My Life the occasional story

Life on the office floor Part 1

Monday 2^nd August 1965 was the start of my working life, well full time working life. I had been a paper boy, and did a bit of weekend cleaning and odd jobs in the Lee Cooper factory on the local industrial estate, my mate Malcolm Dunks’s Dad was Chauffeur to the Managing Director.  But, this day was my introduction into the real world and was to form the grounding of my career in commercial property management.

Following the usual school careers officer interview at about 14, I advised the officer that I didn’t want to work in a factory or in a shop. 

It was obvious to me at that time that I had no real technical ability, woodwork, metal work and technical drawing projects were just scruffy. My subjects were the arts and biology. My science and maths were pretty useless,although I could deal with arithmetical problems, geometry and algebra just went over my head.

I had no idea what I wanted to do when I left school,so I decided to stay on for GCE “O” levels.

 I spent the next 2 years studying for my “O” levels in all the subjects non technical and non scientific, a total of 9 subjects. To say I studied was stretching the facts a bit, what I was doing, and the Welsh teachers encouraged it, was school sports. I represented the school in cricket, football, rugby, cross country running and the javelin!

When I wasn’t doing that I was painting the stage for the school plays.

So the time came for job interviews, which started with the local employment agency and the decision by me that London sounded a better place to work than Romford, or the Ford works at Dagenham where most of the non GCE lads ended up.

So I was given one appointment to attend with International Tea Company Stores( Kearley and Tonge) in Mitre Square London EC3. I duly attended was spoken to by a Mr Muggleton the Personnel Manager who was impressed that I had taken 9 O levels. Phase one of the deception.

Anyway shortly after that a letter arrived telling me I had a job, nothing specific, but a start date of the 2^nd August. 
I can’t remember if I had a suit for that interview, but either way, I was taken along to Burtons in Romford and my Dad chose me the suit, it was a charcoal grey two piece.

The day arrived and I took the train to Liverpool Street and walked to Mitre Square, dutifully arrived before 9am and was shown into a room which was already occupied by perhaps a dozen lads and lasses.

One by one the room was emptied until there were two of us left. 

Mr Muggleton along with his assistant Mr Hart then, after a brief chat to each other, asked “who wants to work in the Grocery Sale room and who wants to work in the Company Secretary’s office”

We both looked at each other with that puzzled expression as if to say, what the hell are they on about? 

We had no idea!

Obviously they had already made up their mind and after the non reaction lead us away. My new found friend with Mr H, and me with Mr M.

I was taken to the middle block of the 3 former tea warehouse buildings in Mitre Square, where I was introduced to Sam Preston the Company Secretary and then to another office to be introduced to Stan Smith the Property Director (both were Cecil's by the way)
From there I was taken to the Secretary's department to meet Stan Goodburn , John Sheldrake, Bob Kelly and last, but not least, a 20 year old Ivan("I'm just a humble office clerk")Carter.

I was handed an envelope and told never to disclose the contents to any other member of staff and was advised that Ivan was going to show me the ropes.

The contents of the envelope by the way, were my terms of employment which advised of a wage of £3/15 shillings a week, to be paid in cash, and that I effectively had 3 months to prove myself.

Ivan took me for the introductory tour of the building, told me I would be doing the post, filing and fetching the tea from the basement, in fact the latter was my first task after being introduced to all the people in our block except the Chairman. The Director of Accounts, the Chief Cashier and the Company Registrar, followed by the Pensions Manager and the two Directors Secretaries.

With the benefit of hindsight it was apparent to me that my job which was in THE OFFICE of the company was gained under false pretences, on the basis of my assumed high level of education.

As it turned out I gained passes in English Language and Art and Craft, and only just at that. Sam Preston over a period of perhaps a year or so regularly asked me for the certificates, which I managed to not supply on the basis that leaving school before the end of term meant I didn’t get handed my certificates and they had been mislaid by the school.

I got away with that, but was encouraged to try to get qualification as a Chartered Secretary, this lasted for the 7 and a half years I was employed by the Company. 
My aversion to schooling always stopped me stepping up to the next stage of my education. During that time I proved my ability without the need to have a piece of paper entitling me to have letters after my name.

To follow: Part Two the job and the International Drinking Society.