First Job?

.42.

What was your first Job?

Mine was in 1997 age 17 in McDonalds

Sonics2k

Worked when I was really young in a hotel, but first job out of school was in a brush factory in Cork.

I lasted like 2 days, it was miserable, the staff and even one of the managers basically told me to get out while I could and do something else instead.

magicbastarder

an ice cream factory, about 1991. £1.25 per hour. i got 16 litres of free ice cream from the floor manager every friday, if the owner wasn't around. carrying that home on my bike was an interesting experience.

Strumms

...packing bags for shoppers as well as some storeroom work in a retail environment in Dublin airport.

Gregor Samsa

Worked in a warehouse in the mid 90s. First guy I worked with was a fundamentalist Christian creationist who couldn't count. So I had to do the stocktaking on my own, because if he tried to do it, he'd just write down random numbers for the quantity of stuff we had in stock.

He left and the guy that replaced him was a scumbag who also couldn't count. Used to regularly regale me with stories of beating people up, taking steroids and pissing on the dancefloors of nightclubs. Saw him and his mates one night outside McGraths on O'Connell Street in Dublin trying to instigate a riot, ripping up paving cobble and throwing them at bouncers, traffic and passer-byes. He saw me and waved hello, then proceeded to try to pelt me with missiles. I remember he came in one day still off his face on E from the night before. He used to weigh himself every day (I had to call out the weight to him because he couldn't read the numbers) on the big industrial sales we had. That day, he lost something like 4kg in sweat. He collapsed into a box of packing peanuts, and I genuinely hoped that he'd die there, so I didn't bother checking on him until he emerged at lunchtime.

I've since moved on to better things.

mariaalice

Babysitting most was great, but one was for a family with no television and a house full of academic books disliked that job but the money was good and the children were good I was aged about 13/14 and no one bated an eyelid at parents leaving two small children with a young teen.

Trigger Happy

I had an after school job in a grocery shop. £2 an hour from the mid 80s. They did not do inflation and I was on the same rate for 5 years. It was great though - having cash in my pocket from 13 onwards.

Dial Hard

I was 13, spent the summer working in a hairdressers on Grafton St for the princely sum of 45p an hour. I was on my feet literally all day - which was 8am to 6pm - and I can honestly say that I've never worked as hard in my life.

ednwireland

fox's biscuits I as a summer student

PmMeUrDogs

Newsagents when I was 14, around 2004. Treated like dirt by the manager but the pay was the adult minimum wage as opposed to the child's minimum wage so I couldn't complain too much

Thelonious Monk

Apart from a few bits and pieces my first proper job was washing dishes in the Trocadero restaurant in 1997, I remember Alanis Morisette and the Spice Girls being on the kitchen radio all the time. Kept it up for 5th and 6th year part time too, had some great times, kitchen porter will make a man of you, it's a hard aul slog.

.42.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117974614#Comment_117974614

Some of my mates used to do that in the 90s durning Secondary school years

5 or 6 of them in different restaurants and stuck it out for a year or 2.

If one was sick then another mate would replace them for the night.

They used to be happy with it but said it was hard work in a hot kitchen.

mrcheez

Day care assistant when I was 10 (!) for my sister who was doing the day care. Saved up for my first NES console, a big upgrade from my Atari 2600.

Wishbone Ash

Filling station attendant in 1984 - £1 an hour for a 59 hour week. I thought I was loaded as I didn't really get any time to spend the money. Loved that job and still love the smell of petrol. It was in an era when motorists got proper service - we were expected to wash a dirty windscreen and it was perfectly normal to check oil, top up oil if required, inflate tyres and fill battery water. My biggest sale was £800 into a truck - a lot of money in 1984. The downside was when there was a power cut as the fuel had to be pumped with a crank handle which could be attached to the pump. I often think it would be a nice job in retirement but those old style filling stations are long gone.

Tony EH

Pizza Hut.

Left after a month. Will never work in the service industry again.

Mister Vain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117974614#Comment_117974614

Funny how you remember little things like that. In my first job it was "Shaggy - It wasn't me" that was always on the radio. Another thing I remember vividly was people smoking in the canteen, back when it was allowed indoors. It used to irritate me so much I'd nearly look forward to going back onto the factory floor.

Bawnmore

Worked at the Galway Races from the age of 12 collecting glasses in 1999. Was told to say I was 15 if anyone asked. Looked about 8, so it was a bit of a push. It was only for the week so it was a 7 day gig and I remember loving every second of it. All felt so exciting at the time being around the races and in a bar and making money. I remember lining up for my cheque for about £300 on the Sunday evening and it felt like some amount of money at the time.

rob316

2004 i was 16, €5 an hour petrol pump attendant. Tips were handy enough though

ILikeBoats

1997

Washing dishes in the local golf club kitchen. £2.50 an hour I think plus a feed at the end of the night. Got a share of tips too. Was great!

ArnoldJRimmer

1995, stacking shelves in a supermarket while listening to Atlantic 252. I was on a tenner a day for 9 hours work, so the money wasn't great. And the owner was an ignorant auld @rsehole who would also let his sons use me for whatever work they needed done (one ran a chicken house and a piggery). But I enjoyed it all the same, and had a decent wedge of money by the end of the summer.

whomadewho

I go a job as a Lounge boy in my Dad's local at 14. 8 pound a night or 11 if I did a Saturday night. It was 1.50 For a point of Guinness back then, which would tell you how long ago it was.

Frank Bullitt

A flower shop. 3o quid for a days work or so, and free flowers.

I used to get a bunch made and bring them to my Granny every week, she was delighted with them. It was great seeing her reaction to getting a bunch.

I miss those days.

Luckycharm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117975642#Comment_117975642

Around 1992 working as Lounge boy behind bar £8 a night cleaning Glasses/cleaning up etc no tips. 1995 Trainee barman a whopping £11 a night, remember year as working the night when the English fans tore up Lansdowne road.

glen123

Benjys sandwich shop in London in 1998 making sandwiches non stop from 3am to 3pm Mon to Fri with timed 20min break, loads of shouting and abuse from the lady owner, all for £160 pw (2.67 per hour). I lasted about 2 months)).

Apart from babysitting, Tesco, late '90s - helping people pack their bags, giving old people or those with small kids a hand to the multi-story car park (basically pushing their trolley for them), putting stuff lying around back on shelves... no way would they be paying people just to do that stuff now.

French Toast

16 driving for a silage contractor. Money was OK but the hours were scandalous at times, there were a few 70-80 hour weeks.

Nigel Fairservice

I got my first one in the local shopping centre in 2001 collecting trolleys when I was 17. I got £3 an hour and would pick up an envelope with 3 Daniel O'Connells in it at the end of the week.

freshpopcorn

Does making the tea/coffee and sitting outside the Junior Cert Exam count?

markc1184

First job was cleaning a supermarket. 2 hours each morning before school. Done that through transition year and 5th year.

Buddy Bubs

Aged 13 I started working in family business in school summers. Went to university and continued summer work. Graduated and worked in 4 financial services jobs and did a stint in a self employed role. 25 years later I'm back where I started as general manager of family business and planning a management buyout from older generation. Full circle.

Wishbone Ash

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117975814#Comment_117975814

In fairness, they have a fairly short window of opportunity to get work done and keep everyone happy. Pretty pointless working for a agri contractor and expecting a 39hr week.

Sgt Hartman

Lasted one 12 hour night shift scrubbing airplanes with their innards stripped out with a brush and suds in Shannon Aerospace as an 18yo back in 1998 during my college summer holidays. One night of that filthy work was enough for me, especially considering I was only paid £50 for the night 🥵😅

YFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117974009#Comment_117974009

I got like 40 punts working in a school during the summer holidays. Still gave a third to my mother.

AckwelFoley

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117975814#Comment_117975814

He wasn't a busy contractor if he only gave you 70 hours a week.

We would have easily put I'm 100 hours a week if weather was good

£3 an hour. Minted

YFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117976370#Comment_117976370

He is a cn.ut.

Stacked shelves in a supermarket when I was 15 back in the 1970s. Money was alright, but the manager was an abusive bollox. Still, it meant I could afford to buy myself my first ever pair of Levi's.

Mad_maxx

Picking spuds on a farm for a week when I was thirteen

Mad_maxx

Picking spuds on a farm for a week when I was thirteen

Must have been thirty others in the field with me

Paid by the bag

Think my first job under the table was going around with the local milkman to collect the bills every Thursday. Didn't pay all that badly for a young teen either. Kept me in junk food and the like anyway.

First job with an actual wage slip was working in one of the warehouses used by Pennys - moving boxes from delivery trucks onto warehouse shelves. 9 hour shifts from 6pm until 3am. But it was only during the winter high season so it was kinda temp work.

Spar on Dame Street back in my first year of college was probably the first job I was in for more than a few months therefore. A lot of night shifts. Saw a whole new side of humanity then - a lot of lost innocent and naivety I think.

cj maxx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117976370#Comment_117976370

Hated meeting lads like you on the country roads. Me and 2 kids were almost drive over by little feckers like you. Great craic going flat out but try stopping when you meet traffic.

I started working as a window cleaner for a family friend when I was 13.

Best job I ever had if I am honest. Got me to come out of my shell as a fat quiet kid. I had decent money in my pocket as the chap used to give me a share of the day's takings.

Christmas used to be a busy time, which was great as I was on school holidays so used to go into Christmas with around 200-300 pounds which was 22 years ago.

Now I am 35 and earning a decent wage, I still go back to help out free of charge for a week at Christmas as its great fun!

AckwelFoley

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117978256#Comment_117978256

27 years ago since I last did it. Different machinery on the road back then.

I don't disagree, there are machines that weigh 20 times that of a car and can be driven by a child that's spending half their time making **** tictok videos while they're driving

French Toast

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117976113#Comment_117976113

I understand that completely. Still working for one and the summer windows seem to be getting tighter every year.

French Toast

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117976370#Comment_117976370

Indeed he was plenty busy but had enough gear and drivers so having one lad on a 100 hour week wasn't necessary.

Homelander

Did a few little bits around 14 but first proper job was Supermacs at 15 around 2003. I know people say it's a terrible place to work but the franchise I worked at was great - owner was super nice, staff were great, and they paid me the full minimum wage which I think was about €7ph at the time even though I was just 15, some of my friends were only getting something like €4ph in the local SuperValu.

If someone says 70/80 hours a week is too much for a kid (which it is) they're not saying they should just get 40 hours a week either.

Homelander

"Sure we were easily doing 100 hours a week" and acting like 70 hours a week is nothing for a literal child.

15 hours a day, 7 days a week....as a kid. OK.

AckwelFoley

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117978637#Comment_117978637

Was never a problem.

Some 17 18 year olds now haven't done a tap of work. When they eventually start working its a bit of a shock to them

Not sure but we always worked, nothing wrong with it

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117974614#Comment_117974614

Funny how the songs which were on in your first job really stick with you, mine was as a painter and decorator in the family business in 1999. We'd always have the radio on while we were working - Mambo Number 5 by Lou Bega Smooth by Santana were being played constantly!

cj maxx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117978405#Comment_117978405

Only there was a convenient gap to dive into it would have been so so bad. I can still remember the look of terror on his face. Madness putting young lads into those machines and told to do it fast.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117978667#Comment_117978667

Nobody said there was anything wrong with work, everyone here started working as teenagers - the aspect people take issue with is a teenager working 70 to 100 hours a week. There's absolutely something wrong with that - and everyone knows it.