Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: AuRavelling79 on April 19, 2005, 10:50:51 pm
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What did you do before you cleaned windows?
As for me I've done several jobs - self employed, partnership, limited company director - all basically selling something though in recent years - what about you and why?
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When I left school I worked for a couple of months in a Kebab shop, which made many customers smile, since I am half Japanese! They used to walk in, look at me and walk out again to check it wasn't a Chinese restaraunt.
Then joined the army at age 16, left two years ago, after 17 years service and became a window cleaner! Wish I'd left several years earlier to do it!
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Then joined the army at age 16, left two years ago, after 17 years service and became a window cleaner! Wish I'd left several years earlier to do it!
A farily good sized pension then mate :)
I allways wanted to be a carpenter, done that for 14 years after school, we had a little un so i packed that in and paid for a round (of a guy who was retiring and some1 who was moving back to OZ) and i now work 3 days a week and my mrs 3 days a week (thus i am a full time dad ;) and i fcking love it)
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Fork lift truck driving in warehouses.Yawn. :'(
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Left school and did a toolmaker's apprenticeship and completed it just in time for Maggie to destroy the manufacturing base of Britain. Worked in Dixon's and got sacked for having a laugh and then done this and that.
Then............. in 1987 ...............
I was a shunter on the railways, then a freight guard, then a conductor (i'm getting bored now) on passenger trains and then a driver.
Then I passed my signalmans interview and got accepted for a job with Failrail (Railtrack) and then upset to many people and sort of left with a nice pay off.
Ho hum. Those were the good old work your butt off days, be treated like dirt after privatisation and have no social life.
Now I'm window cleaning. Should have done it years and years ago. It's great. I love it.
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When i left school went on a YTS for boatbuilding did that for a year, Went window cleaning, then moved to kent and became a milkman and also window cleaning part time, that lasted 10 years but had to stop the window cleaning as i got made supervisor at the dairy and the hours doubled.
Then commercial window cleaning for a large advertising firm.
Had accident and off work for 3 years now back to window cleaning.
I think i was meant to be a window cleaner as i keep coming back to it.
I now wish i stuck with it years ago and packed in the milk rounds.
Paul
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Left school, worked on Bread vans for several years,
Started working in night club part time aged 18 left at 29 as General Manager,
Became Licence of several pubs Newcastle u Lyme, Stafford,Cannock,Birmingham, Liecster,Stratford on Avon,Moved back to Cannock (it's where the missus comes from)
Started selling Insurance (about a month), selling dead chickens door to door, Window cleaning since 1991, should have done this in my 20's never been happier.
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loads of different jobs for me including working in hotels, in the army and factory work, found myself unemployed once and worked partime for a guy who had a window cleaner business and that is how i got into it
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;)left school,hated it went to work as an electrical rewind,that was for 5 years apprenticeship,stuck it for 3 weeks,then went into the millernery trade for some years,at the age of 21 my uncle said,he would teach me to clean windows,go out at 5 am get back by 1 ish the day to yourself,30 years later here I am :)who could have predicted that!even septec meg would have had a job!
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HI ALL,Ive worked on the land .been a mecanic,salesman ,driver for ups,factoey op making pork pies,then i when partying for 17 yrs very successful pro d j.
They wouldnt let me play my type of music,so I rapped up and went window cleaning.suppose I ve been lucky cus I enjoy window cleaning as much as d jing except dont get any offerers from the ladies now ::)
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too many different things to mention....my CV looks like a government document...lol
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Left School at 16, became a computer engineer for ICL for 5 years. Went window cleaning for 4 years left that to do gas engineering which lasted 18 months and returned happily to the windows 5 years ago.
The grass is greener our side.
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left School at 16, went to work for my old man's building company, was going to be the firm's mechanic, so did 2 years in college, first year full time, second year day release, found garage work boring.
I spent my life from age 7 racing karts (proper ones, not those toy things in indoor centres) building and tuning engines, much more fun than greasing nipples and changing brakes 8)
Went on the firm then and finished apprenticeship as a painter and decorator.
Age 21 I fell out with my dad's business partner (his brother in law) He accused me of being drunk!
Well, ok, I might have been, was working in the bar of an hotel, had pint at lunchtime, then continued to help myself to beer through the afternoon as the bar staff finished at 2.0 clock and left me in there painting, thisty work is painting, so I kept topping up my glass :P
Uncle Basil came around at 4.30pm and found me a tad tiddly, threatened to sack me on the spot. I said go on then, he said he'd talk to my father, I told him not to bother, he could shove the job! ::) :o
6 weeks on the dole, then ended out self employed for another painter, after a year or two I went by myself and ran my own business, employed about 6 or 7 people at one point.
Slump in the general trade came along, and I started window cleaning to bring in money, intended to do both jobs.
Then found that once you had cleaned a house one month, you went back and kept cleaning it month after month, and thats where I've been ever since ;)
Ian
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I was a baker for about 6 years, left to start up window cleaning, but still worked at the same place untill I was established.
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Electrician by trade/Maint Electrician in a hospital, then for BT/Engineering Instructor for BT.
Senior Building Services Technician for Nat West; made redundant by Royal Bank of Scotland in 2003 when they took over Nat West.
Had 4 heart bypasses in June 2003 and now working part time as self employed Window cleaner in Stafford/Stone - meeting people, laughing, cracking jokes and generally back in the real world!!
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4 heart bypasses ?....hope you're on the pole, not a ladder....blimey...
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Nope....on the ladder, keeps me fit and out in the fresh! I realise that you might find it surprising, but having spent so many years hardly able to walk from my front door to my car, it's my way of reacting to the new lease of life that I've been given.
Baldeagle
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fair play to you....
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i arrived in england from sunny CAPE TOWN south africa in 2001 .. worked in a hosepipe factory 1 month then went to work for(les smith) like halfords but i worked 6/7 days a week left that and worked for a printing company for 1 1/2 years then did a office job as a quantity surveyor lasted 4 months and couldnt handle working in a office .. tehn left that and sold carpet cleaning for one week hated that then fittrd blinds and awnings for 2 months .. and finaly then became a lighting technician .. did that for 1yr 4 mnths .. hated that and then stumbled across the best job in the WORLD WINDOW CLEANING..
and also a special thanks to all you guys for all the help since ive joined !!
shawn ;D
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Fire service 10 years then hgv multi drop for three years to the most awful foods business in the country god knows how i stuck it .
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Left school at 16:- Postman,Carpet Fitter, Taxi Driver,Milkman,Tyre Fitter,Baker,Technician,Sailing Instructor,Window Cleaner,Retail Manager,Window Cleaner,Sales Rep,Publican and finally back to Window Cleaner :o
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Served in the Army for 2 years until age 20;
Went to College for almost 4 years; started window cleaning as I was waiting for my first teaching job to begin. A freind of mine had a jewelry store and asked me to clean the windows as I was not employed yet.
I bought the basics; did her store and the 2 other stores next to her that first day.
Made back my investment the first day and loved the work; so I have been on my own since that day.
Have never had a boss except in the Army. Glad I did not start my teaching career; the money is bad and the stress is high.
Been self employed since age 23.
Have loved this business since day 1.
Hugs :-*