First Wage

[OXSET]

first wage was approx £1.5k for the month straight out of school into Habitat which used to be a shop and not just a brand name in Argos/Sainsburys. Worked the warehouse as the firm went into liquidation. Was such a fun job because everyone knew they couldn't really be sacked from a dying business.. lots of silliness as the warehouse emptied.

[Gazza]

P/T burger flipper over at Chelsea Footbal Club (i was 15)

£3.88p/h, Mid 90's

[EBJ]

Left school in 1961 and into a wood furniture factory working on a dovetailing machine with a nice guy called George, looked exactly like Ted Bovis out of Hi Dy High off the TV. Earned £5 a week and was allowed to keep the first weeks wage and then after £3 to mum and i kept the odd £2, really enjoyed working there as a great bunch of guys with a sense of humour who also looked after us young 15 year olds and taught us the job.

[magpie]

By the replies so far we certainly have had a good range of jobs in the past. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to post

[Chester]

Left school at 16 in May 1980 , started work 2 weeks later helping move boxes in a warehouse on £1.05 per hour for a 40 hour week, had to give my mum £10 per week rent and the rest was mine.

Could really go out with a fiver and get drunk have a Chinese and still have change, lager (Skol) was 50p per pint and I could only manage 4 before being ill.

Left that job 10 years later and wages had increased to over £9 per hour........I was loaded then

[Skoolkeeper]

1976, 16 year old Warehouse boy, Tate and Lyle sugar factory Silvertown London, £22 per week after tax and Ni contributions, minus £5 per week house keeping to my mum, Great place to work, made redundant 1992.

[trout39843]

1976 working in a shoe factory making shoes for $2.10 per hour (min. wage).
That's not counting the sometimes farm work (bailing hay, feeding aminals and such minion work) for $2.00 a day.

[magpie]

1976 working in a shoe factory making shoes for $2.10 per hour (min. wage).
That's not counting the sometimes farm work (bailing hay, feeding aminals and such minion work) for $2.00 a day.

That seems not a lot of money for a days work Trout, sounds like it might be from the Donald Trump school of economics to pay such a low wage

[trout39843]

That seems not a lot of money for a days work Trout, sounds like it might be from the Donald Trump school of economics to pay such a low wage

Back in those days;
A gallon of gas (petrol) was around $0.50
You could get a Big Mac large fries and coke for about $2.00
Movie tickets were $1.50
That was all before inflation bro.

[bally]

1979 coal miner £41 per week. I was 16