What was your first job?

blessed31

Customer sales advisor @ 16 yrs old £3 per hour.

Savvy_Sue

PenguinOfDeath wrote: »

Cold calling *shudder*

To be fair it was in a nice comfy office, 3 hours per shift and a good wage. Only lasted a couple of months though as I hated it therefore I was c*** at it

Not as c*** as the caller who phoned me today. "I'm really sorry to bother you, and this is probably only going to take a few seconds because you won't want to talk to me. I'm with a recruitment agency." When I confirmed that they were correct (ie I didn't want to talk to them), they apologised before hanging up.:rotfl: I'd be no better.

Anyway, first job, Mum used to pay us if we helped stuff inserts for the free paper and deliver them for her. She also did home typing and we helped out with that (carbon paper, multiple copies, correct each one if we made a mistake), and she'd pay us.

I did a couple of Saturdays in the Coop which I hated, was glad to give it up when I went down with glandular fever.

I temped through agencies: I swear one used to show anyone who walked through the door how to work their switchboard, which was of the plugs and wires variety, then sent us out as operators. I once assured a caller that there was no-one of that name in the office, he described this person as a 'dumb blonde' and I said I was the only dumb blonde there. Too right: five minutes later a stunning blonde walked past my desk ...

But that was a good job because I could read my book between calls. No internet in THOSE days! :rotfl:

Then I temped at the local polytechnic, for almost a year between A levels and Uni and then every summer. Which had its moments.

First 'proper' job was as a sighted Braille proof-reader. Best Job Ever! Paid to read all day, who could ask for more ... I was very good at it too.

vintagebrighton

In the 70's I used to help my neighbours with making 'gonks' for the fairground. This was in the days before everything got shipped in from China... it was piecework so if I helped them they got more and gave me a bit. When I was 13, I used to do cleaning for my neighbour whose wife had died. He scared me a bit cos he only had one leg but I'd stay and have tea with him cos he was lonely.

My first proper job in 1977/78 was in a supermarket when hours were a bit more restricted than they are now. I worked for 3 hours on Friday as it was late opening and then all day Saturday for about £7 a week. I was very happy with that, paid for my clothes and fags. There was never any money from my mum.

VB x

thorsoak

1958: two weeks after my 15th birthday, I successfully applied for and got a job as a Saturday Girl in Littlewoods - at a wage of £1 less 3d national insurance - my pay packet would contain 1 10s note, 3 half-crowns, 2 "single shillings"and a threepenny bit!

I would sometimes be on the record counter - I loved that - playing my favourites - but generally seemed to be on the tinned food counter which was almost self service - would have to mark a big cross on each tin bought, add up the amounts in my head, and give the correct change as well.

Headmistress at my school (girls grammar school) was extremely miffed by the fact that several of us had Saturday jobs and would thunder threats about the problems her "gels" would encounter if they took jobs in the "shop with the red doors" (Woolworths). As Littlewoods didn't have red doors, I thought I'd be okay,

ShAnE

I juggled a few jobs think my very first was as a kitchen porter earning £2.45 an hour at 12 years old. Fairly certain I should have been 13 before I could work there, and certainly shouldn't have been working til midnight but considering my pocket money was £2.50 a week I felt well off.

In hindsight I can understand why the boss felt uneasy when I said i'd ride my wheelie scooter home instead of accepting a lift.

Stayed there about 3 years during which time I also took on a paper round (the best one in our area) which I had helped my friend with for years and held onto it until my brother was old enough.

Also helped my mum clean an estate agents once a week she'd get £7.50 for it and give me £2.50 of that.

Not bad for a lazy Generation now! lad, if I do say so myself.

Helen224488

I am 41. My first job (not counting paper round) was a Saturday job at a local bakery. I worked 7am-3pm on my own at the age of 13! £1.50 per hour. I saved up and bought my first Levi 501's. It was owned by a father and son. The father was in his 70's and never around much. The son was in his 40's and was too free with his hands for my liking. He used to arrive at 5am and bake then leave around 8am-9am so I was left in the shop all on my own to serve customers, pack away at end of day and lock up. He also used to get changed in front of me out of his whites so I saw him in his y front pants. Very inappropriate! I ended up leaving as he freaked me out. Actually I think we had a cream fight and he sacked me.

First job after leaving school at 16 was a data entry clerk for Natwest Bank (Stocks and shares dept). Paid aprox £80 per week. Was pretty high salary compared to most of my mates who were only getting £30 per week on the YTS (Youth training scheme). I stayed there 2 years then went backpacking around the world for a year.

LottieLou

My first ever job was in a small bakers/corner shop. I started there at 14 :eek: a whole 14 years ago now! I used to do a few evenings after school and Saturday's. I stayed there until I was 19. I still see some of the locals and know what they used to order, apple pies, 6 greenhalagh barms, hedgehog bread we had it all. It even had the sweets in jars (before it became trendy). The school kids used to come in and ask for some rediculous things, 10p worth of pink millions, 5p of rainbow dust and 4p of cola cubes :mad:. What I got paid changed on a weekly basis as I rememmber, it hardly ever increased with my age! I just enjoyed being there in the end.

The owner has now died, I couldn't go to the funeral as I was abroad, I will be gutted about that for the rest of my life.

marisco_2

At 13 I walked into a shop in our village and tried to sell the owner a toy that I had made. She explained why she couldn't buy it and sell it on but offered me a Saturday job instead. For the next two years I worked for her between her dress shop and china shop. 9-2 for a fiver. Loved it and managed to save up for the dog that I had longed for. Learnt so much from that lovely lady and am still in touch with her now almost 30 years on.

apesxx

First job was as a Saturday girl in my local bakers shop which I started when I was 14, think I was on about £2.50 an hour and worked 9-5

mum2one

At 16 I started a part time job in my local chippie, that lasted 3 weeks, £1 an hr, I brought a pair of white and black stilleotes, then National Milk Bar, Saturday job - that lasted 4 weeks, £1 an hr, with my first pay I brought a silver dart necklace.

Then when left school, started at Wimpy, £1.50 an hr, (1987) - I did 6 weeks full time (25hrs), then to college, worked weekends, left college stayed there for what felt like n eternity.... left in 1997... seen it go from Wimpy, to Burger King x