Cleaning offices in Leeds City Centre for my Grandparents business. It was a couple of hours every night (between 7PM and 10PM) and looking back it was pretty much a breeze. Polish some desks, empty some bins and have a good laugh with the rest of the team. Pay was good too, helped me save up for my first car.
My Nan was in hospital recently so I covered her shift back at one of the old buildings. Was weird going back after eight years. It made me laugh because back then, I used to look at all those people still in the offices at 7-8pm and think, why havenāt you gone home yet?! Now thatās me when Iāve got my head stuck in a design!
Technically, my first job was a paper boy route when I was 10, around 1995. I delivered around 20 national newspapers daily after primary school over a 3 miles route around my large village which took about an hour on my bike. I was paid Ā£5 per week for 5 days work, which for a 10 year old in 1995 (comes to around Ā£9.45 in 2018 prices), wasnāt really that bad. I did lie about my age, but I was very tall back then.
My first payroll job was a catering assistant at ASDA, aged 17, on the Food To Go counter as a Christmas temporary worker. They kept me on after until I went to university. I worked 2 evening shifts during the week and the Sunday midday rush. I was paid Ā£4.32 per hour which was above the both the 18-21 and 22+ year olds minimum wage (Ā£3.50 and Ā£4.20 respectfully) in 2003. Hats off to ASDA, although I do remember I had a worse contract to my colleagues as I was after the 1999 Walmart purchase.
I was 18 when I got my first job. It was telemarketing- for an insurance upgrade or something and loathed it. Paid Ā£4/ hour + commission but we got verbal abuse from supervisors every day and unsurprisingly, the turnover rate was high. I lasted only a month.
I felt awful working as the sort of person I personally disliked receiving calls from some people were genuinely lovely and Iāve since tried to be a bit more gracious while hanging up on cold callers I still cba with āI heard you were in a car accidentā¦ā ones. I donāt own a car!! Go away!!
I had one of those only this afternoon. She started off with the usual, āHello Iād like to talk to you about the car accident you were recently inā
To which I replied, āOh before you do, Iād like to talk to you about the life choices you took which led you to being the type of annoying c-nt whoāll call my phone and make sh-t upā
At which the whole office burst out laughing. And she paused for two seconds, made an āummā sound, and hung up.
Iāve gone for the full list of jobs over 24 years Iāve had 8 employers
British legion glass collector aged 14/15 got sacked for wanting to go on Holiday
McDonaldās 16/17 Ā£2.66 an hour not enough for value meal that was Ā£2.88 really hard work
Asda curry pot then selling petrol fun during the strikes
L&g placement year almost got sacked for telling a colleague job was boring - good lesson to learn on who to trust
Deliver curries final year of uni - free food
Trainee accountant - infrastructure company awesome team such a laugh made redundant nice pay off
Software company temp contract resigned after 3 month manager was horrible cost them Ā£8k recruitment fee
Accountant housing association - current job
I donāt know how anyone actually falls for those?? How many people do they have to call before they even find someone who was in a car accident? They need a better line!