My First Job: Charity Man

Like any self respecting nerd with the body mass of a stick insect, my school days were spent doing anything possible to get out of ‘games’. The idea that anyone should call P.E. ‘games’ is a misnomer, as it implies that some sort of fun will ensue – and there is no fun to be had playing hockey in the freezing outdoors of Northern Ireland.

Methods of skipping ‘games’ usually involved a small group of us refusing to leave the changing rooms and chatting about what had happened throughout the past week on Neighbours. This was during the first break up between Carl and Susan, a very important time for us all.

During those brief moments when we weren’t sobbing about the dissolving relationship of that Australian couple we all wished were our real parents, we made the decision to do something better with our time. After talking to one of our teachers, it was decided that we could use this time to help the community and so the Community Action Team (C.A.T.) was formed.

To the outside world we were a bunch of six spindly –  and one round – nerds who just wanted to better the community; but what we really wanted was retail experience to help us get part time jobs when we turned sixteen. We schmoozed with a number of later-in-life ladies and got positions in some of the finest charity shops in the land… well into the three charity shops in Bangor. I honestly believe this was one of the wisest decisions I have ever made.

If you’ve ever worked in retail then you’ll understand when I say that anyone who has ever been into a shop should be forced to work at least one week on the shop floor to understand how difficult it is. I think this would stop a lot of people being ignorant to sales staff,  making the world a happier place. FACT. I would take this one step further and suggest that everyone should give up some of their time to work in a charity shop. It is an incredible way of meeting a wide range of people who live in your area, from the completely weird old folk to the cool indie kids hunting for a elusive book or cheap knitted jumper.

So what did I learn in my three years at this charity shop? Well the first was how good cigarettes taste with coffee; this being back in the days before the great indoor smoking ban. Over those cups of coffee with the manager  I learned the most valuable piece of wisdom; that people aren’t that scary. No matter your background, if you smile a bit, listen and be genuinely interested in what the other person is saying you tend to find common ground. This has helped me no end in the world of Comms, which is what I do now.

Of course it also taught me the less interesting but much more practical skills of stock inventory, cashing up tills, ironing, how to get rid of scabies etc. Sometimes it was disgusting, people seemed to think on a regular basis that it was perfectly acceptable to donate dirty underwear – and by dirty I mean utterly vile. If there had been a bodily fluids bingo card we would have we would have a full house every two weeks or so. But every cloud has a silver lining, and I learned not to be grossed out by such things – you just have to deal with that moment and then move on. I think my final skill learnt was the ability to chat to people, after finding out that not all strangers are going to offer you lollies to get you in their car and be driven somewhere shadowy. I discovered how odd but beautiful people and their lives are. There was also bonus that staff got first dibs on the stuff that came in.

So did I grow from this experience? The answer would be most definitely yes.

Has it shaped my current career? Well, ten years on from stepping into that charity shop is a million miles from where I am now. I learned some key skills and it helped me into the world of retail which funded many Buffy boxsets and my years through university. But as a turning point in discovering my dream job, I can’t say it was.

Would you recommend other people do it? Totally. If you can spare a few hours to help out in a charity shop you will not regret it. They won’t be able to pay you, but what you will learn is totally worth it.