What perks did you have because of your parents job?

[SanFranBear]

My dad worked in Air Traffic Control and finished his career working at Heathrow. I was lucky enough to go on several visits to the top of the tower and see the incredible work that happens there... the radar screens, the dishes out on the roof and the best view of planes taking off in the airport. I cannot imagine that this would be allowed today (it was 30 odd years ago when I visited) and it was a genuine treat!

My mum managed a dry cleaners which was ace as it meant I could buy whatever really - most of my friend weren't allowed dry-clean only clothes

What sort of perks or treats did you get because of the jobs your parents had?

I've been racking my brains as to whether we had any perks from my dad's job (police officer). Only thing I can remember were some pens which had Essex Police written on the side. Not sure I ever used those at school! 🤣

We lived all over the world, the US. Hong Kong, Germany. We lived in big houses and went to good boarding schools so got good educations. Got to skateboard and roller skate down a practice take off ramp, climbed all over jet planes and pretended to fly them, swam in the base pool for free, went to lots of summer balls, air shows and occasions attended by Royals. My dad was a fighter pilot.

Not my parents, but my mums best friend, worked at the Disney store, so we got 35% off anything in store (if we were with her) and she also got so many free tickets to the parks so we had a fair few trips there that my parents would never have been able to afford without them!

Lovely thread, op!
My dad Rana business which threw a children’s Christmas party. We also got computer punch cards brought home to make our own computers with, and lots of books - really nice leather bound editions. Dave Prowse / fatty Vader / green x code man did an ad campaign or two for him, and he came to our house once with his family which was cool.

I have definitely stayed longer than I should in a job to enable my kids to benefit from tickets / back stage access / premieres etc. I think their best perk was when I worked for myself and could take them places in the school holidays as I set my own hours. Or so I tell myself 😂

My dad worked for a few different tabloids (ew I know) over the years but the perks were pretty good!

He used to review holidays so he'd get his tickets for free and then pay to take us with him, heavily discounted though. We went to Austria & Cyprus.

Free CDs when they were reviewed in the paper. This was major when I was a teen, 20 years ago!

He'd often tell me a big celebrity story before it broke the next day. Also, when it was a load of bollocks.

Free merch when the paper was sponsoring something. I remember a very fetching T-shirt which I wore for bed

The biggest perk for me was a free VIP pass to Download festival that my dads boss didn't want. I didn't go backstage but I could've and I deeply regret it. I could've met Chester Bennington💔I was just too shy.

Free driving lessons, that was a great perk. Hoping my dds will get to learn to drive for free before DF retires.

My dad worked in glass manufacturing and the company put on the most amazing children’s Christmas parties!

My Dad worked in an office with a massive swimming pool, so that's where I learned to swim. I never stepped foot in a public pool until I was about 18 and I was genuinely so grossed out by it - I'd only ever been in this very empty office pool and hotel pools my whole life! My friends still tease me about how I didn't realise you didn't take your towel down poolside with you!

My Dad was a bus conductor (remember them?) He got free bus travel for himself, half price for Mum, and when we were young, quarter price for us. Also had an annual Christmas party, and a day trip each summer.

My dad was a builder and I got a free child sized hard hat and trips to sites where everyone would make a big fuss. Also on first name terms at the builders caff where my brother and I would get egg in a cup and a lemonade while my dad had bacon sandwiches and sugary tea. Mum was a french teacher so gifted me decent pronunciation on very sketchy actual knowledge...

Parents both worked for airlines so a lot of free travel

• flew to Australia first class and (early 80s) with a lot of Miss World contestants- for 10 year old me this was fascinating- they had their Miss..... sashes on

Oh and dad used to get luncheon vouchers - which he used to take us to McDonald's with!

Home computer before most people had them - Mum was one of the very few women working in IT in the late 1980s.

@Ruthietuthie

My dad was a funeral director. We lived above the shop. The benefits - a casket lift, which transported caskets from the ground floor to the first floor mortuary. Many hours of fun riding up and down on that.

That is so wrong but really made me laugh

Erm.... none. But my best friends mum worked in gyms so we used to love messing about on the treadmills after school and bouncing the big exercise balls around the dance studio.

Bin liners of uncooked, unflavoured Wotsits and other up and coming snacks.
His company made measuring equipment for factories. We didn’t have much money so my mum would flavour them with cuppa soup powder and bake them in the oven 😂

My mum was a teacher at my secondary school so I got a lift.

I can't think of any other perks to this job...

@MsWalterMitty

My step dad was quite high up in Arriva so I got free boys and train travel on Arriva and Virgin trains.

Free boys 😂😂

Childminder - wow! They'd tightened things up before my time as I'd never have been allowed to use one of the headsets - how lucky were you! My dad retired many years ago but he had some amazing stories and I had a fascinating discussion with him around when the Malaysia Airlines flight went missing. Such a sad event but him (and the majority of his friends contacts still in the business) said from the beginning it could only really have been a planned, pilot led tragedy. He had some unique insights into the aviation industry as a whole and I miss him very much (he died two years ago)

Luncheon vouchers though!! - my goodness, they're a blast from the past!

@AtillatheHun

Lovely thread, op! My dad Rana business which threw a children’s Christmas party. We also got computer punch cards brought home to make our own computers with, and lots of books - really nice leather bound editions. Dave Prowse / fatty Vader / green x code man did an ad campaign or two for him, and he came to our house once with his family which was cool.

I have definitely stayed longer than I should in a job to enable my kids to benefit from tickets / back stage access / premieres etc. I think their best perk was when I worked for myself and could take them places in the school holidays as I set my own hours. Or so I tell myself 😂

fatty Vader Great typo!

This is a lovely thread. I have a feeling that kids these days will get a lot less of this kind of stuff, with parents on zero hours contracts in the gig economy and so much emphasis on compliance and audit and health and safety in most jobs.

Growing up with various family members working in factories me and my sister used to go to loads of Christmas parties. I remember going to dancing on Ice one year with my aunty who worked for a well know company in my town.

Dad was a lorry driver and worked for lots of different companies with different perks. They have an ottoman bed which was mine when I was a little girl as the company he drove for made them. It was never called an ottoman when we got it, it was my lifty up bed 😀. Lovely Harrods hampers from another company he worked for. I say lovely but we weren't too keen on quails eggs and caviar but the boxes were amazing and now hold bits and pieces in uo in my parents loft. The last company he worked for delivered hospital items which included nappies for the children's ward so he used to buy them at discount when my two were younger. Sometimes he even got them free if the box was damaged. That saved me a fortune as I never bought nappies as he would never let me pay him back.

Mum ran an estate agents for many years so copious amounts of scrap paper, carbon paper and those letters than you rubbed over with a pencil as they used them to do the window displays. Also, being able to play on her typewriter and with the huge adding machine with the handle to make it work. Thankfully I learnt to type very well which has helped through my career. I was so excited to get my own golfball typewriter 🤣

Interesting thread. Dad worked in university admin so we got to walk through the gardens of the Cambridge colleges.

Griffin savers bag - Midland bank employee.

My mum was a community nurse and she sometimes brought home pens and stuff from the reps at work 😁

tapdancingmum - I think you're so right. Certain industries will definitely have clamped down on the freebies and 'behind the scenes' treats. Such a shame as you got such insight into what made your parents tick and, if you were lucky, gave you a love for something out of your grasp, if you know what I mean. I certainly didn't appreciate how lucky we were.