Your first (paid) job...

[midlife]

Just an observation....seems a lot of people started with a paper round to earn a few bob. I did and it was for Airfix kits and the like. That was in 1972 .

Shaun

 

[Accy cyclist]

No

Where then?

 

[Slick]

Where then?

Greenock or Ardrossan, everyone knows that it's warmer down there due to the gulf stream.

 

[MarquisMatsugae]

Greenock or Ardrossan, everyone knows that it's warmer down there due to the gulf stream.

@Pat "5mph" is CC's very own Sophie Loren

 

[swee'pea99]

I disagree, £23 a week in 1976/77 was a reasonable wage if you were only 16/17 at the time, I was an apprentice at the same time & I was on £19 a week, mate was on £17, pit moggies were on about £28 so £23 was good.

After working for Mrs Wilson (#36...can't link) I got my first 'proper' Saturday job, working at a health food shop, and it would have been around that time and as it happens I would have been about that age, and I was paid £4 for the Saturday. After 6 months or so I got a new Saturday job, working in a west end department store, and near-doubled to £7.50. And I'm pretty much sure I got paid the same rates when I worked there full time in the school holidays, so it would have been a lot more than £23 a week. But that's The Hell That Is London for you.

I sold toasters. And hoovers, and steam irons, and electric carving knives (for people with a low effort threshold... see also 'electric can openers'). I tried to get people to buy Electrolux vacuum cleaners. I wasn't on commission or anything. I just thought they were better machines than, say, Hoovers. We used to sell heated food trolleys. Hostesses I think they were called. I got my mum one in the sales, cheap, because it had just a slight dent. I think she used it once. Talk about a waste of space. Most of the stuff we sold was British. Quite often, by paying maybe a third more, you could get the German equivalent (Rowenta, Bosch) which was always a good idea. The German stuff was better. I guess it's probably all Chinese these days.

I once had to check John Cleese's Barclaycard because it was over £50. It was ridiculous. I had to ring up and get a code because John Cleese was spending more than £50. I had to spell out the name over the phone. "Yes.....yes....C. L. E. E. S. E. ...... yes £58.98.....£58.98....yes...." He was fascinated by the whole process. Now I look back on it, maybe his 'interest' was actually taking the piss.

I suppose with hindsight I was benefiting from living in London, which although nothing like as expensive as now, in terms of property - either as a renter or owner - was still a relatively costly place to live, without having to pay for the privilege. I was always saving for trips away in the holidays, and paid no rent, worked all the hours, and saved everything, but I think I would have been taking home £45 a week? Something like that. Selling toasters.

 

[swee'pea99]

Cleaning maggots in a fishing tackle shop.

What, individually?

 

[swee'pea99]

First (proper) job was working in Primark, with a whole bunch of hormonal sixteen and seventeen year olds. Spent most of the time hooking up with colleagues and planning after work drinks as opposed to anything productive, but I was only on £3.86 an hour. Pay peanuts, get unpleasant stains on the cushions...

 

[Deleted member 26715]

And I'm pretty much sure I got paid the same rates when I worked there full time in the school holidays, so it would have been a lot more than £23 a week. But that's The Hell That Is London for you.

It as the years of rampant inflation as well, I left the engineering firm in February 1979 & went from £23PW to £42PW when I joined British Telecom, they hadn't at this time spent the £50Million rebanding to BT, within 2 years I was on over £100PW but they forced us onto monthly at the same time which was hard pill to swallow at the time.

 

[BikeCurious]

I worked the tills in Primark in 1999 for £3 an hour. I did 4 hours every Saturday for a whopping £12 per week. It later went up to £4 per hour. Hardly seems worth it now.

 

[Mark1978]

What, individually?

Yep, sucked the sawdust off em.

 

[Sandra6]

I had a paper round at 13, I had to go for a medical first, I used to make about a fiver a week. And then I baby sat for a neighbour from 14 and they paid me £5 in the daytime or £10 at night. They took me on holiday to Morecambe with them once too.
My first "proper" job was at 16 working in Don Miller's bakery - they're a northern take on Greggs. I got £10 for a saturday working 9 to 5 and a few quid more if I did lunch times in my school holidays.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Where then?

Frascati, where the Frascati wine comes from

 

[nickyboy]

I had a paper round at 13, I had to go for a medical first, I used to make about a fiver a week. And then I baby sat for a neighbour from 14 and they paid me £5 in the daytime or £10 at night. They took me on holiday to Morecambe with them once too.
My first "proper" job was at 16 working in Don Miller's bakery - they're a northern take on Greggs. I got £10 for a saturday working 9 to 5 and a few quid more if I did lunch times in my school holidays.

I'd be looking for treble time and time in lieu for that gig

(as a Morecambrian I'm allowed to say this)

 

[Sandra6]

I'd be looking for treble time and time in lieu for that gig

(as a Morecambrian I'm allowed to say this)

I love Morecambe. And this was back in the day when Frontier Land was still a thing.
When our children were little we used to take them there instead of Blackpool, it was closer and quieter. We've started going back in the summer more recently, Mr6 and I enjoy a nice cycle from Lancaster along the canal and back along the prom.

 

[Venod]

Working for the local farmer in the summer holidays, gathering in the harvest, long days, but driving tractors and trailers (whats not to like for young lads) I earned enough to buy my first new bike.