with resources and tools I need, everything is here."

Eileen also plays a key role in supporting her team, guiding them through their shifts and encouraging them to strive to develop like she did. "I'm a real mother hen – yes, sometimes you have to be the leader but I like to have that balance. I'm motivated to motivate my team. I love it when I can help people realise their potential and train them to be their best. I was given that encouragement, so I feel it's my job to build up the next team members and I love being able to give that to my team."

Even after 31 years, Eileen still gets up every day excited to come into work. And it's a credit to her determination as well as the great progression opportunities she's received. "You can work up the ladder, increase your salary and have an enjoyable career. If you love the job, the rest will fall into place. I left school at 16 and now I'm a Business Manager. I have a great team, great training, benefits, holidays. All of those things make me rich in happiness."

"You'll be surprised by what you learn here. You might actually just be starting the best job that you never knew you were going to have."

"McDonald's is a spider's web of roles and opportunities, so my advice would be to always look beyond the role you're applying for, because there's so many avenues here."

Every path Shaquille takes always leads him to a new one at McDonald's. Moving through restaurants, Shaquille's journey has been on the up and up and up - thanks to the opportunities he's been given and his sheer determination to achieve his goals. And he can't wait to see what else the future has in store.

As his first ever job, Shaquille thought he'd just work at McDonald's part time before pursuing other plans. Until things quickly progressed. "I started with McDonald's in Westfield before transferring while at uni. After finishing uni, I originally wanted a break but became engrossed in the idea of pushing myself and found more and more opportunities available at McDonald's."

These opportunities are seen as new challenges to Shaquille. And with new challenges, often came new locations. "I left Westfield then ended up moving through six different restaurants gaining more experience before getting promoted to Assistant Manager, then Business Manager. My first move was scary but it's built who I am today and allowed me to work with different markets, people, and places. It's a big wide world out there, and McDonald's helps you explore it."

14 years since he first joined, Shaquille is now back at Westfield as a Business Manager. "Back at the restaurant where I started, I get to see familiar faces here, including the person who trained me on my first day. My career really has gone full circle."

In his role, Shaquille focuses on people; making sure they are happy and supported, just like his manager does for him. "The most important thing in my day is looking after the people I work with. Making sure that when they do their roles they'll be able to do them to the best of their ability. We're all one big team and my responsibility is to lead. There's never been anything preventing me from developing, only encouragement. I'm always a big advocate for my team learning new things, and it all stems from my manager; from the culture that I've been a part of since I joined."

Shaquille also credits the incredible benefits he receives as a reason for him reaching his best. "People are always surprised by the things I've done at McDonald's. The flexibility has allowed me to juggle family life, I got to do a degree that was fully paid for by McDonald's and I have access to private healthcare. There are so many great benefits you couldn't get elsewhere. It's something I appreciate, and I push others to make the most of it too."

There's no doubting Shaquille has grown a lot at McDonald's, but he's not done yet. "I have big dreams for my future here. I've got the mindset to keep striving for more so who knows. There's plenty of avenues I can go down and I'm prepared to push myself to see how far I can go." And he can do it all, right here at McDonald's.

When Blake joined McDonald's, he was simply looking for a distraction during a tough time. But what he found was a career path full of opportunity, support, and personal growth.

Starting as a Crew Member, Blake quickly embraced the McDonald's experience - progressing through an apprenticeship, stepping into a Shift Leader role, and learning about People Practices. He also found purpose in giving back, getting involved with Ronald McDonald House Charities.

"I first started at McDonald's after coming out of a 2 month stay at hospital. I'd not long finished college and decided I needed a job as a distraction. I had limited experience so pretty much everywhere else denied me. I then applied to McDonald's and they took me on. It ended up being the perfect choice for me and I'm really happy I made the leap."

At McDonald's, it's not just about where you start - it's about where you can go. And as Blake looks back with pride at how far he's come, he's looking forward to his future, crediting the amazing education opportunities available at McDonald's. "I did my Level 2 Apprenticeship through Hamburger University which was all paid for by McDonald's, the education opportunities are amazing. Completing an apprenticeship has supported a lot of my teams' progression here, including my manager, and I'm actually working towards my Level 4 this year."

As well as his Shift Manager role, where he'll do tasks like managing the restaurant floor and shifts, Blake has recently started learning about People Practices within his restaurant. "I'm really interested in helping people feel safe and welcomed, so my manager has started teaching me about People Practices. I make sure people are working the right hours and get required breaks. I'm still learning but I'm enjoying it. I want to be the person people can go to if there's something wrong."

While Blake supports others in his roles, he's also found the support he gets from McDonald's really important. "I'm autistic and have some mental health issues as well, so I do find some days challenging, but everyone in my restaurant has always been very accepting and patient with me. I really appreciate how much McDonald's has taken interest in supporting neurodivergent people. It's incredibly important for me and so many others, and I hope I can do my bit to support other neurodivergent people too. I love getting to see people blossom."

But blossoming is something Blake has seen in himself too. "I've learnt loads of new skills working here. I used to be quite anxious talking to people but now I'm great with my team and customers. You also learn things like problem-solving, admin, management skills and even some technical skills with the amount of tech we work with. These are things I didn't expect to learn at all but the variety has been really interesting."

Since working at McDonald's, Blake has gained friends, experiences, and qualifications, alongside an abundance of skills that will set him up for life.

"Working with my team and customers and making everyone feel happy, safe and welcomed is incredibly important to me."

Crew Member Timothy has had quite the inspirational journey. Since joining McDonald's 2 years ago, he's made a real impact on his team, whilst growing as an individual too.

Timothy loves working at McDonald's. It's always had a special place in his heart (especially the McDonald's breakfasts), so when he was looking for a job that would help him earn money alongside his studies, he knew where to turn. "I didn't know if I would get the McDonald's job but I didn't give up and now here I am. It was really important that I got the chance to work here."

With the flexibility of his McDonald's working hours, Timothy gets to enjoy a variety of afternoon, evening and overnight shifts. "Working flexible shifts has meant I can work during half term or outside of school time to make sure I have money to support me. I always make sure I communicate about my hours with my managers. They're there to listen and be there for me, not only with shifts but other support as well."

As a member of the deaf community, Timothy faces challenges every day. But he doesn't let that stop him. In fact, he uses it to improve his skills, and his teams', introducing and teaching sign language to them. This not only gives Timothy more confidence to work with his team effectively but also helps any deaf customers who come into his restaurant, feel welcomed too. "Everyone has been encouraged to learn sign language, which is incredibly important to me. By making sure all staff know basic sign language, it helps people like me and other members of the deaf community."

Timothy is a go getter and loves helping others, always striving to create great experiences for every customer. "It's really important for me to give our customers a great experience and work with my team to make sure everything's running smoothly. I have a lot of fun here and enjoy working with the team. After always being supported by my managers, hopefully I can become a Manager one day so I can help train and support future Crew Members."

As Timothy continues to make strides in his role and among his team, he's looking forward to making his way up the career ladder at McDonald's, with a goal of becoming a Shift Leader. And he knows his team will be there for him, every step of the way.

"If you have the drive, the passion, and believe in yourself and McDonald's, you can get there."

Sinead thinks McDonald's and sees possibility. Never lets anything stop her from achieving her goals. Knows that even with challenges, she, and so many others can make a difference here.

Since being recruited by McDonald's back in 2003, Sinead has seen a lot of change – and been through a lot of change herself – but one thing has stayed the same: the amazing support at McDonald's.

As a People Manager, Sinead is always prepared to go the extra mile to benefit her team and the business. That has meant trying her hand at a whole load of different tasks, overseeing growing teams of people and learning new skills. But she wouldn't have it any other way. "Every day is different here. I've gone from overseeing 60 staff to now over 300 across 4 restaurants. I've been through so many changes here. It's never stayed the same and I'm always doing different jobs and studying new things. But whatever I'm doing, it's all about the people and keeping them happy. Without happy people, everything else in the business would suffer."

With Sinead having made use of the education opportunities at McDonald's, she tells all of her team – new or not – that there's options for them too. "There's so many career progression opportunities here at McDonald's. If you want to develop, McDonald's provides opportunities to learn and grow and they're open to everyone. Aaron our franchisee started off as a Crew Member when he was 16 and now owns 8 restaurants."

A few years into her career at McDonald's, Sinead was diagnosed with MS. But that didn't stop her from doing what she does best. "I was diagnosed with MS 5 years after starting at McDonald's, and it was only last year that I started using a wheelchair. I was so nervous about it but I didn't have to be. My Franchisee and Business Managers are so supportive. They give me confidence in my ability and strengths within the wider team. I feel so comfortable and appreciated at work. I know I'm valued and I'm never made to feel like I'm different."

"I don't see myself as being disabled, I see myself as being differently abled. I can still get out there, can still do my work and continue in the best way I can. I love coming in and meeting people. I'm faced with challenges, yes, but working here makes it worth it."

Sinead has pushed past her challenges and continues to use her passion for people to make an impact, because she knows it's possible at McDonald's.

"I think this is the perfect job for a uni student. The flexibility is always there."

Nor is all about grabbing opportunities with both hands. Going from drive thru to kitchen and progressing to Crew Trainer, Nor now has her sights set on the next step up. She does it all whilst balancing university, but it's more than possible at McDonald's.

After getting in contact with an old manager who found themselves at McDonald's, Nor applied to join the team as a Crew Member. Now as a Crew Trainer, Nor is ready to start training to become a manager. And she knows the opportunities are ready and waiting. "The opportunities come at McDonald's. For example, if you want to learn about new areas, managers will often ask the team if anyone is interested and you can volunteer, or they'll approach you directly. I always knew I wanted to progress, and progression comes around quite naturally in this environment."

And it's this environment that Nor loves most about working at McDonald's. It's given her confidence and new skills for life. "My favourite thing about working here is the culture. I love that everyone is so supportive of one another. When I started, I was very shy, but meeting new people and getting to know everyone really brought me out of my shell and helped me develop transferrable skills, like communication and problem solving, that I'll use forever."

As a University student, Nor believes this is a great place for her to work alongside her studies. With just the right amount of flexibility and support from her managers. "I think this is the perfect job for a university student. It's flexible enough for when you need to drop or swap a shift with someone or reduce or increase your hours. We have an app that helps us contact managers through private messaging, so there's constant, efficient communication. If I had another job it might be very rigid and I wouldn't be able to focus on university, focus on my job, and have both of those thriving at the same time, like I do here."

But it's not only support with her shift flexibility, Nor credits her managers for recognising her hard work, training her when she's ready, and guiding her through challenges. "My managers have been very supportive with me. They make sure I can focus on my assignments and they understand uni students like me need to have balance. They've also supported me through any challenges I come across and give me credit for my hard work. Even though I've had different managers over the years, every time a new one comes in they still want to train and help me to keep progressing. Being recognised by multiple managers really validates that I'm doing a good job here."

What about the future? Nor knows that her time at McDonald's may come to an end, but that isn't stopping her from keeping her bases covered and looking at the variety of roles McDonald's has to offer. "I've recently looked into potential Head Office roles I can progress into outside of the restaurant floor, such as People Manager. For as long as I stay, I definitely see myself progressing even further here."

"It's great here because you meet lots of different people - things are different all the time."

McDonald's has been all about change for Paul. A new career, followed by new roles, new restaurants, and new locations. But ironically, even with all that change, he wouldn't change a thing.

Although Paul had enjoyed a long and successful career, he felt it was time for a new direction. So he spoke to his sister - a McDonald's employee of over 30 years - and applied. Paul started his McDonald's journey in the Isle of Wight working in Customer Care at a drive -thru restaurant, before becoming a Customer Experience Leader at a high-street store. These changes in restaurants also allowed him to experience different hours, so he could find which worked best for him. "Working at the different types of restaurants I've worked evenings, daytime, and mornings. It's nice to work across the variety of times and adapt to them."

Being part of McDonald's meant Paul could relocate by transferring to a new store. "After moving to London with my partner I was lucky to be able to move my work too. If your circumstances change and you need to relocate somewhere else, there may be opportunities for you to transfer restaurant locations."

But that's not the only opportunity McDonald's offers. Even though Paul is happy to see out his career in his current role, he credits the learning opportunities McDonald's has available for those looking. "There's always learning opportunities here through programmes and apprenticeships. Even though I'm not looking to utilise these at the moment, I know for the new starters and younger workers seeking their first jobs, there's loads of opportunity at McDonald's."

In his role as Customer Experience Leader, Paul works with a variety of people every single day. And even though, like anywhere, there are days that are challenging, Paul thrives in the busy, friendly environment McDonald's has to offer, surrounded by a team who make every shift exciting. "I love seeing people smiling and happy, having fun and chatting with the customers. There are days that are challenging but I have a great team around me. We are one big team, from the kitchen to the back room right through to the dining area. It's a really pleasant atmosphere here, for people of all ages and backgrounds."

Paul has found work that he really loves at McDonald's, whilst being able to learn key skills too. And he'd recommend joining the team to anyone. "I've learnt great problem solving and people skills here. How to be more patient and relaxed, and how to keep calm under pressure, which has really helped me in my personal life too. I'd tell anyone thinking of applying that you'll do great here. They look after you and you'll always have a wide range of things to do."

"For the future, I'm just looking forward to every day, every shift, doing what I do best and meeting new people along the way."

"If I didn't work at McDonald's, I wouldn't have the confidence I have now."

Kashan is a completely different person to when she first started at McDonald's. Growing in confidence and ability, she's gone from Crew Member to Trainee Shift Leader – something she didn't even think possible.

Originally a part-time Crew Member, Kashan joined McDonald's in the hope she could earn enough money to buy herself a car and get her driver's license. Four months later she achieved her goal and six months after that she had a new ambition – becoming a manager. "I didn't even realise the opportunities were there. I thought I could only become a manager 5 or 6 years down the line, and because I'm at university studying law, I never thought it would happen for me before I graduated. After speaking to my manager, I was asked to train to be a Shift Leader.”

As a student, Kashan found balancing full-time studies with her full-time job mentally difficult. But McDonald's gave her the flexibility she needed to work hours at evenings and weekends that fit around her studies. Now building her way back up to full-time, she still utilises that flexibility, crediting how important it is for students like her. "I know I have the flexibility should I need it. It's really good for students at university. When they go on semester breaks, they don't need to worry about finding another job because they'll still have a place at McDonald's.”

But it's not just university Kashan has been supported through. Kashan initially struggled to feel settled and make friendships at work due to her social anxiety. Kashan approached her managers who then gave her the confidence and skills to change that, falling in love with her work because of it. She now has the confidence to speak to everybody and has learnt key skills for life. "My managers supported me through the hard times and the doubting myself and reassured me that I'm not alone. My severe social anxiety meant I couldn't even call the doctors. Engaging with customers everyday has improved my communication skills. Now I love clocking in. I even won Employee of the Year for my region – which made me incredibly proud.”

Kashan sees McDonald's as a place where everyone can belong. To her, it's not just about the food, it's about people of all backgrounds coming together. Whether crew or customers. "I love the different cultures at McDonald's. It's very inclusive and embraces people from all backgrounds. It's nice to see everyone welcomed and to know the customers are happy because the crew are happy. To me it's never just about making burgers.”

"There are so many options here. You can work part time while you study like me, or you can make a career out of it. It's flexible, you have great benefits, and you can really enhance your skills. I'd tell anyone to join McDonald's.”