Occupations that no longer exist.

[Eyresandgraces]

I was changing the bed and remembered that in the 1970’s, so not that long ago, dh’s aunt was a tick turner for Fogarty’s.
She spent her whole working day turning pillowcases the correct way round and pointing the corners with her thumbs.
i can’t imagine such a monotonous job.

I found a list of old occupations but Tick turner is not listed.

A Tosher made a living by scavenging the Victorian sewers. Grim.

Please feel free to add any you can think of.

https://rmhh.co.uk/occup/a.html

Factotum is a very old English word meaning do everything. It comes from two Latin words, fac meaning do and totum meaning everything, and it's therefore like Jack of all trades (and Master of none) - it started life as a name Johannes Factotum, in fact, which means John or Jack who does everything. Nothing whatsoever to do with colonialism, unless you go back a couple of millennia to the time when the Romans were colonising most of the known world and making Latin the principal language of Western Europe for many hundreds of years.

My husband was a tv repair man in the 80s

And on Paddington to Cardiff and west Wales. But there used to be a full dining car on all great western trains where you could get various foods cooked to order, so that job doesn't exist any more.
In my school and university holidays I used to work in m&s, we got paid cash which was paid in a brown envelope and handed out by a person in an office through a small window, that job presumably no longer exists.

We have rag n bone men in south Wales.theyre in a van now but once a week or so it's scrap met-taaaaaahhhlll, washing machines, mic-rowaaaaaves, aaaaaanyanyanyany old ir-RON

Oh, thank you for that. Thinking about it, wasn't it in Around The World In Eighty Days? As regards to Passe-partout? I could be wrong, I often am.

Just seemed like a really archaic term that could have been shortened to Toto. Or perhaps that word had a different root. Then you've got tote bag and the African American usage of 'toting' as in to carry.

Just taking my mind for a walk, really.

Lengthsman!

Parish Councils in our county still get a small grant to pay for it

My mum was a telephone operator, GPO trained & worked in exchanges across London. She was still working in them in the late 60s

Coal miner in the UK now that all the coal mines have now closed down.
With even increasing technology I actually wonder what jobs will actually be done by humans in 100 years time other than people to make a programme the machines that will replace humans.

We had a "mineral man" in our area until around 6 or 7 years ago. tbh he was a bit pricey and the mineral was much cheaper in our local supermarket so I think that killed his trade.

Also traditional style window cleaning with a ladder, bucket and squeegee seems to be a thing of the past in our area. shame really as my upstairs windows are filthy and I'd love to find a window cleaner. definitely a gab in the market in our area, someone with a good head for heights and a ladder could make a fortune in our area.

My window cleaner is a ladder and bucket man

I wonder if data entry clerks still exist.

I think in 10 years time, or maybe even less we'll be talking about supermarket cashiers as jobs that are obselete. Sales people in general really...

Gardener
Childcare
Research scientist
...off the top of my head.

Our window cleaner switched from ladder and bucket to one of those flexible hose systems a few years ago after he had a nasty accident (not at our house, fortunately) and broke both ankles. No trouble doing the top windows.

I still write little notes to myself in shorthand. Some years ago, I was visiting my friend and happened to see a note she had written in shorthand next to her telephone, and I was able to read most if it. It made us both chuckle knowing that many people wouldn't have a clue.

I remember those days.

yes I agree. which is a shame as I bloody hate those self service checkouts. they are OK if you just have a few items but a whole weekly shop they're a bloody nightmare and massively slow the whole process right down and the assistant always ends up being called about 20 times! much more quicker, easier and efficient at a human being manned till for me anyway but I am getting old!

Rag an Bone man used to come down our road with his cart and pony to collect old clothes. In exchange for a stone to clean steps or chalk for us kids. Think they should bring them back

Thankfully, literary translator will survive for a while longer, I think, because the task is very complex and requires a unique voice.

Donkey stone manufacturer. My grandmother( born 1906) said all the women in the street in her northern cotton town used to clean their front steps with a donkey stone. You certainly don't hear of that any more.

Hospital Matron

They still have ward matrons in our local hospital.

Thee still exist and are used by professional caterers eg restaurants. At least they did a few years back when I worked for a sports club with restaurants.

he had a todler tantrum about there being a pen in his way on a desk and flapped his sausage hands looking distressed until someone moved it. I'd be shocked if he wipes his own bum, if he can't even move a pen to a different place on a desk.