Jobs, what was your first, worst, best etc ?

[KissThis]

My first job was delivering leaflets at the tender age of 6 or 7 years. Initially the leaflet round was my 12/13 year old brothers, along with a newspaper round. I used to help with both, and after a little while took over the leaflet part myself This was back in 1968/69, and if I remember correctly, my wage was sixpence (2 1/2 p I do believe ) I had to deliver up and down Guildford Road, including the cul-de-sacs, and also Grantham Road. Can you imagine the furore that would cause now!

Worst job.. Well I had two of those. One at the age of 11, the egg farm down Moss Road. Saturday and Sunday mornings, I think it was 6am till noon, 50p a day (or was it ten bob? No, post decimalisation, it was 50p) Even back then, it broke my heart seeing the hens so horribly treated and hurt and I had to leave. Got a rip-roaring rollicking off my dad for being ''Too bl**dy lazy and wanting everything served to me on a plate''. EEK!
My other 'worst' was a factory where my supervisor absolutely hated me and made life hell. She even admitted one day ''Every time I open my mouth it is to tell you off for something.''. I suggested that she didn't keep ******* well opening it in that case. Not sure which came first that day, my suggestion as to where she could stick her job, or her statement that I no longer HAD a job
Loads of 'best' jobs! Two of which were, a general labourer and 'hoddy' in a building gang, and many moons later running the market cafe before everything changed.
I was one of the people who actually did love working, and I certainly started nice and young

[MICK/GILLY]

Paper round (Guildford rd), Egg farm (same one and yes the staff were cruel), Fairground ( Fun house owned by sunnyside / monitor should have been at school but), Greengrocers shop (Lamb family Heathfield rd), Egg farm (hey I am local) Cavenhams (Toffee factory Virginia St essence dept), R.S.Slinn (Tulketh st paint shop where Partners is now), YOP scheme (Gardening and general maintenance later transferring to Scaling/priming/painting Southport pier, Cockler (Started with the Rimmers at Southport, Pilling/Knot end, Morcambe bay, Flookburgh, Bardsea/Barrow), Geophysical survey technician (Horizon Exploration ltd, seismic surveys / contracts countrywide working within the many crews in the party such as the Vib crews, Drilling crews, low velocity loading crews /LVL, Gelatin gelignite placing/ blasting dep't and the front and rear line recording crews on land crews 9 and 11), Fairground again ( This time it was owned by Blackpool Pleasure Beach and I worked in their treasury dep't as Chief collector in charge of collecting all monies on site from rides, stalls including taking percentages from private concessions, catering, all arcade empties, all departments stile, tickets and float spot checks, checking departments safes and banking and in the winter we would take rides down and paint them, sometimes move them and put them back up again, lots of painting), Elizabeth Shaw/Famous names/Leaf UK.. (Yes back to the toffee factory on nights then transferred to shift work and ended up as the company Social and Charity committee Chairman and with my connections at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, my new found cousin that drives for Formby coaches and negotiated funding from the company, I put on yearly excursions with a great deal for factory staff, I did this year after year up to 3 coaches leaving for a full day, for a tenner they would get 20 class A ride tickets, coach travel, meal voucher for one of the five themed restaurants and a ticket for one of the many shows on site, such as Mystique , Hot ice, Paul Zerdin, Vladimir and the like, entrance to Ripleys believe it or not and a stick of rock.. because you cant go to Blackpool and not get a stick of rock, departing after the last shows at midnight not bad for a tenner,we also collected for many charities. The whole factory day out idea came to me after watching carry on at your convenience. Sometimes when I close my eyes I can picture every inch and every staff on every shift on the three floors of that factory and the ones I bump into nowerdays that are still alive most of them would go back tomorrow if they could the secret to the factory keeping staff was that we got through the day easily and the work was varied ON DOUBLE AND TRIPLE TIME) I left to be a single parent with my first son and soon found myself becoming Transport Manager/driver for Acer recruitment dealing with over 200 staff from all over the world with names that I had never heard of before placing/transporting/paying and accommodating them and generally looking after them, married one from Brazil for another 11 yrs while working for Renacres food services delivering fruit and veg to 60 schools a day from Southport as far as Fleetwood including Bowland area, worked a stressfully short time for the Dutch bakery as a driver then discovered this site and started a local well liked man and van removal business before getting divorced and now spending lots of time with my second young 9yr old son, now when I am asked what is my occupation I reply ..Gentleman. the most consistent thing I have achieved in all this is making friends.

[Albion102]

I worked in my parents' shop from very early on - I seem to remember doing odd jobs there from about 10 yo, but my first proper job was at 18 working as a porter at the fruit and vegetable market. £20pw for 5am to 1pm shifts, six days a week.

The worst job was as a graduate trainee at Sainsbury. I spent a week doing nothing but either shelf filling or learning how to fill shelves and gave it up after a week.

Best job was when I worked for totesport in Wigan, fantastic salary for the north, some years touching on six figures with bonuses. Decent pension and fully expensed company car and a really good craic. I could spend the day at the Grand National and call it work. A lot of the time it was no more than 9 till 5 and only a 35 minute drive from Southport. However I got bored and joined a charity, took, after bonuses, a 35% pay cut.

[gazaprop]

Crikey - never mind first, worst and best - folk seem intent on doing a Barry White and listing their first, their last - their everything!

First - caddying on S&A from aged about 9. Worst - unloading sacks of cockles for Kershaws Frozen Foods at daft o'clock each morning. Best - without a doubt - soldiering.

[Hamble]

First career path-went there got the cert decided not for me.
Ditto 2nd but that was paid during training.
3rd job qualified and paid.
4th job combined with 3rd motherhood loved it.

5th job total career path change got with no experience other than 1st
2nd and 3rd job experience.
Turned out to be absolute best stayed until permanent relocation to main office in Manchester central became a no no.

6th job-another total career change offered solely on reference from 5th job.
Loving it.

Apart from when the children were really young have always done voluntary jobs of a wide variety in the community alongside paid work and still do.

[Albion102]

Good point - the most rewarding thing I have done is to volunteer. I was Chair of Parkhaven Trust in Maghull and I'm very proud of what we achieved over that period,

[theantiquesman]

one job man

odd job man

53rd years theantiques man

all good jobs

[GRUMPY-1]

Started at 12 with paper round , got a saturday job at 14 in a friend of the families garage which led to an apprentice possition , left this at 18 and worked in few factorys doin labouring, got a job as an upholsterer which lasted till i was around 24, the company folded so i was unemployed and had no choice but to start working on nightclubs as door staff which was ok of a weekend but needed other work so done a bit of retail security , supposed to be temp job but stuck the doors and security for 10years. Learned to plaster and done that whilst doing my doorwork for bit and now i am in the building game.

[grassroots]

My first was at a metal drum manufacturers in the Southend of Liverpool.
My best , by far 22 years in the armed forces . Saw the world , met some great people whom I'm still friendly with thirty years after leaving . And l learnt a lot about myself .
See my first , hated every minute of it .

[bambi275]

Aged 13 I worked in Holmwood Preparatory School for Boys in Formby. Every Sunday morning my job was to prepare the veg in the kitchens for Sunday dinner for a couple of hundred boarders and staff. The potatoes used to come in plastic sacks, ready peeled and soaked in a chemical to stop them going brown. If they weren't used quickly enough the chemical would turn the spud to mush and i'd have to keep rinsing them under running water until I got to firm potato.
Duties also included washing the mixing bowl and blades that cook used. The bowl was on a stand on the floor and was nearly hip level. Lugging that into the sink was no mean feat. I also had to dismantle the electric meat slicer, wash it and put it back together. I discovered it was quite handy to slice the cucumber on there for the tea time salads. Finally, clear out the indoor and outdoor food pantries ready for the staff on Monday
Came out with less than a fiver for working 8-1 and thought I was minted. On a plus point, cook held fantastic Christmas parties for us all.
Such a beautiful building and they pulled it down to build luxury homes - such a shame.

[bambi275]

Paper round (Guildford rd), Egg farm (same one and yes the staff were cruel), Fairground ( Fun house owned by sunnyside / monitor should have been at school but), Greengrocers shop (Lamb family Heathfield rd), Egg farm (hey I am local) Cavenhams (Toffee factory Virginia St essence dept), R.S.Slinn (Tulketh st paint shop where Partners is now), YOP scheme (Gardening and general maintenance later transferring to Scaling/priming/painting Southport pier, Cockler (Started with the Rimmers at Southport, Pilling/Knot end, Morcambe bay, Flookburgh, Bardsea/Barrow), Geophysical survey technician (Horizon Exploration ltd, seismic surveys / contracts countrywide working within the many crews in the party such as the Vib crews, Drilling crews, low velocity loading crews /LVL, Gelatin gelignite placing/ blasting dep't and the front and rear line recording crews on land crews 9 and 11), Fairground again ( This time it was owned by Blackpool Pleasure Beach and I worked in their treasury dep't as Chief collector in charge of collecting all monies on site from rides, stalls including taking percentages from private concessions, catering, all arcade empties, all departments stile, tickets and float spot checks, checking departments safes and banking and in the winter we would take rides down and paint them, sometimes move them and put them back up again, lots of painting), Elizabeth Shaw/Famous names/Leaf UK.. (Yes back to the toffee factory on nights then transferred to shift work and ended up as the company Social and Charity committee Chairman and with my connections at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, my new found cousin that drives for Formby coaches and negotiated funding from the company, I put on yearly excursions with a great deal for factory staff, I did this year after year up to 3 coaches leaving for a full day, for a tenner they would get 20 class A ride tickets, coach travel, meal voucher for one of the five themed restaurants and a ticket for one of the many shows on site, such as Mystique , Hot ice, Paul Zerdin, Vladimir and the like, entrance to Ripleys believe it or not and a stick of rock.. because you cant go to Blackpool and not get a stick of rock, departing after the last shows at midnight not bad for a tenner,we also collected for many charities. The whole factory day out idea came to me after watching carry on at your convenience. Sometimes when I close my eyes I can picture every inch and every staff on every shift on the three floors of that factory and the ones I bump into nowerdays that are still alive most of them would go back tomorrow if they could the secret to the factory keeping staff was that we got through the day easily and the work was varied ON DOUBLE AND TRIPLE TIME) I left to be a single parent with my first son and soon found myself becoming Transport Manager/driver for Acer recruitment dealing with over 200 staff from all over the world with names that I had never heard of before placing/transporting/paying and accommodating them and generally looking after them, married one from Brazil for another 11 yrs while working for Renacres food services delivering fruit and veg to 60 schools a day from Southport as far as Fleetwood including Bowland area, worked a stressfully short time for the Dutch bakery as a driver then discovered this site and started a local well liked man and van removal business before getting divorced and now spending lots of time with my second young 9yr old son, now when I am asked what is my occupation I reply ..Gentleman. the most consistent thing I have achieved in all this is making friends.

Are you sure you didn't get the idea for 'factory days out' from Thomsons themselves? Blackpool pleasure beach owned part of Southport for years under the company name of Helters and each year Norman, Bill & Co would meet us all in Barons bar for butties and drinks before getting onto coaches for Blackpool. Once There, we had sheets of ride tickets then went for a meal and to see a show all courtesy of the Thompson's who would be there with the staff of Blackpool.

[The PNP]

First fulltime job was salesman/keyholder at age 15yrs in a local camera shop - on a meagre £6.10/- (£6.50p) per week.

[said]

First job, Caller at Whist Drives (age five) - no pay, forced volunteer.
Worst Job: Smedley Hydro, Southport.
Best Job: Developing and Manufacturing equipment on contract for NASA with local MOD.

[KissThis]

Crikey - never mind first, worst and best - folk seem intent on doing a Barry White and listing their first, their last - their everything!

[KissThis]

First job, Caller at Whist Drives (age five) - no pay, forced volunteer.
Worst Job: Smedley Hydro, Southport.
Best Job: Developing and Manufacturing equipment on contract for NASA with local MOD.

I worked at the Smedley Hydro too, about 1978 I think it was, in A.I.2
Horrendous, monotonous job