Case Study

Cocktail and rum bar MOJO in Manchester promises ‘Good Times Forever’. New bartender James is a big part of delivering that promise, expertly mixing cocktails and entertaining customers at the late-night hotspot famed for its popular mix of banging beats and killer cocktails. Yet the 24 year-old from Moston has faced anything but good times in recent years and hopes that with help from the Restart Scheme, his new job is the start of a much happier future. 

 

When James lost his mum in a car accident in 2020 it triggered four tumultuous years dealing with bereavement, redundancy, and depression in the midst of the pandemic. James moved from Preston to Manchester to live with his dad and worked in a call centre before being made redundant and struggling to find work for more than a year. 

 

“It was pretty horrendous,” James recalls. “I wouldn’t have got through it without my dad. At first, I just couldn’t face trying to work, but then I’d spend hours every day applying for jobs and not getting anywhere. I was just stuck at home, not feeling good about myself. When the Jobcentre sent me to Ingeus I was still very down, I didn’t have high hopes, but they were very welcoming, very human, and just talked to me as a person. It was exactly what I needed.”  

 

The Restart Scheme is delivered by Ingeus across Greater Manchester. It provides government funded advice, motivation, and practical employability support to unemployed people. James met with Restart Advisor Nathaniel and the pair quickly clicked.  

 

James continues: “Nathaniel helped update my CV and put me on Ingeus courses for job searching and interview techniques. He kept in regular contact with me outside of our appointments and went out of his way to contact bars in Manchester for vacancies. I’d worked in hospitality pre-Covid but didn’t know if my skills would be up to scratch. Nathaniel got me an interview at MOJO and even sorted interview clothing for me to attend. Once I’d got the job we talked about the practicalities of starting work and balancing life with the late night hours. I couldn’t have asked for more; Ingeus has been such a big help to me.” 

 

A self-confessed night owl, James works full-time at MOJO, which opens until 5.30am at weekends. He’s undertaking mixology training to master the ‘spec’, or recipe, for 150 cocktails that the bar serves and is busily practising his bottle flipping and other ‘flare’ showman skills. 

 

“I love making Flaming Zombies because you set fire to them,” he adds. “I don’t miss going out drinking myself but this way I still get to enjoy the environment and have a dance behind the bar! 

 

“It’s so good to be able to pay my dad a reasonable rent and still save a little for the future. I’d like to go back to college and train to be an electrician in the future but right now I’ve made good friends at work and really enjoy it.”