Obscure jobs you'd never thought about ...
- Thread starter ColinJ
- Start date
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As a young man I worked at Cadburys.
You could (unofficialy) eat as much as you wanted.
It didn't take long to get sick of it.
All these years later I very rarely eat chocolate or sweets.
Enough time has lapsed since he retired to talk about this, but Pa Bollo worked as a mail censor after leaving the forces. This wasn't at a 'Lives of Others' style Stasi office in a basement under Whitehall, but at a high security mental hospital.
The main job description required him to examine patients' incoming and outgoing letters. Incoming letters were checked contraband, which could be something as simple as a pen (potential weapon) as well as drugs, p0rn and the usual stuff. He also used to check the contents of outgoing letters for anything untoward.
He was responsible for delivery so had daily interactions with the patients, including the worst of the worst, so got to know many of them. It turned out late in life he had a knack for reading changes in mental state from the letters and his interactions, so he used to have quite a few dealings with the doctors and the occasional active investigation.
His collection of work stories were pretty funny but I can't really share them. Some aspects of the work did occasionally upset him and one in particular left a lasting impression. He felt sorry for the vast majority of the patients in there as they were very damaged people, even though some of them had done terrible things. There was only one very high profile patient he actively hated.
The main job description required him to examine patients' incoming and outgoing letters. Incoming letters were checked contraband, which could be something as simple as a pen (potential weapon) as well as drugs, p0rn and the usual stuff. He also used to check the contents of outgoing letters for anything untoward.
He was responsible for delivery so had daily interactions with the patients, including the worst of the worst, so got to know many of them. It turned out late in life he had a knack for reading changes in mental state from the letters and his interactions, so he used to have quite a few dealings with the doctors and the occasional active investigation.
His collection of work stories were pretty funny but I can't really share them. Some aspects of the work did occasionally upset him and one in particular left a lasting impression. He felt sorry for the vast majority of the patients in there as they were very damaged people, even though some of them had done terrible things. There was only one very high profile patient he actively hated.
Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
The thing to do, is break the questions down into chunks.
I'm sorry but I just don't believe in unicorns, fairys or Audi indicators, or BMW ones for that matter.
gbb
Squire
- Location
- Peterborough
One of my former job...explosives detonator 
Surveying the Vale of Belvoir circa 1976 for coal deposits (the superpits of Harby and Hose were developed on seismic data we collected)
Points of interest were predetermined, we would go along mile after mile, laying geophones and cable (50 core), all connected to a mobile lorry with masses of equipment in, along those lines were holes drilled 10ft deep, a stick of explosive pushed down, electrically detonated from a sturdy detonator box with a handset (about the size of a small suitcase) . Warn everyone a detonation was imminent, press a large button with the sole of your boot, wind a handle to create an electric charge, lift another button with the toe of your boot...boom. Actually it was invariable a 'crump'
Shock waves travel through the ground, back up to the geophones, data back to the lorry to be interpreted.
It wasnt rocket science but i was only 17
Good money as well
Surveying the Vale of Belvoir circa 1976 for coal deposits (the superpits of Harby and Hose were developed on seismic data we collected)
Points of interest were predetermined, we would go along mile after mile, laying geophones and cable (50 core), all connected to a mobile lorry with masses of equipment in, along those lines were holes drilled 10ft deep, a stick of explosive pushed down, electrically detonated from a sturdy detonator box with a handset (about the size of a small suitcase) . Warn everyone a detonation was imminent, press a large button with the sole of your boot, wind a handle to create an electric charge, lift another button with the toe of your boot...boom. Actually it was invariable a 'crump'
Shock waves travel through the ground, back up to the geophones, data back to the lorry to be interpreted.
It wasnt rocket science but i was only 17
Good money as well
DCLane
Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
- Location
- Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
Bazzer
Setting the controls for the heart of the sun.
- Location
- On the edge of reality
Having visited numerous businesses and had tours of many of the premises, there are many jobs I have seen people doing which I should have hated waking up in the morning and thinking, that was what I had to look forward to today. For example;
An alarm manufacturer where an employee's job was to put a pre cut piece of wire into a machine which stripped the insulation from the end. Then put the stripped end into another part of the same machine and then press a foot pedal, which caused a crimped end to be attached.
Fitting the ends to newly made tubes formed from craft paper, so that they created a closed barrel and could be used for storing goods.
Filling cushions with stuffing before final stitching, with a group of sewing machinists nearby waiting for them and who were on piece work rates.
An alarm manufacturer where an employee's job was to put a pre cut piece of wire into a machine which stripped the insulation from the end. Then put the stripped end into another part of the same machine and then press a foot pedal, which caused a crimped end to be attached.
Fitting the ends to newly made tubes formed from craft paper, so that they created a closed barrel and could be used for storing goods.
Filling cushions with stuffing before final stitching, with a group of sewing machinists nearby waiting for them and who were on piece work rates.
Time Waster
Veteran
There's a few chocolate manufacturers who officially tell workers they can eat straight off the line but cannot take any away from the line. They aren't daft, only so many can be eaten while you're doing your job. Hardly going to make a dent into turnover.
I once worked at a bottling plant that filled small bottles of wine and spirits for supermarkets. They never had a similar rule unfortunately!
gbb
Squire
- Location
- Peterborough
I agree, i couldn't imagine anything more mind numbing (but accept some people actually like to have a stress free, repetetive job)
Another end of the same scale, i was once asked what i loved...and hated about my job.
Love...not knowing what i'm going to be doing in the next 5 minutes.
Hate...as above.
It's stressful sometimes, frequently shifting priorities, very often not finishing one job before another takes precedence and sometimes two take precedence. It's a very scattergun approach, the next job is your most important, you might have left three other jobs part done, sometimes not started at all
It's not for everyone, either end of the scale.
You spent most of your time sitting in the canteen then?
I go into pharma and food factories for work, and as I love chocolate the first time I went to Cadbury's at Bournville I took a deep breath and said, 'I bet you love working here with a smell like this?'
Apparently you get used to the smell, much better than working in a raw meat plant though.
Time Waster
Veteran
In the style of the chocolate taster interviewee going into meltdown. I once went for interview as assistant H&S manager for Tarmac Northern England based in Buxton. During the interview I got asked if I would be OK with being trained in the use of explosives and quarry blast design. Let's just say my positive response was possibly a bit too positive and I didn't get a second interview!
Apparently being honest, open and too excited at the prospect of handling explosives is a big no no in interviews. Possibly they thought I'd be too much of a H&S risk!
I did know a guy who got trained by ex us special forces explosives experts in use of plastic explosives especially c5. A very clever engineer who needed the training for his highly technical and top secret job in vessel research. Apparently the night before the residential course started the trainers had a firepit at the site to chill out to get to know each others. The trainers turned up with a big block of c5 and showed it to everyone before chucking it into the fire and casually walking away. Apparently everyone ducked away expecting an explosion and possibly death. Apparently the trainers started the course earlier than participants thought. BTW c5 burns nicely in a fire and SF often cook on it in the field. Perfectly safe until a detonation device added apparently
Apparently being honest, open and too excited at the prospect of handling explosives is a big no no in interviews. Possibly they thought I'd be too much of a H&S risk!
I did know a guy who got trained by ex us special forces explosives experts in use of plastic explosives especially c5. A very clever engineer who needed the training for his highly technical and top secret job in vessel research. Apparently the night before the residential course started the trainers had a firepit at the site to chill out to get to know each others. The trainers turned up with a big block of c5 and showed it to everyone before chucking it into the fire and casually walking away. Apparently everyone ducked away expecting an explosion and possibly death. Apparently the trainers started the course earlier than participants thought. BTW c5 burns nicely in a fire and SF often cook on it in the field. Perfectly safe until a detonation device added apparently
