Timisha Haylock writes: Ladies and gentlemen of the board, I stand before you today to share my journey, a journey marked by determination, resilience, and an unwavering belief in my own potential; a journey that began in 2012 when I made the bold decision to leave the financial corporate world and pursue a field that truly brought joy to my soul: culinary arts.
Leaving behind my then 1½-year-old daughter, I embarked on 4½ years of university education. In 2016, I graduated with a Bachelor’s in Culinary Arts, Food and Beverage Service Management, with a minor in Baking and Pastry and Event Planning. As the recipient of the Ritz-Carlton Culinary Scholarship, we were assured of a job within the kitchen upon graduation.
However, when I reached out to the lady in charge, I was told that I could not be placed in the kitchen due to my lack of experience. I was offered a position in housekeeping instead, with the suggestion that maybe, in a year or two, I could apply for a kitchen position once I was already in the door.
I was determined to be in the kitchen where my passion lies, and as a Caymanian, I believed there was a place for me. This marked the beginning of my journey in applying for jobs. My first goal was to enter the restaurant industry here in the Cayman Islands and start honing my skills.
I began applying for jobs before even leaving university, but I was unable to secure a position. Nevertheless, I returned home and continued to apply for jobs in my industry.
When the new Kimpton hotel was opening in 2016, I attended the interview session. The hiring manager looked over my resume with amazement and disbelief, questioning whether I truly possessed all the skills listed. After affirming that I did, the interview began. I thought everything was going well until the end, when the manager told me that although I was great on paper and in person, he couldn’t hire me because I was “too much of a threat”.
He couldn’t justify to the immigration board why they needed a work permit when I, a qualified Caymanian, was available. He even offered me a position as a pool girl instead, which I declined, as my heart was set on working in the kitchen.
Despite these setbacks, I continued to pursue my dreams. A job opportunity at Bon Vivant Kitchen Store came my way and I took it. However, due to circumstances beyond my control, I had to walk away from that position. I resumed job hunting, sending out resumes to various places. During this time, I began baking and selling banana bread to generate some income, and assisted my parents with their company as an HR officer and manager, further honing my skills in the management field.
Along doing this, I launched a small private chef company called TIA’s Table, catering to visitors, parties, weddings, and more, with our largest event serving 150 people. This venture lasted for approximately four years until COVID-19 forced us to close our doors. We lived off our savings until they were depleted, and unfortunately, like many other small businesses, we were unable to bounce back due to a lack of financial backing.
After the birth of my second daughter, I decided to take a year off to be with her fully. Six months in, I began job hunting again, knowing the process could take time. Yet, I kept hitting dead ends. Applications went unanswered, or when I did receive a response, I was told I was either overqualified or underqualified.
I applied to numerous places, including Dart’s restaurants, Dart Corporate Office, gas stations, and various food industry businesses like Fosters, Kirk’s, and Hurley’s, etc. On a few occasions, I was called in for an interview, only to later see work permit holders in the positions I had applied for.
Nevertheless, I kept applying, even at Kimpton once again. Despite being invited there as a guest chef for one of their Chef Table dinners during Women’s Month, my application was overlooked; no calls came. I began exploring opportunities outside my culinary degree, tapping into my skills in events and design. Even though I didn’t hold a full degree in these fields, my minor in event and wedding planning gave me a deep understanding of the industry, and I was willing to start from the bottom to build a new career.
Throughout my entrepreneurial journey, I learned valuable lessons as a business owner and operator, building significant strengths that could be used in any industry. Knowing this, I reached out to marketing businesses on the island, asking if they had any entry-level positions where I could use my skills to make a career change. I received a response from only one company, yet I continued applying for jobs in culinary, events, marketing, HR, and operations.
By mid-2023, after applying for over 200 jobs in the Cayman Islands over the last two years, I finally got a few interviews. Unfortunately, I didn’t secure a single job, only to see expats filling positions I was qualified to do. For example, during an interview at Morritt’s in East End, I was told off the record to keep looking elsewhere because they didn’t want to hire me, a Caymanian, as they would have to pay me a decent salary for my qualifications.
A little later, I was invited to interview for a position in Events and Marketing at Tortuga. The initial interview went well, and they asked me back for a second interview, where I was required to create a presentation. They wanted to focus on their rum cakes and rebrand to push other areas of the business. They provided me with a scenario and gave me 48 hours to prepare my presentation.
I stayed up late, meticulously creating events tailored to their needs — events to reintroduce the bakery, integrate social media recipes, and more. I presented these ideas during the interview, and they absolutely loved it.
They made me an offer; however, the salary they proposed was less than $1,500 take-home, a figure impossible to survive on in the Cayman Islands given the cost of living. They expected me to work weekends, handle all after-hours events, create new marketing ideas, manage a team of two, and train staff at all their locations.
I did my research on the going rate for such a position without a degree and presented my findings, stating my case for a fairer salary. They acknowledged my research and said they would get back to me.
After about a week and a half, I noticed that the ideas I had pitched were being rolled out on social media. Tortuga even held the bakery walk-through event that I had suggested, using everything I had presented without my permission. Three weeks later, they finally came back to me, but only offered about $100 more than their initial proposal.
This experience highlighted the unethical practices I have encountered, and I turned down the offer because I knew my worth. I refused to sell myself short in my own country. I continued my job hunt and applied for four different positions at the new hotel, Indigo, which both the hotel and the government claimed would create jobs for local Caymanians. Yet, despite being a Caymanian and applying to four kitchen positions, I did not even receive an interview.
I then sought the help of multiple recruitment companies, diligently filling out their “Contact Me” forms as instructed and applying to jobs posted on their sites. However, I was met with silence — no calls, no emails, no assistance. This happened repeatedly with agencies like Nova and The Agency. Despite this poor treatment, I continued applying for jobs through these companies.
Eventually, I did receive a few responses, but they led nowhere. In some cases, the communication simply stopped, while in others, they failed to submit my application as promised, only to later tell me, “Oops, we forgot, and the position has been filled. It doesn’t make sense to submit it now, but we’ll keep looking.”
I ask you, who is being held accountable for this? As we enter 2025, I find myself disheartened after up to 300 job applications sent out. I am a born Caymanian with generational Caymanian ancestors, yet I am made to feel like a second-class citizen in my own country. What does this say about Cayman? What message does this send to our Caymanians?
I’d like to put this into perspective: We are told to get a degree, to follow our dreams, to create our path and stand tall. But when we return home, we can’t get a job. We can’t gain the years of experience that companies demand, and we can’t hone our skills in our homeland. Meanwhile, others come here and capitalise on the opportunities that should be available to Caymanians.
We live in a country where being Caymanian feels like a death sentence to our aspirations. I graduated with honours in 2016, and yet, I have not been able to secure a job in my area of expertise. I say this again: I graduated with honours in 2016, and I have not been able to secure a job in my area of degree.
This is my home, and I should not feel like I don’t belong in my own country. My forefathers worked to create a home for us. My grandfather lost his life at sea, leaving his children behind, while he was contributing to the building of this country.
And now, I find myself being told that I’m not good enough in my own country as an expat is considered better suited, either because they supposedly know more or perhaps due to cheaper labour.
Why is that? Why do we in Cayman feel that a Caymanian with the same skills, or even more, cannot do the job, run the tourism sector, or cater to the needs of our own people in a lot of industries? And no, it is not because we are not applying or well suited, because we are.
My grandfather didn’t die for anyone to stand on my neck. Yet, our necks are being stood on with a smile of acceptance, hidden behind the façade of “Cayman Kind”.
It breaks my heart to share this, and it saddens me to think of how the mental health of future generations will suffer because they may find it impossible to make Cayman their true home.
