Mechanics question

[KAgantua]

Mate of mine has worked at a few garages recently (hes a mechanic) but being a bit of a softy, each job he goes to he never seems to get an employment contract, and is 'pressured' into doing funny hours with no extra payment (ie overtime) and they are often late paying (citing 'cash flow problems').

Are all garages like this or is my mate just a bit of a mug?