General Chat

I started in a dress shop as a sales assistant, had numerous jobs throughout my life including being a full time mum and ended my working life as a sales assistant in a dress shop. lol. :-)

On leaving school I also worked in a dress shop for £3 per week. Left after 9 months and worked as Comptometor Operator for British Aircraft Corporation for £6 per week :-D
Before I left school and was 14, my mum came home from shopping and said she had got me a Saturday job in a cake shop 8-30 till 6 for 7s-6p and 4 fresh cream cakes :-D :-D

I joined the WRNS from school at 18, getting £7 - 0 - 0 a fortnight, which was a lot in 1956, as we lived "all found" and the pay was all pocket money.

Barb, my aunt ran a Comptometer school in Birmingham, which I think was one of the first in the country. She did the accounts for local firms, which no-one else did at the time, and did very well for herself.

I started work for Unilever as an ofice junior in their Head Office at Blackfriars London at 12 s 6 d a week

Apart from maternity leave and a short work break I worked for them for 30 plus years till I was early retired /reduntant in 1990 .

A very good company to work for and means now have a good company pension from them

Took a local job for 9 years till I officially retired aged 66..

I worked for the Midland Bank from 1969 until 1981, don't think it had morphed into the HSBC before I left.

Went back part time (HSBC) from 1989 until 1992. Didn't like it ...... banking had changed so much in the intervening years.

Ran our own pub from 1995 until 2002.

Worked for Threshers from 2002 until it went into Administration.

Now work for an Internet Sales company.

Due to retire next January. Just hope my eyesight hold out until then, I was hoping to defer my Pension so fingers crossed xx

There was a time not so long ago that only the privileged few extended their education beyond the basic 'O' & 'A' levels.

But now we've moved into a world where academic ability appears to be the only option and the formal learning curve can comfortably be stretched out into students' late twenties.

I emigrated at age 18 & began work immediately. Mortgage secured eventually at 25. And the rest is history!

After leaving college I worked in a buying office for IGI till I got sacked/ left after a blazing row with the boss where I told him very un-politely where to go :-S No previous to that I got a job as an usherette but got sacked before I started my 1st night. After that I made boxes and was an office dogsbody until they terminated me due to my previous boss. I then went to work for a small printing firm where the boss didn´t care what my name was or who I was married to. Loved it there but left, with glowing references, when I decided a fresh start in a new area.
After that I did all aspects of hotel and bar work., with a 5 yr stint as a stock control clerk for a motor factors plus a few other wild and weird jobs. :-D Including my own soft toy making

I also managed to have several jobs before leaving school :-0

Army, aged 15 years, one month and ten days. School uniform on the Friday, army uniform the following Tuesday. Pay, two guineas a week. Stayed for nine years. Going to a Regimental re-union in Taunton next week. Bob

I left school at 16 and then did a 2 year course in Childcare.My first job was as a Childrens Nanny in Athens,looking after 2 boys...Nightmare Children :-| :-|..But I loved Athens :-D

I remember working in an estate agents. my eldest son was at school so it was just mornings part time .well i went for the snacks at the local shop then brewed up for three people .went home at lunch time first day never went back .office work .for me no way :-D :-D :-D :-D

Dear Barbra and all

Hello

My first proper job was in a supermarket, serving customers on an old-fashioned
till and putting the stock on shelves.

The shop was a mile from where I lived, so I walked to save the bus fare!

Later, I was put in charge of ordering toiletries!
No pay rise though!


Take gentle care
With best wishes
Elizabeth, EOS
xx

I left school in 1964 aged 16, and immediately went back to school as a Laboratory Steward at the Xaverian College in Manchester. It was only a mile or so from where I lived so I used to walk to work.

I can't remember what the pay was but I know that I saved up and bought myself a small transistor radio

first job was in a typing pool (at the age of 16!), I hated it.

A year later, was a receptionist.... didn't mind that, because no gossiping all day

Studied part time......

went into engineering drafting, and did that for 20 years... left that job because I met DH & we went overseas.

Since then....... jobs in customer service, retail ...... now I'm a "lady of leisure" :-D

I had my first jobs on Saturdays and holidays starting at age 11 ........ ladies dress shop, Woolworths, Pakamac, delivering post at Christmas, working in hotels in summer, etc

First REAL job was age 24, after university ................ teaching for 2½ years. When I resigned, I was taking home £100 a month

Married, moved to Texas, worked as Technician in university lab for about 10 months. Earned about £200 a month :-)

Moved to Canada, worked as Research Technician in a university for over 30 years until early retirement. Took 6 weeks maternity leave when daughter was born. Then took a year's leave of absence to live in Australia for a year.

Have now been retired for 15 years.

Thank you for telling us about your Jobs & careers .loved seeing how many different paths we all took .Barbra :-D :-D

Worked in a very popular music shop on the classical music side...and in the basement,they had just started up booths where you could play your records of hit music.
This was in Manchester and I got to know a lot of members of the Halle Orchestra that we supplied the music for.
I loved the job..and wish I could have stayed,but I had already passed the test for a supposedly better job with ICI...Imperial Chemical Industries...I had to have at least 6 O levels for that.
Was in the days when you took your wage packet home and just got spends out of it.
Think my wage wasn't much over £2 a week...that was 1951.

How times change!

I worked alternate Saturdays at two branches of Meyer the greengrocer at Ealing Broadway and nearby. I cannot recall my pay way back then. I received 10/6 every Saturday for my daily early morning paper round
In 1961 I joined the RAF at 15 as a Boy Entrant. On pay parade every Thursday most of us stepped forward and saluted gratefully for the £1 we were about to put our grubby little hands upon! Oh, it was our saviour for the week! Fag money, Lyon's fruit pies at the NAAFI (6d, big and yummy), black shoe polish, etc. Such very happy times indeed, upon reflection.
Lads who were older received twice as much pay! If aged 17 1/2 he was literally 'quids in'.
About a pound was kept back for each of us to spend on the 'big leave' we had three times a year.
On one of my early leaves Mum told me - and I read it in the local rag - the Scottish manager of Meyers greengrocers where I had worked walked away with Saturday's takings and blew the lot on the dogs (greyhounds) at Cricklewood.
He was jailed big time ... whereas he would likely receive counselling and a handout today!

I was an aircraft engineer on fixed wing aircraft and helicopters, serving in the Far East and the Middle East - with my family - among other homes.
We moved a great deal; home in the apartment today is move #22!
I left the RAF at 40 - and stayed in aviation until I retired not so long ago. I had a wonderful and very happy and rewarding career in the service. I try to return every October for my squadron association reunion.
I served on two Battle of Britain squadrons which flew Spitfires.
I tried to immigrate to Oz after the RAF and they sent the standard reply that I had insufficient points to be considered. (Don't points make prizes?) They didn't tell me how I might accumulate these golden points to try again!
I volunteered to join the RNZAF but was told I was too old. (Ya think?)
I eventually immigrated to Canada with some of our family where I am today ... braving -20°C temperatures we have outside. It's the same indoors ... in the freezer!
.
My late lady love, Margaret, left school and worked at a local corner shop called Simpson's at Wideopen. When she was 15 she worked at nearby Gregg's of Gosforth shop as a trainee confectioner and cake decorator for several years. She was one of approx. 14 employees. Greggs is now country wide with about 1800 shops.
As Margaret came from a large family she handed over her unopened little brown pay packet to her Mum and was given pocket money each week.
.
This is an interesting thread, Barbra ... and I see I have rambled on, somewhat. So sorry about that ... I love to write and reflect, however.
I have been most fortunate in my life and people have always been nice to me. I truly feel blessed.
I always tell folks how luck I am to have grown up in the era of the 1950s. It was a wonderful time and a completely different world where people cared, methinks.
I would not like to be a child in today's world ... and I despair what life will be like not so long after I have 'legged it and pegged it'.

Co-op doling out milk tokens and stuff. Oh how I hated it!

Eventually went to a garage as a petrol pump attendant and loved it.

berry
you brought back memeries as I was born in west Hendon

sally w <3

I am so pleased to have brought back memories for you, Sally.
Memories of yesteryear are often happier than today's reality!
Sad, eh?
I wonder if you - or other GR readers - have visited the RAF Museum at Hendon?
Admission is free.