Job Discussion Forums

[dmb]

Some people think being an EFL teacher is a crap job. Not I. Before teaching I had some pretty crap jobs-barman(enjoyed but crap pay), office assitant in the inland revenue, window fitter, bingo caller, frozen pea shoveller, postman, chip shop fryer, the list goes on. What crap jobs have you had?

[anthyp]

I was a deli clerk in a local supermarket chain.

Morning to night, I'd be at the whim of my costumers, most of whom were old and completely senile. And they always had such ridiculous requests. "What's that you say? You'd like your ham 1/8 of an inch think? Of course, Ma'am. Right away."

The worst thing about it was that they always had "Mystery Shoppers" running around, to make sure you were doing your job. This particular chain was big on smiling, so you had to be sure to do that to every single request, no matter how retarded, if you didn't want to get in trouble. Indeed I am glad now to be teaching at the ass-end of China, it is a welcome relief to that hell.

"I'd be happy to lick your crusty old *beep*, Sir. No problem. Would you like a massage with that?"

OK, so I was only cutting up meat and cheese but you get the point. I also had a job which required me to go house-to-house, knocking on people's doors, asking if they wanted to buy pizza coupons. That was the worst and I only lasted one day.

But my brother was a cemetery plot seller so he has it even worse than I. He had to approach people as they were burying their loved ones and ask if they were interested in purchasing a plot of their own. Cripes that sucks.

Hey dmb, what the hell is a "frozen pea shoveler" (besides something you just made up)?

[dmb]

[gaijinalways]

raking blueberries, picking apples, working landscape for a non-union company, selling coffee service to companies, bagging in a grocery store, taking pictures for insurance verification, doing market research surveys via telephone/in the field, inventorying stock in stores, working at a fair

The people I worked with on inventorying were cool, the work sucked, especially doing the frozen food section.

[Guy Courchesne]

Security guard overnights mostly. But it got me through school.

[JZer]

My worst job was packaging fishing lure kits. Maybe someone has heard of it. I used to package the Banjo Mino kit that used to be sold at Wal Mart. Anyways this job stunk because you had to package like 100-150 an hour. I was the person who counted the hooks. when you are counting 800-1000 hooks an hour you are bound to get stabbed with the hooks. Furthermore this job was crap since the boss tried to threaten to take away or breaks if we did not get enough kits done an hour.

[khmerhit]

deli counter operative (14 yrs old)

mince meat factory operative (25 yrs old)

door to door window salesman (24)

nite shift gravel pit operative (24)

warehouse worker (womens fashion!) (25)

dishwasher (26)

cleaner (2

bingo checker (29)

barman (32-33)

busboy (19)

boyfriend (34)

call centre operative

[Chasgul]

I've temp'ed in the City of London. nuff sed.

[Guy Courchesne]

[guangho]

My parents became nursing home attendants at ages 42 and 39 respectively when we immigrated. Fun times.

As for me, I've been a puppet, a poet, a pauper, a pirate, a pawn and a king. That's life, I tell ya.

[some waygug-in]

The worst jobs I've had..........

Telephone fundraiser for my University.... I lasted 2 days.

Mr. Submarine.........I lasted 3 weeks.

Shingle factory worker..... It was absolutely the most boring job I've ever had. Stacking shingles into bundles or running the saw. I always imagined myself falling asleep and then falling onto the giant sawblade.............

Farm labourer........ sometimes it was OK but there were certain jobs like shovelling out grain bins............uhhh.

Sandblaster helper.........now that was a dirty job!

Supervising inmates for small construction projects in a federal penn.
I think that's the closest thing I can think of to teaching in a kids' hagwan.

[gaijinalways]

Oh, I forgot some;

hardware clerk (under a demonic owner)

retail office equipment salesman

check cashing facility assistant manager

3rd shift gas station attentant

[Will.]

Home help, handicapped nursing assistant

That was tough.

Cleaner.

Horse sh..t shoveller., not too bad,
but...

I once, only once, did a stint with the human stuff too and that was not at all nice.

[Boy Wonder]

Leaflet distributor.......Binman.........Barman
Furniture removals....Toilet cleaner......Watermeter reader
Lorry loader.....Office cleaner.....DIY store assistant
Ice cream seller....Optical assistant.....Street cleaner
Factory operative....Creche assistant....Warehouse dogsbody
Shop assistant x 12......Clerical/admin clerk x 7.....Postman
Recruitment consultant...Petrol Station attendant.....Data input
Call centre clone....Stockroom guy...supermarket shelf filling
Dishwasher....Industrial dishwasher....Kitchen cleaner
Food server.....Hospital Tea-trolleyboy....Photocopy shop assistant
Filing Clerk.....typing in personal ads on the local rag......Printer
Care home assistant......Easter egg painter....Travel agent.

The list goes on......and on ...and on.....and the memory of some of those jobs and places and wage packets makes me shudder with fear!

Teaching EFL might not be the highest paid or respected job in the world but compared to the places I spent my time at between 1986 and 1998 it is a blissful existence and a complete holiday!!!!!!

[TEAM_PAPUA]

...and we wonder why ESL 'teachers' are not respected as educated professionals