After a few weeks the ‘dumping’ escalated to a level where I would not deliver any papers sit outside for three quarters of an hour or so (about an hour less then it would take me) reading a book or listening to music. I would try and ‘do’ the round while my mum was out so that I wouldn’t have to bother hanging around outside I could just go straight back home after leaving them in an alley somewhere. I was earning fourteen pounds for about five minutes work, which I thought was the bees knees and so did my friends. I did this for at least six months, until there was knock on the door, when I opened it the paper round supervisor was there staring angrily his car filled with thousands of dirty papers behind him, he said give me the trolley and the bag, you dumped papers, silently I did so, he asked to see my Mum, she was upstairs, but I said she was out, so he turned and left. I was gutted, a bit guilty but a bit pissed off my brilliant money making scheme was over.
I decided to be unemployed for a while I was about fourteen and had been working for nearly about two years, so I took a few months off, but then I took up a morning paper round which earned me fifteen pounds, I had to do it every morning about 8am, I got progressively later and later as the round irritated me further, I moved to a larger round which earned me twenty pounds, which was more papers and took longer, after a few months it really started to hurt my back and the early mornings were getting me down, I had stashed away a bit of money so left the round.
I did my work experience in early summer of 2002 at the Slough/Windsor Marriott, it took me about an hour to get t here, and I got lost on the first day so was about an hour late, luckily the people there were quite relaxed and didn’t mind, for the first three days I worked in conference and banqueting, which basically involved setting up and cleaning conference rooms, and serving coffee and tea to people in the main conference room. This wasn’t exactly riveting, but for the first time I was actually working with people and the people were so nice that it was impossible not to have fun and enjoy myself. For the other days I worked at the leisure centre reception. I would deal with minor customer problems, clean the exercise machines, the bar in the pool, check toilets are not too dirty, close lockers, fill soap and shampoo pots and the like. I would sign members in and out and take phone calls. They taught me these skills, and were helpful. Like in conference and banqueting, the people at the Leisure Centre were really nice and relaxed and would joke around a lot and made the day fun and not seem much of a chore.
Working at The Marriott gave me a really good experience of working, and they did give me a leaving present when I did leave, albeit I was thrown into the pool as my present, it was all good fun.
After I left the Marriott I resumed a morning paper round, this time from a different closer shop with a nicer owner who was a bit more lenient, I did this round for a few months, until the shop closed down but another took shop took the round so I left for them and got a slight raise to twenty two pounds. I quit the round in early summer, and took a job in a travel agent delivering leaflets for 3 pounds an hour, I soon quit and got a job in a butchers.
It was not difficult to get my job at the butchers, I saw a sign advertising in the window, I went in, said is the job still available, and got it, with the only questions asked being can you work Thursday, Friday, Saturday and can you start this Thursday, oh and what’s your name, I barely remembered to ask the wage, which was thirty five pounds a week for around nine hours, which wasn’t too bad I thought. I don’t really remember the first month or so of my work except it was quite hard work and I used to not come in at least one day a week, and they made jokes out of it, and made lots of jokes about everything which made a nice working atmosphere. I remember my excuses running out for why I was taking days off, but after a month or two I really started to enjoy working there. I sort of clicked with two of the butchers sense of humour and we had a really good laugh, they would give me more responsibility although I wasn’t allowed to cut meat I would prepare kebabs, burgers, cooked foods, and make shop look tidy as well as wash up and do general cleaning. The shop sold all sorts and was a delicatessen as well as butchers, and I would get a large discount there and the produce was of very high quality, which pleased my Mum obviously.
I started to enjoy working at the butchers, I would work four or five days a week, earning around one hundred pounds regularly, I would meet with the owner of the chain and go to the bank to pick up money for the tills, and got to know some of the customers. The butchers and me would have great fun joking around and insulting the other butcher who no one liked. I had many barbecues with my friends with the stuff I got from there, but after six months I moved house and the butchers was just too far away especially with the beginning of college, and so I left as I started college.
I go back and visit the butchers occasionally and they still give me discount and lots of free things, and we still laugh and have a good time. We got discount from our local fruit and veg shop too because the fruit and veg people did at the butchers.
I would advise you to go to work at some time in your young life, try and get a job with people and make sure the people are nice and are quite lenient with the hours and you should have a great time.
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Aimed At younger audience of 10-16, aimed to inform them on work, with own personal ideas, piece to be used in PSHE handout.
