A Proper Job
Table of Contents
Exams as expected – they were internally set.
Results, no problem for any of us.
Successfully completed the course and left on a Friday in June 1971 and started a full-time job the following Monday, with a Preston company that I had completed a four-month work placement with, the previous year.
Medium sized manufacturing company with offices and factory in central Preston – right next to the,then, biggest bus station in western Europe.
Went back into the same position I had left (having tried a number of roles across the company) – as assistant to the Export Manager. Pure chance, but that was the beginnings of what was to be, a successful and varied career in export management.
Export Manager
Two years later, the export manager retired. A whiz kid was brought in, who lasted just over three months (from the south coast and couldn’t handle the culture shock of Preston) – and, following discussions and an interview with a Recruitment ConsultantI was given the chance as Export Manager at the age of 24.
Steep learning curve but survived it. The company supported my enrolment on a day release course at an FE college in Manchester, for the Institute of Export (loE) professional Diploma qualification in International Trade, successfully completed over two years.
Then another life changing event. Again, right place, right time.
Left the Export Diploma course as a completed student, in June 1977 and walked back into the same lecture room in early January 1978 as the new full-time lecturer and course tutor, on all the International Trade courses within the Business Studies department.
found out later, the college was desperate -previous lecturer had resigned at short notice in the middle of the course, and the intended internal candidate (there’s always an attempt at, ‘jobs for the boys or girls’), had already messed up his interview , and no appointment had been made.
It was then late November, and they had nearly one hundred registered, fee paying, students returning on the 4th January.
I had no qualifications or experience in lecturing or teaching but had passed the course with credits and had the support, on the interview panel, of two senior staff who had lectured me as a student – one of whom had got in touch and persuaded me that it was worth applying.
Also, I was the reigning ‘North West Export Year Expert’ – a mastermind type quiz with government funding and managed by the IoE (when I was just another student)) – with regional rounds and cash prizes.
I won my first round in Belfast all expenses paid.
ait was late seventies, in the middle of ‘The Troubles – I was hosted for lunch by the local IoE Branch, in the Europa Hotel.
When I said that the name sounded familiar – they, almost proudly, said that it had the official record of -‘The Most Bombed Hotel in the World’.
Actually bombed, by the IRA, a total of 33 times over 3 decades – closed only twice and no fatalities.
Became known as the ‘Harboard Hotel’ – because it gave up replacing the glass of smashed windows and used re-inforced hardboard instead.
Still going strong to this day as a 5 star quality hotel in the centre of, what Belfast has become – since the troubles- what I have always found –
A lovely, lively, Friendly and ‘happening’ city. I worked there many times as EU recovery funding flooded in and focused on professional training – international trade being an obvious target.
It became my favourite city in the whole of the U.K.
First Round
Managed to win it – £200 cash prize (in an envelope) – which I got to keep. Went on to win the Regional round in Manchester and came second in the national final, in London, broadcast live on BBC 4 (sorry I missed it).
Big news in Preston – front page spread in the local paper and the Chamber of Commerce Bulletin – and local radio interviewed me live in the office,
Actually – technically, I still am the North West etc.etc. because the competition was never run again!
I still have the framed certificate on my office wall at home and the silver platter, my then employers were awarded, is still hopefully on a wall in an office in Preston – or they weighed it in.
College Lecturer
Another very, very steep learning curve. Successfully completed an in-service Certificate of Education, over the first two summer breaks, and, survived the early panic attacks and, over 4-5 years, actually realised it was a career I was made for, and went on to twenty years as a full-time lecturer (latter half as a Senior lecturer -SL).
With the encouragement of the college, I established close contacts, both locally and nationally, with the IoE (the accredited Awarding Body for all international trade qualifications in the UK) – serving as a member and then, the elected Chair of the national Education Committee and the member of the Council and Executive (the Trustees of what was a registered educational charity)
, Many years later – I took up the IoE’s offer of a salaried position as part-time Director of Education, mostly working from home, and lead short course trainer at a good day rate, which also led to a wider range of personal contacts with major exporters, government departments in the UK and overseas and the institutions of the European Union.
Self Employed
This enabled me to leave the college in 1998 – just as they were planning on raising class contact hours for SLs, from, in my case, fifteen per week to twenty-four hours per week, – with no consultation or union agreement – or a rise in salary! – outrageous!
I went on to earn a decent living for about fifteen years, as a self-employed trainer, writer and consultant in Export Management. With the security of the monthly retainer payment for the part-time Director of Education role plus the payments for short course training courses as lead trainer which took me all over the UK but also allowed me to travel the world, delivering IoE short course seminars, EU funded training and mentoring programmes and conference presentations and some weird stuff over three seven-day trips to China –
Maybe more on that, at a future date.
Finally, forced into retirement in early 2012, following two major strokes.
Lucky enough to walk away from them, but- was diagnosed and registered as partially sighted, due to a reduced field of vision, and not allowed to drive, which greatly changed my retirement plans. –
i.e. pensioner season ticket at Old Trafford – and I mean Lancashire Cricket Club of course
So, what now, I have time on my hands?
Blog
I know, I’ll do a blog!