𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The Tories have said that they will relax rules to make it easier for teenagers to find jobs: they will be allowed to work until midnight at weekends and not have to take as many breaks between shifts. Not a moment too soon. Saturday and holiday jobs were the making of me and many others, establishing the work ethic, introducing you to the solemn pleasure of earning money and teaching you that hard work earns rewards.

It also teaches you that work is not always fun. My first jobs were as a babysitter to the neighbours (the children were mercifully usually already in bed) but a subsequent post was in a butchers. The smell of meat was so strong it made me feel quite sick. There was a stint in a clothes shop that was so cold you risked getting chilblains and then a monotonous stint as a clerk that seemed to consist entirely of filling envelopes. My time as a barmaid when home from university was a little bit more fun.

But you earned your dosh. These part time roles continued into adulthood: as an impecunious law student in London I had a Saturday job at Burberry pre its reinvention, when there was massive competition to work in the expensive raincoat section as opposed to the cheaper sweater area.

We earned commission and the people who sold the most got the most. It was a very good preparation for the future. I also picked up small gigs like leafletting for the odd bit of pocket money. This is no doubt the kind of thing Angela Rayner wants to ban.

I still remember the outfit I bought after saving for months from my Saturday job (silky top and tweed skirt): it came from the smartest shop in Altringham and I wore it for years. And I enjoyed it all the more because I’d worked for it. There really is no better lesson for the rest of your life.