Darnell is 35 years old, from the U.S. and is one of our couriers. He moved to Norway to be closer to his son and to be a father. He’s now been a foodora courier for just over a month, and we’ve had a chat with him about his experiences and how work can be combined with both family life, his spare time and other interests.
A toddler and spare time activities are easier to combine with a flexible job
As a father and having several interests in his spare time, the flexibility Darnell gets from being a foodora courier is absolutely superb.
– I’ve now worked at foodora for just over a month, and I’m very happy with the flexibility, the opportunity to be my own boss and manage my own timetable. Being able to set up my week the way I want is very important to me.
– The only unfortunate incident I’ve had on a shift so far is that my bike was stolen after I forgot to lock it – which really sucked. But I have insurance via BikeFinder that foodora offers, so hopefully I’ll get a new one soon, even though I miss my bike!
Time flies while cycling through the city
Time flies when you are out delivering food and orders to customers, and Darnell experiences that his working day flies by quickly.
– A normal day at work for me starts just before four o’clock. I take the bike with me from Nordstrand, where I live, to the area around Bjørvika and central Oslo. When I’m in place, I set the app to auto-accept, so that I automatically receive a new order when I’ve finished another one. That way I don’t have to think about it too much. Then time really just flies, and before I know it, it’s around nine-ten, and I’m done for the day and I’m heading home again.
– When I have breaks during the day, I make sure I get something to eat and drink, preferably an energy drink, and then I sit down and rest until the break is over before I go out and make deliveries again.
Nice meeting both couriers, restaurant workers and customers
There is not much interaction between couriers during the working day when you’re out cycling, but Darnell receives both friendly nods and waves when he meets them along the way. At the same time, a short chat with both the restaurant workers and regular customers is a nice part of his shifts.
– Us couriers don’t interact that much with each other, really. I just log into the app, pick up a shift, bring my bike and start delivering food. When I meet other foodora couriers on the road, we usually give each other a nice nod and smile or a handshake, depending on how much time we have. Whereas if we see any couriers from our competitors, then it’s probably a cold stare or shoulder. No, just kidding. But it would have been fun to have a friendly competition against them, perhaps volleyball or basketball. Which we would win, of course!
– In most restaurants, there isn’t much interaction with the workers there either, we mostly talk about the order I’m going to pick up. Whereas in some restaurants, if I get food there often, we like to chat and get to know each other a bit, which is very nice.
– Sometimes I also deliver food to the same people during the week, so you actually get to know them a bit too and have a nice chat between deliveries.
Kids, sports and travels gets plenty of space as a foodora courier
Darnell is a keen American football player, and is part of a team in Oslo, where he also takes the time to play both American football and basketball on his own time as well.
– While I’m not working, I like to play basketball and American football, preferably in Kubaparken, Haugerudhallen or Bislett, but basically wherever I can find a court and a ball to play with. I also play for the American football team Oslo Vikings, which is actually one of two American football teams in Oslo, which not many people know. We have a fun rivalry with the other team, Oslo Trolls.
– Otherwise, I spend a lot of time with my son, binge Netflix series, and travel. I’ve been to both the Netherlands and Germany before I came to Norway, so I seize the opportunity as soon as I can experience a new country. Which is perfect to combine with the flexibility I get as a foodora courier.
Do you want to know more? Read about Hossain’s experiences as a foodora courier!