I am currently a teacher after studying as a mature student but as I am sure is the case for lots of folk, I have done many different jobs in my time. Wondered if you lot may want to admit to those past occupations! Here are mine, in chronological order:
Shop assistant - Boots Chemist, window dresser - Boots Chemist, College, Cafe Assistant, Clerk, Mum x3, but also worked part-time as: Night Care assistant - old folks, youth club leader, teaching assistant, dinner lady, break time supervisor, free-lance caterer and window dresser, Technology Technician, University, Domestic cleaner in a B&B, Teacher of Special Needs, Teacher of ‘normal’ kids.
Think thats all, needless to say they don’t all appear on my CV!
shelf stacker in supermarket, check-out in supermarket, receptionist, accounts clerk, betterware agent, avon agent, community and youth centre steward, VAT & PAYE for a chartered accountant, technical advisor for an ISP, complaints liason officer for ISP, purchase ledger clerk.
also been a wife for a very limited time (didn’t like it o resigned) and mother for 19+ years
Oh, let’s see now. Chronological order, that’s a tall order. Dish collector in Woolies caff, junior shorthand typist, secretary x about 12, mum x 2, egg seller door to door, cleaned in local pub, took in typing from home, self-employed mobile snack bar (that was fun), typed books for blind and converted them to Braille, computer liaison for same company, personal assistant to the b!tch from hell, back to college to retrain to become court reporter, after novelty wore off decided didn’t like court work, now self-employed transcribing court cases from home (not done much in last 3 years though). Married 38 years.
Counted up how many jobs I’d had and a few years ago it came to around 35. Once I’ve a job under my belt I get bored and move on.
Most boring job - 6 weeks addressing envelopes in the school holidays. There was a team of 6 schoolkids so it did have some laughs in it and we got paid £4 per week for girls, £5 for the boys!!
shop assistant - woolworths, telephonist, chamber maid, care assistant, care home manager, nvq assessor, learning support assistant and customer service advisor now (ooh how scary!!!).
Mum of 4 married to the best man in the world now for the last 7 years
Loved working on the pick and mix when I was 16 in woolies!! those were the days!!
helter skelter cushion assistant on Brighton Pier, Boots, Post Office at Christmas, lots of secretarial jobs, PA restaurant chain and nightclub, Mother, Wife, Stepmother, ski representative, ski holiday leader, tour operator, practice manager for GP, cleaner and now carer for my husband.
receptionist, receptionist to private investigator, Pontins Heysham you guessed it rec in summer in winter painted Noddy train! barmaid, bar owner in Spain and England, textile agent, recruitment consultant. Now campaigner for free drugs for all at piont of need.
Irene - nice idea for a thread – here is my two cents:
Chronologically, and in general: Just starting out, salesperson working summers; then after school, several jobs in secretarial positions (advertising, utilities, then government in diff states); Married #1, Mom to two wonderful sons till they were school age. Worked flexible jobs after kids - Director of Child Care at local Y, then nursery school teacher at the preschool for the Y. Wanted to stay home for kids as they grew, so created my own word processing business and kept at it for 5 years. That meant being president, janitor, salesperson, writer and secretary to myself all rolled in one! Divorce happened, back to secretarial work (it pays the bills and is very easy to get). Once on my feet again, moved out of secretarial into analyst job at Andersen Consulting; then to Business Intelligence Specialist for technology company. Married #2, moved here and worked as consultant for Marconi as technical writer. When caring for my parents, who lived with us, was adjunct professor of business technology at community college, teaching Microsoft technologies for semester classes and workshops; that grew into being an author of a technical manual, published in US. After father died, back to work with a new company as technical writer, then senior technical writer where I am now editing and rewriting nuclear documentation as well as training the editors and management (really!) on our role. That’s most of it. But a large part of who I am and what I really love is volunteer work which I have done and continue to do. Won’t list it here though since it was not asked for.
Thanks Irene this is such a cheery thread!
Married 3 times and each time moved to the sea side Heysham, Altea, and Carbis Bay all a coincidence of course.
Oh boy, what a memory lane trip!
First holiday job was working in local greenhouses on tomatoes etc, then tutoring and working at travel agents during 6th form. Holiday jobs in uni were all secretarial stuff. After uni, with OH no 1, went to Liverpool as a social worker, and DJ’s groupie as we ran a mobile disco as well, and had daughter. Then moved, and worked for a company that did various electronic stuff, analysing computer data and things most of which was covered by the official secrets act! Also edited in-house magazine, and did presentations for Farnborough Air Show, which was good fun. Moved to Germany, did part time picture framimg and book binding. Came home, ditching OH no1. Worked for DHSS as it was then. Married OH no 2, moved again, and started curtain making business. Had son, carried on with curtains and helped OH with his business. Ditched OH no 2, kept making curtains, now with OH no 3, still making curtains, do I look forward to retiring!
Wow!! Such a lot of jobs. What techno-babes some of you are!! And talented! Forgot to mention working in pea factory. We had to pick out the slugs as they went past on a conveyor belt. I only lasted a day. Picked up one slug and one slug only. Screamed when I realised what it was and threw it down. Someone else picked it up and got my 2d bonus!!! That’s old money of course
