Gabe Shields

My role as a paperboy included amongst other things, prompt timekeeping, organising papers/magazines into a logical and time efficient delivery route and then delivering the papers/magazines to my thirty-five customers in and around the Liss/Liss Forest area on my bicycle.

The evening before my paper-round at my house, I would check that my bicycle, helmet, reflective vest and lights were all functioning correctly and this gave me the opportunity to fix any issues before work.

I would start work at 06:30 every Saturday and Sunday morning.

In the newsagents I would first organise the bundle of newspapers into piles, factoring in the most efficient route to try and complete my round in timely manner. Where possible delivering the newspapers in the customers' preferred time slot.

This job gave me a lot of first-hand experience interacting with customers and having an employer. Throughout my employment, I learnt how to be more organized and efficient with my time, how to communicate with different people, to work with little or no supervision, and be trusted to...

My paper-round ended after the owners' retired and closed the newsagents in November 2023. I received good feedback from my paper-round customers and from the owners.

I am currently working most Saturdays at a wing servicing business run by a family friend. I usually start cleaning when I arrive to not damage the wings and other equipment, then I discuss what we are going to do for the day, whilst I make coffee. Afterwards, we start by using machines to check the safety of the wing to see whether it is airworthy.

This job has taught me a lot to do with safety and risk assessment whilst traveling there by bike has further increased my confidence in new spaces on the road.