🎥 Chaos, Cameras, and the Core Rules
The administrative checklist was finally complete, leading to the mandatory Foodora Digital Car Onboarding session on mid October. If the application process was bureaucratic, this session was a lesson in digital chaos management.
👥 A Room of Foreign Recruits
The session was run via Google Meet and included a large group of new recruits—I estimated between 40 and 50 people were logged in. A quick survey of the participants revealed a significant demographic detail: virtually all the recruits were foreigners, specifically from Arab, African, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Afghan backgrounds.
Interestingly, as far as I could tell, there were no women among the recruits. This observation matched what I had already noticed on the streets: almost every Foodora rider I see working is a man.
A woman led the training, and her opening minutes were dedicated entirely to compliance. She insisted that everyone turn on their webcams and remain muted. She then proceeded to literally name every single person who did not comply, demanding they turn their camera on. It was a firm, slightly unsettling start that emphasized control and mandatory attendance. As a final attendance check, she instructed everyone to write their name in the chat.
🔄 The Repetitive Presentation
The actual content of the training was comprehensive but incredibly repetitive. The entire presentation was structured around showing an informational video, and then having the presenter read the exact same script that was just in the video. There was little to no extra value added to the information, which caused visible annoyance among some participants.
The session did, however, cover all the necessary groundwork for starting the job. The key areas of discussion were:
| Category | Topics Covered |
|---|---|
| Logistics & Systems | How to Deliver with Foodora (pickup/delivery workflow), Rider App functions, Live Support & Rider Help contact protocols. |
| Employment & Time | Scheduling (booking slots), Taking Time Off procedures, Sickness Leave requirements. |
| Safety & Compensation | Safety rules, Driving During the Shift expectations for car riders, and Salary overview. |
❓ The Unanswered Questions
Toward the end, the presenter opened the floor for questions. While some basic inquiries were addressed, many of the more nuanced, situational questions—the ones that truly matter when you’re on the road—were not answered to my satisfaction. It felt like the training was effective for basic information transfer but less effective for real-world problem-solving.
Despite the frustrating and chaotic nature of the session, it served its purpose: I had been walked through the necessary rules and systems. The next step was signing the contract, which happened a few days later late October, 2025.