Most of my working life has been spent in customer service and operational roles. I began in retail, cleaning and delivery work, then moved into customer service in 1999. Over the following years I worked across mobile, business and energy services, in roles that changed as organisations and their needs changed.

I didn’t have a clear career plan when I left college. I studied graphic design, and although I have continued to make things in my own time, most of my paid work developed in other directions. My working life has included customer correspondence, account support, complaints, bereavement and long-term illness cases, and adapting to new systems and teams.

This page is a personal record of the jobs I’ve had and how I remember them, rather than a formal CV. Some of the older sections were written at different times and reflect the details I wanted to record then.

Alongside paid work, I’ve continued to make creative projects and develop Orderaround pub maps. Those projects have been a separate part of my life rather than my main source of income.

Here’s a look back at the paid work I’ve done, from early part-time jobs to a long period in customer service.

About 1987–1988
My first paid work was delivering a free local newspaper. I was paid about 1p per copy and delivered around 200 each week.

September–October 1991
I worked in a small video shop in Oulton. Customers could rent VHS tapes to watch at home, and I helped with the everyday running of the shop. It was a brief job and my first proper experience of paid work.

December 1992–October 1996
I started at Ritz Video in Rothwell. After the business was taken over by Blockbuster, the shop was refurbished and continued trading under the new name. I worked through my college years, and the income helped me avoid taking a student loan.

I also returned to the job after a planned two-month break to visit California. The role gave me several years of experience in retail and customer service.

July–October 1996
I worked at a Total petrol station, serving customers and helping with fuel sales, restocking, lottery and newsagent items. It was a short-term retail role alongside my other work at the time.

The role gave me experience in a busy, varied retail setting but it was only for a few months.

August 1996–April 1998
While studying, I also took an evening cleaning job at the HMS employment agency in Leeds, working for Initial Rentokil, later known as Initial. I cleaned the offices after staff had left for the day. The job overlapped with my work at Parceline and finished in April 1998.

January–June 1997
Through Initial Rentokil, I also worked as a cleaner at Imperial Metal Industries (IMI), the Yorkshire Copper Works site in Stourton. The work covered industrial areas and office spaces, and I often worked independently as part of the wider cleaning team. I found the large, changing site interesting, particularly its mix of older buildings and newer facilities.

July 1997–February 1999
Delivery driver and furniture assembly
The job was initially expected to last one week, but continued for around 19 months. I delivered office equipment and furniture for Viking Direct, assembling items in customers’ homes and workplaces. My routes covered much of Yorkshire and County Durham, so I worked across a wide area and visited a variety of locations. Later, I handled deliveries and collections around Leeds city centre.

From May 1999 to October 2025
After a period of unemployment, I joined a customer service team through an agency in 1999. Over time I worked across several roles in the mobile, business telecoms and energy sectors, including Retention, Business Customer Service, Correspondence, Bereavement and Long-Term Illness support, and energy account services.

Over the years, the organisations and teams changed through takeovers, outsourcing and restructuring. I adapted to different systems, policies and working arrangements while continuing to support customers. The work involved clear communication, accurate records, investigating account issues, handling sensitive circumstances and responding to complaints and correspondence.

2023 redeployment
When the business customer service work moved to the Philippines in 2023, I was redeployed to an energy-sector customer service role. This meant learning a different set of products and systems while continuing to support customers.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, I moved to working from home. I valued the quieter working environment and the time saved by not commuting, and continued to carry out my customer service work remotely.

2025 Redundancy

In October 2025, after more than 25 years in customer service, my role ended as work was transferred from the UK to South Africa. There was no redeployment opportunity on this occasion.

After redundancy, I took an extended break from work and spent much of that time on a substantial personal project. It has involved learning new processes, solving practical problems and committing substantial time to a long-running piece of work.

I’m now considering my next role, including administrative and operational work as well as positions that draw on my customer service experience. After a long working life across changing organisations and roles, I’m looking for a position where I can make practical use of the experience I’ve built up.