I tried to quit...
Over the course of 13 years, I tried to leave my bar job several times. I've only just managed.

The explanation is long and tedious - but the point is that, having got the job in February 1995 while still doing my A-levels, and notwithstanding having moved to and lived in several different cities in the interim, I still got a phonecall on the 23^rd December last year:
"Are you around this Christmas, Enzyme? Do you want some shifts?"

Of course I did.

I tried to quit in 1995. But like some kind of minimum-wage singluarity, the bar keeps pulling me back... 13 years later, I still don't think I've properly quit.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Fri 23 May 2008, 14:20, 62 replies)

Haha!
I've got a similar situation, I used to run the bar for a wedding venue, and as I still live in the area I end up running it for them half a dozen times a year if they get let down.
( Cawl, Fri 23 May 2008, 14:24, closed)

They obviously know
how much lecturers (don't) get paid.
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Fri 23 May 2008, 14:26, closed)

More than
Health and Safety managers...
Unless you want to take a gamble, and swap a years pay with me?
( Cawl, Fri 23 May 2008, 14:30, closed)

Er no.
But considering the amount of Higher Ed we have to go through to get the bleedin' jobs...
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Fri 23 May 2008, 14:31, closed)

^^
Do you still get London weighting given that you live... um... elsewhere?
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Fri 23 May 2008, 14:33, closed)

Hmm...
I'll swap you a severed finger I found under a machine for a degree?
( Cawl, Fri 23 May 2008, 14:33, closed)

@Enzyme
yes, because I do have to travel to London on occasion.
And food there is rather pricey.
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Fri 23 May 2008, 14:34, closed)

Well, I beat you all
as I expect you're all over 21, and therefore can't do worse than my 18-21 year old minimum wage. :)

Edit: Part time people at college/uni etc doesn't count.
(Belgaer is, Fri 23 May 2008, 14:42, closed)

@Belgaer
My first job after graduating was as a lorry-driver. This was in the days before temporary workers were covered by the legislation.

Degrees boost your salary, eh? Not mine. I was on £3 an hour.

Balls.


(Actually, it took me until I was 29 to earn a minimum-wage equivalent salary anywhere at all... and no benefits, either, because I was working many hours and had never earned enough to pay NI, therefore to generate an entitlement. I don't understand that to this day...)
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Fri 23 May 2008, 14:52, closed)

in my first job
(shelf stacker in my local Spar) I was 12 years old and I earned £1 per hour. As did all the full-time staff. As did everyone who worked there, actually.
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Fri 23 May 2008, 14:55, closed)

Pah, that's all just a technicality...
We're talking about the here and now, baby.
(Belgaer is, Fri 23 May 2008, 14:56, closed)

^I had a very badly paid job at Uni^
where I worked (and lived for a short while) in the local.

Approximately 6 months of pulling pints.

Money going into my bank each week.

Overall debt grew as much as my beer belly.

Bugger.
( Moey, Fri 23 May 2008, 14:57, closed)

Also,
you're all like... Y'know (I'm not even gonna try to put this delicately) old. When you were my age £1 was worth alot more. I mean, you could buy a house with 10 of 'em. ;)
(Belgaer is, Fri 23 May 2008, 14:57, closed)

^OLD?
*screeches*!!!

I'm 32!
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Fri 23 May 2008, 14:58, closed)

If you were born 4 years before, you'd be double my age.
;) Enjoy the rest of your day thinking about that.
(Belgaer is, Fri 23 May 2008, 14:59, closed)

Fuck off!
I resent being tarred with the same brush as these fossils.
( Cawl, Fri 23 May 2008, 14:59, closed)

@Belgaer
When I lived in Hull in the late 1990s there was a street on which the houses were for sale for £20 each, as a matter of fact.

The catch was that you had to make them habitable and stay there for 3 years.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Fri 23 May 2008, 14:59, closed)

@Belgaer
It doesn't take me the rest of the day to work that out. I have three degrees, after all... (and only one of them is an Arts one) :)
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Fri 23 May 2008, 14:59, closed)

Sorry Kaol,
you're an exception.
(Belgaer is, Fri 23 May 2008, 14:59, closed)

@ Belgaer
Yep, you're right.

When I were a lass...all this were fields....all for under a pound and enough change for a suit, a bag of crisps and a small castle in Luxembourg.
( chickenlady b3ta's very own Elizabeth Taylor, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:00, closed)

Madame Poulet
Only a small one?
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:01, closed)

Thanks.
The amount of times I've been called "an exception" is far too high.
It normally has a negative implication though.
( Cawl, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:01, closed)

I'm wondering how long it's going to be
until this breaks out into the four Yorkshiremen now.
(Belgaer is, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:02, closed)

Worryingly
Belgaer's ageist comments have made me realise that when I was his age, £1 bought about two and a half litres of petrol.

It now costs me £88 to fill my tank.

*feels old for the second time this week*
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:03, closed)

Maybe you should drive a car
instead of a fuckoff big army vehicle then!

Badum tish
(Belgaer is, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:04, closed)

Professor Enzyme
Obviously the term 'small' is relative. To the size of Luxembourg.

;)
( chickenlady b3ta's very own Elizabeth Taylor, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:05, closed)

@CHCB
you should come to mine for sandwiches when your in London. That'll save you money.
( Bazongaloid, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:06, closed)

It's only
a bloody Laguna.

70 litres * £1.26 a litre = £88+


Edit - Oh, sorry. Tank. I see.

*laughs belatedly*

*stops*
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:06, closed)

K2k6
£88!!!

What on earth do you drive? It costs me about £60 - a bloody disgrace - to fill up my little peugeot noideawhatnumberbutithasfivedoorsbutissmallandred.
( chickenlady b3ta's very own Elizabeth Taylor, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:06, closed)

Cost me £47
to fill up my peugeot 106 (white) this morning.

And i've worked out that Belgaer is 18. Am I right? Do I get a prize?
( Bazongaloid, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:07, closed)

"you should come to mine for sandwiches when your in London. That'll save you money."
I'm in London on Tuesday. Is that offer open?
( Cawl, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:08, closed)

damn
I was in London recently but didn't know of this offer.
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:10, closed)

Being a bit slow today then,
K2k6?

Yes, I am indeed 18. And no, you don't get a prize.

I'm in London on Tuesday too. Gotta take my nan to the hospical.
(Belgaer is, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:11, closed)

Mini-meet up
At Al's house!
( Cawl, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:11, closed)

Will there be bumsex?
Do I win a prize for beating anyone to dropping the tone?
(Belgaer is, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:12, closed)

Nope you're all out of luck
I'm afraid I'm going to be in liverpool on tuesday and wednesday.
( Bazongaloid, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:13, closed)

Why make offers that you can't keep,
'ey? Why?!
(Belgaer is, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:13, closed)

"convenient"
Were you in London yesterday, al?
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:13, closed)

@Belgaer
That's fucking disgusting. Of course there won't be bumsex at my house.

It's Tuesday, as you well know we have S&M on Tuesdays.
( Bazongaloid, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:14, closed)

@Belgaer
Yes, that's the second time today. CHCB posted a clever Status Quo story this morning that went right over my head until I read it a second time and appreciated its latent merits.

I'm brain dead through filling in forms applying for funding. It's not all fun working at a university, y'know. As has been confirmed many times by several of the board members here.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:15, closed)

Well
I live in London so I'm there most days, but I work north of london, not a million miles (but more than about 20 or so) form where Belgaer works/worked.
( Bazongaloid, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:15, closed)

Al
Do you work in Essex?
( Cawl, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:19, closed)

It's not as far as 20 miles is it?
I thought it was less.
(Belgaer is, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:20, closed)

Are we playing Guess Who?
Do you have a hat?

Are you Bob?
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:20, closed)

Oi!
That's my hat.
*frowns*
( Cawl, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:21, closed)

So Kaol's name is Bob
but he's missing a hat, right?
(Belgaer is, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:22, closed)

Yeah.
Trevor's the one with the hat now.
( Cawl, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:22, closed)

No
Bob is a sultry voiced jazz singer who, in my imagination at least, wears black cocktail dresses and smokes long thin cigarettes through one of them long tube things.

I was disappointed to hear she can't make the august meet up.

@Belgaer - I may have confused the issue here, the place were I work is about 17.1miles (as the peugeot drives on the google map allocated route), from where you work.
( Bazongaloid, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:23, closed)

Is that Trevor
as in my uncle, Trevor as in Davros, or Trevor as in northern irish whoopin hoopin paint strippin friggin messiah CHCB.
( Bazongaloid, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:24, closed)

You'll never know!
Hahaha!
( Cawl, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:25, closed)

Ah, I thought you meant 20 miles from the place you lived
which is like 10 mins up the m25, isn't it?
(Belgaer is, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:25, closed)

this is all so confusing
roll on the wank holiday weekend.
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:25, closed)

I'm sorry...
But...

I get 9 days off, starting tomorrow, paid!
( Cawl, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:27, closed)

Ah yes
but confusingly, I do also work 20 miles (21 actually) from the place I live.

So, who is going to write an algorithm which works out where I could a) work and b) live

and Belgaer already know where I live so no cheating by asking him.
( Bazongaloid, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:27, closed)

But not everyone knows where I work
as they might not have read my post.
(Belgaer is, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:30, closed)

Well
if they can't be bothered to read your posts, they can just, well, poo off!
( Bazongaloid, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:40, closed)

They may not have known that,
my post contained the location of where I work.
(Belgaer is, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:42, closed)

true
I'm skiving off home now.

Have a good wank holiday everyone. I'm going to an agricultural show to look at tractors and horses and dogs and monster trucks.
( Bazongaloid, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:44, closed)

Make sure you read Chickenlady's articles
for the best tips on agriculture. ;)
(Belgaer is, Fri 23 May 2008, 15:47, closed)

@ Enzyme
just got here - where?
(happylittletulip helpless and delicious, Fri 23 May 2008, 16:03, closed)

@CHB (if she's still reading this)
lecturer at only 32 ain't bad. Good work!
( catness, Fri 23 May 2008, 18:22, closed)

My first job....
Was when i was 16... £3.60 an hour, woo!
Now i'm 18 earning £30'000/year...

I did sacrifice my social life though.

Damn. :(

edit: I missed the boat on that conversation didn't i.
( Axai is in Montréal, Canada O.o, Fri 23 May 2008, 20:55, closed)