Entering the world of work?

The book really focuses from the 1960s onwards. Education was significant. eg Maths O level just wasnt offered to girls in many schools so they were restricted from accessing many courses. Other schools had 'commercial' classes for girls who were automaticaly being prepared for office work. Similarly, there were lots of pre nursing courses. Obviously, girls could only be teachers, nurses or secretaries or worked in factories! It sounded like the factory girls had more fun.

Meant to add edit our weekly newspaper one year when my parents went away on holiday

Helping my granny in her paper shop when I was barely able to see over the counter, I “graduated” to Saturday mornings in my teens after her death and we paid a lovely lady to work there on weekdays and also worked collating, stitching etc in the family printing office.
I was excited to be left to edit (aka write) our weekly newspaper.
A career in journalism should have followed but alas, didn’t.
Maybe there’s still time?

I did allsorts, from the age of 14. I washed hair at a local hairdressers, worked on a market stall, waitressed in a local pub, and canvassed door to door for a charity. I then got a live in job in a small hotel a ferry ride away from home for the Summer holidays when I was 16. For the first time in my life I was treated like an adult. It was wonderful. I worked 4 Summers for the same people, met so many interesting people and was trusted enough to be left in charge on occasions.

I started collecting glasses and washing up in my parent's pub age 12. Later it included cleaning and bottling up after closing time.
I dropped out of 6th form age 17 and started work at Boots Chemists as a trainee dispenser and stayed 9 years until first baby arrived.
I then spent 8 years as a stay at home mum, completely lost my confidence as to being able to go back to work and slumped into 10 months of depression.

I was asked to help out at my son's school as a volunteer, enjoyed it so much I applied for a TA job and got it. With enormous support from DH, we both studied part time with the OU for 6 years and each obtained a degree. He a BSc and a BA for me.
I studied full time for a year to get my PGCE Primary and spent the next 16 years doing a job I loved.

Greengrocers , amazing how quickly you learn to judge the weight of a bag of plums. All the bruised fruit you could eat but Avaline a free cake a day! You were living the dream

I seemed to have my pick of jobs back then and certainly learned a huge amount on my way to my NHS career. I wonder if today's youngsters have the same opportunities or motivation? Huge questions I know!

I got a job working for a local photographer, during 2 school summer holidays. I was driven to various chemist shops throughout the day, where we’d collect a bag of camera film reels to be developed back at the lab. However, between pick-ups my job was to open the spool and attach the customers details with a bull dog clip, ready to be developed, but very, very occasionally, a reel might be dropped and unwound, exposing the film - I was always sorry about that. (More the driver’s fault than mine)
I also had a Saturday job in the Co-op on hosiery and gloves. I can’t remember how much either paid.

I had a Saturday morning job in a pet shop when I was thirteen. Then left school at fifteen and started work in an office as a switchboard operator. They sent me to secretarial college (part-time) where I learned shorthand, typing and book-keeping.
I stayed in that same job until my first child was born when I was twenty-two.

As a waitress at the age of 14 in a local hotel. I loved it! I was well looked after by the kitchen staff, fed regular meals and given my share of tips. It kept me out of trouble too. Then a Saturday girl in a local supermarket where I learned the proper way to pack bags. After that, I worked in Stirling main library once I was at university.