Did You Have A Saturday Job ?

[Blackbriar 8,569]

I'm one of those who subscribes to the idea that today's youngsters are generally lazy, unmotivated ne'er-do-well's, who expect the world handed to them on a plate.

 

Compare and contrast to my own youth.....

 

Until I was 13, my mum gave me pocket money (50p a week !), provided I had helped around the house, to her satisfaction - washing up, hoovering, ironing and so on.

 

When I reached 13, pocket money stopped (though household chores didn't) and I was ordered, ordered mind you, to earn my own money. I got a paper round at the newsagents, which was itself 20 minutes walk away, and had to do it on foot, until I'd saved up enough to buy a crappy old bike for £5, if memory serves me.

 

Total earnings for 7 days was the princely sum of £2.70p !!

 

When I was 15, again on my mother's "advice", I got a summer job, which actually covered all the school holidays. As well as my paper round, I worked in the local greengrocers 4 days a week. Total earnings.......£6 !! A small pay rise at the newsagents boosted my income to nine whole pounds a week !!

 

I was taught, and still believe, that you get "nowt for nowt", and I've tried to instill this in kids and step-kids.

 

 

Is that idea still around today, or has the "I want it now", instant gratification, consumer society put paid to it ?

 

 

 

Did you have a Saturday Job ?

Edited June 7, 2016 by Blackbriar

[walshie 2,804]

Yep I had a Saturday job and a holiday job for several years from about 13 to 16.

 

I worked in a plastic factory forming those plastic inserts that you get in cardboard boxes for about 4 weeks of my 6 weeks Summer holidays and I worked at a supermarket pushing trolleys around and mopping floors as a Saturday job. Exciting stuff.

[lurcherman 887 13,295]

Worked in the dog boarding kennels.. Still got smell.shite up me nose

[Born Hunter 17,837]

Greyhound kennels. Nothing fancy, but I enjoyed it and it put a few quid in my pocket for a short while.

[Slippery_Weasel 460]

washing up mostly, in several different places, mostly pubs. But other stuff as well including waiting on, building, decorating, cleaning. Even spent a few weeks on the back of the train at lightwater valley with a flag and a whistle, shouting at kids when they jumped off when the train wasnt stationary lol

 

Im not sure if kitchens etc are allowed to employ kids in their early teens anymore? so it may not be as simple as kids dont want to work these days. stand to be corrected mind

[TOPPER 1,809]

milking in the morning at a farm down the road then the paperound and school hols on he farm fulltime but i did get to drive the tractors all for about a tenner a week

[TOMO 27,319]

Yeh paper round,,,at 13,,, till I started work at 16,,,,

 

Paper round was 7 days a week,,,took me 45 mins,,,up at 6.30 started round at 6.45...paid £3 a week,,,by the time I was 16 it was £4.50.....

[TOMO 27,319]

You been watching the Wright stuff Bb,,,,it was on there this morning..

[Blackdog92 2,047]

I had a weekend job working on a trout farm. Packing trout and filleting smoked trout to go to the hotels on wet days witch here is more often than not i would be fixing nets or taking the bosses dogs for a walk so it wasnt a bad job at all.

 

I would get my orders in the morning and then just left to my devices for the rest of the day. Before that job i had 2 others that my mum got me at hotels. It involved cleaning rooms and making beds. Needless to say both were quit after the 1st day as that was not for me, Not long after that i got the job at the trout farm so it worked out pretty well.

Edited June 7, 2016 by Blackdog92

[TOMO 27,319]

Difrent work ethic back then,,,,

 

In 1990,,, my mum got a job as a warden for old folk,,,tied house,,,so they moved from Mansfield to Suffolk ,,,the old man didn't have a job when they got down there ,,so apart from applying for everything and anything,,,in the meantime,,he got a paper round,,in fact he got 3,,,just to bring somthing in,,,,after a few weeks,,he ended up working in the shop full time,, he ended up running the post office in there..

[neems 2,406]

I worked at a kennel/dog training place on weekends from about 11,until I got kicked out of school at 13 or 14 then it became my full time job and the school just sent someone down once every couple of weeks to check on me.

[Astanley 11,588]

Saturday was into town and shoplift anything that wasn't nailed down for us .

[bob84 189]

I did a milk run up at 4am run around town till 8am then school after school it was farming with me dad that was from 11to15/16 then it was working night in meat factory and working on a golf course at weekends now no one will employ teenagers till there 17

[TOMO 27,319]

Saturday was into town and shoplift anything that wasn't nailed down for us .

Lol...ya scouse scaly ,,,laaa

[pesky1972 5,441]

Had a milk round in the early '80's, Mon-Sat mornings (4.45 - 8.00) and Thursday & Friday evenings 16.00-20.00). Worked about 28 hrs for £12 + about £8 tips.

My folks couldn't give me much, and I was never really into stealing, so it was a means to get coin in my pocket. At a time when a 16 yr old YTS worker was earning £28 p/w, my £20ish p/w at 14 was pretty good.

Only thing was I was always falling asleep at school and it definitely had a negative effect on my academic achievements.

Looking back, I enjoyed the money, and the craic and the laughs with the other boys on the van were a great experience, but I wish I hadn't done it as I'd have made more of my education.

If my own kids decide they want a job whilst they're at school to earn their own poppy I'll encourage it, but only if it doesn't impact their education.

Edited June 7, 2016 by pesky1972