Experienced students say they were used as ‘free labour’ in unpaid trial shifts at Megan’s

Image: Megan's

By Alice Pewter

Popular Surrey and London restaurant chain Megan's has advertised for staff for months despite rejecting experienced student applicants after unpaid trial shifts.

Two 20-year-old students say they completed unpaid trial shifts serving customers alone at Megan’s in Surbiton, only to be declined jobs without explanation.

Olivia Dias-Hall, a journalism student at Kingston University, completed a three-hour trial shift in March 2025 after applying to the Surbiton and Kingston branches several times.

“I have four years of hospitality experience. I work in a fine dining restaurant. I’m a senior waitress and also supervise sometimes,” she said.

Dias-Hall said she wanted work closer to campus. “I go to university in Kingston and was going home every week to work, and I didn’t want to go home so often, so I tried to get a job in Kingston.”

She described Megan’s as far less demanding than her current role in fine dining, which requires extensive knowledge of flavour pairings and efficient service.

During her trial shift, she said she was quickly put to work. “I ended up serving food, serving drinks, taking orders,” she said. “It got busier… I was basically doing tables by myself.”

Dias-Hall said she was sent home earlier than expected. “I think I was there for less than they told me to be, so then at that point I’m thinking, ok, I haven’t even done the full time, they must like me,” she said.

After a month without contact, she chased the branch for an answer. Instead, she was told she wasn’t suited to the role, without any explanation.

“I wasn’t paid, I was given no explanation, it was basically free labour,” Dias-Hall said.

Ella Marriott, a creative writing student at Kingston University, said she had a similar experience at the Surbiton branch in August 2025.

“I’ve had four years’ experience of working and I’d done waitressing at another job for eight months, so I did know what I was doing,” she said.

Marriott said she had been applying widely for part-time work to support herself during her studies.

Initially scheduled for a short trial, she said the shift was extended because the manager felt the restaurant was too quiet to assess her abilities.

“I was thinking at this point, surely I’m going to get the job if you’re making me do another hour for free,” she said.

Marriott said she handled customers alone. “It was getting busier, but I made no mistakes, I was taking orders myself,” she said. “I had a table of 20 people.”

Despite this, Marriott was rejected after around two hours and told she was not suited to the job.

When she asked why, Marriott said the manager told her that she was too shy and should gain more confidence.

Marriott disputed that assessment and described feeling patronised. “I’ve had four years’ worth of job experience. I don’t get nervous at any job at all, even a job interview.”

“Two hours of free labour just to tell me that I am shy, when I definitely am not,” she said.

Under UK guidance, trial shifts must be paid if they last eight hours or more, if a candidate works alone serving customers, or if the business directly benefits, such as covering busy periods.

Typically, trial shifts are one to two hours and involve shadowing a senior member of staff to assess basic competencies. They are not intended to involve candidates running tables independently or serving customers unsupervised.

Both students say Megan’s continues to advertise vacancies at its Surbiton and Kingston branches months after their applications were rejected, raising questions about recruitment practices affecting students seeking part-time work.