General Chat

Fair question Royal. In those days, when i was a lad. We lived in the back lanes of Richmond, in outer Melbourne. We wagged school something cronic. i belonged to a "Gang" or better known as street kids. I was one of those uncontrolable street kids. I finished primary school at 12 years old. I did half a year at Tech School, didn't like it, so i left. The truancy board came looking for me, but i took off. I was a right little Bugger. I got a job at 13 years old in a factory after lying about my age. My dad was dying at the time, and my poor mother couldn't control me. From the age of 13 to 17 i had approx 18 jobs. I had very little education, and everything i know now is self taught. I am a Carpenter,Bricklayer,Machine operator, Welder,Plumber,Grocer,Tiler, Shop assistant,Salesman, Leading hand,Foreman,Storeman,and Carpet layer. And have been known to cook a mean roast dinner. To-day i am a Contractor. ( Self Employed.) Cheers. Tony Oz.

I left school in 1972 aged 15 (they upped the leaving age to 16 the following year). I went to work for my older sister as an apprentice ladies hairdresser. (she had her own hairdressing business) I earned exactly £5.00 per week with a deduction of 52p for my stamp. Because the wage was so low I didn't pay tax. Gave my Mum £3.00 a week and the other £1.48p was mine for bus fares, toiletries etc.... Not a lot to survive on but I did used to get tips on top of that. I stuck it for 7 years and hated every moment! Retrained as a Nursery Nurse in my late 30's. I now do a job I enjoy. Viv

pmsl Paul, nice one

my first job was when I was 17 in 1952 and it was the Oxford University Press in Amen House off Fleet St. My wage was £4.00 per week. I was a secretary and hated every minute of it. It was in the days of "Have a Go" (Wilfrid Pickles" and he wanted to do a show from there, but it was decided at it was all too common !!. I left and joined the WRNS - much better brenda

LOL. Nice one, Paul. Cheese cake with that mixed peel taste. Maybe a new recipe mate.? Tony Oz

Well apart from the usual paper rounds, supermarket jobs whilst at 6th form (lasted 18 months in one place), my first REAL job was as a trainee computer operator, in Oxford, which I started in 1988. for the princely sum of £7000 pa

I left school at 15 and went to work for Alfred Green Pharmacies, mostly at their New Malden branch, for the princely sum of £4. 10s a week. As I was under 16 I wasn't allowed to work until 6pm when the shop closed but went home at 5.30pm! Too many hours or some such regulations! I gave my Mum £3 for my keep, saved some (sometimes), spent the rest on fares and lunches. I always bought my Mum a bunch of flowers every Friday though. I remember once an old lady came in and asked the male assistant if he had cotton wool balls! Well, it IS funny when you're only 15! LOL Sue xx

I remember the very first job i had when i started as an apprentice fitter for the coal board. One of the fitters took me out to find a leak in a water pipe, he told me to watch for the leak while he turned the water on,i got absolutely soaked and still believed to this day that it was an accident until i've just seen it written down , what a 24 carat plonker i was.

All you youngsters. My first job was as a messenger boy in a factory that repaired Spitfires and other aircraft. The year was 1944. My pay was about £3.10s.0d. (£3.5O) per week and I had to use my own bicycle for the job. Tony

Anthony, September 1962 and I was a trainee wireman at GEC in Stanmore. Left school that summer at the age of 15. Before deductions I got £5.12/6. I can't remember the take home but I gave my Mum £2.00 and bought a pair of drainpipe denims for 30/-, I thought I was rich!

Oh Memories!! My 1st job was in a Greengrocers in Crouch End, £18 a week and my mum took £10 (but there was only the 2 of us) Christine I bought my 1st pair of 'grown up' undies in BHS Sauchiehall St, my Gran was beside herself!!! Kim :-)))

1956. I spent a month in an Ironmongers shop. That was horrible, but then I became an Improver Carpenter with a local Builder in Bromley Common. A great couple of years. Can't remember what my wages were but my Stepmother used to give me half a crown a day dinner money. That would buy 5 Weights and a book of matches, beans on toast and a cup of tea, and still a couple of coppers left for sweets.

I was a nursery nurse in 1951 and my wages were 35/- a week and some weeks I got 37/6d thats when I'd worked Saturday morning. I went to college 2 days a week I stayed there for about 1year and then went to work in an office for the princely sum of £3 10s-6d This doubled the family income, because my dad was ill at the time and got about £3 a week benefits When I married in 1957 I earned 7 Guineas a week Bren

Apart from my Saturday job while I was still at school (age 15, Debenhams' menswear dept, 99p an hour!!), my first proper job was the Civil Service. Joined what was the DHSS in 1981 when I was 17 and earned £40 a week. I gave mum £10 a week and the rest was my own. As I got married only 3 years later, she never put my 'keep' up, although my wages didn't increase much in that time either! Didn't enjoy it quite so much a year later when I was promoted and moved to the Land Registry. Mandy :)

November 1971, 1st job at Whiteheads in Bolton, on the hosiery counter. Wages if I remember right was, after tax and stamp, 6 pounds 50p. Gave mum 3 pounds a week, 50p went into my post office savings book, and the rest was mine all mine. Maggie