Awkward questions you've always wanted to ask someone who works in a specific job...

[PinocchiosLeftNostril]

I thought this would be a good way for us to get answers to those awkward questions we would never dream of asking someone to their face in their place of work.

These are questions relating to my life that i would love honest answers to.

Hairdressers - When someone with bad dandruff/psoriasis sits on your chair, do you shrug it off, or do you quickly have a look to make sure it's not lice? Are you able to tell the difference right away or does it need investigating? And do you really want to know what my plans are for the day, or would you rather work in silence?

Teachers - do you get annoyed when parents write in homework diaries that a specific piece of homework was too tricky for their child? Do you take it as an insult to your teaching skills?

Waiter/waitresses - do you expect people to offer to clean up their children's mess before they leave, or do you just shrug it off as part of the job? If you're busy and haven't had chance to clean a table yet, and a new customer came up and asked for a cloth to clean it, would you be offended?

I'm a trainee SLT so not quite sure if I'm qualified to answer any questions regarding that line of work yet.

But i have experience working in a Subway sandwich store, a library, a gym and as a cleaner. So i can answer any cleaning, book or sandwich questions that are burning away inside you all.

IsleofRight yes a lot of people do go commando under kilts even in winter. I have seen people have their underpants ripped off if they don't!

Having just had a harrowing drop off for dd I'd like to ask the nursery nurses on this thread whether you judge parents for using nursery instead of looking after them themselves, and what you do for your own kids.

I'm a sahm and have been a teacher and an EA. Crutchlow is clearly much more accommodating than me - I wouldn't do someone's washing up for them, although I have remade beds. I did have a man ring up and give me an earful about how his house had no curb appeal and the front garden was a disgrace. He was really surprised when I commended his determination to see it improved and said we'd be happy to retake his photos when he had finished working on it. He thought that was our job...

Zoo keeper questions...

I don't like do the job anymore but did for 10 years.
Most people tend to stay within their specialist area but there are usually opportunities to move about.
Top three animals...

1. Aye-Aye
2. Fruit bat
3. Pygmy Slow Loris

People getting killed by animals is usually down to human error, having the wrong door open, often there are complicated slides and gates which need to be opened in a certain order. Never happened where I worked but lots of close calls!

I volunteered as a keeper before getting the job.
And yes being in the zoo after hours or on days it was closed, like Christmas, was the best time!

I can't remember who asked but my DH is a postman, each round has 500 - 700 houses and takes approx 5 hours but takes longer if there are lots of parcels.

I used to be a dental nurse, loved anything gory and seeing a terrified patient relax and leave smiling when it wasn't as bad as they thought.

I am a dental sales rep now........

I don't do the job anymore, no extra like!

The Aye-Aye chickens? I always thought that looked like an animal that'd murder you in your sleep, just for shits'n'giggles!

No they are amazing!!
Really fascinating, so many unique characteristics and usually friendly. Being tapped by an aye-aye's magic finger is a very special thing!

And that's my hand in the photo you linked to!

Are there any parking wardens on here? I wondered whether you do the same route and timings every day and whether you double back on yourself or if, after I see you leave street, I can then park safely for a bit.

Also police officers, what do you do if you know your friends smoke dope?

You are kidding! Honestly, I've just a huge grin on my face that I managed to 'find' you with the aye-aye out of all the pictures on t'internet

OK,I'll believe you that they are really cute and fascinating and not psychopathic little axe-murderers.

Hostie here...
Pilots read short snippets like magazines etc (long books can lull them into boredom/sleep like trances), play on iPads, drink copious amounts of tea and coffee and do what they need to do to stay alert. They can alternate sleeping, ie 20 minute power naps, enough to keep them alert on waking without falling into a super sleep.
We come and it's nice for them as its new faces and new conversations to keep them going.

Re nervous fliers... Only the truly nervous ones get my sympaypthy. The ones who demand free drinks to calm themselves, do not....

Re body clocks... The trick is to sleep for 4 hours on landing, no more. Then struggle pathetically through till either your next night flight or bed time. Having just come back from minus 8 hours yesterday I'm good now. Travelling from east to west is always worst for me.

Re safety of air travel... Depends on how you look at it really. I've done it for 10 years and never had so much of a sniff of a problem whereas the first time in a car on a motorway another car went straight into the back of my dads... Swings and roundabouts.
You really only hear of plane crashes rarely, when you do the loss of life is so much more that it makes it looks more common than it actually is. Whereas car crashes etc are more common.
If you are looking at it from a passenger perspective, again depending on how you travel will the answer vary. If you travel first, loads of legroom, no sales etc then your experience of travel will be v v different from someone in economy, trussed up like sardines on night flights...
It's safe, but not glamorous!
In the uk at least all aircraft have to be a minimum of 1000 ft up/down/left and right of another and that's assuming the aircraft are the same size.

Any other questions for crew? I'm aware most people have no idea what our jobs entail so am happy to enlighten.

I've got one for people who work in cinemas though... Would it be possible for someone to pay for one movie and theoretically see loads by moving from one screen to another and hiding in toilets between viewings?

That little aye-aye was quite famous, she often pops up on searches!

To the person who works in childrens tv is that Mr Blooms real accent? If not why on earth does he speak like that? Also since childrens tv (especially Cbeebies) like to make everyone sing why don't you hire people who can actually sing?

I used to work in a sex shop if any has any questions about that.

Sorry now I've started thinking about this I have loads of questions.

Also for the children's tv person. If I have a great idea for a kids tv show (not presented by me, just have an idea) how do I sell it to a production company, and do they actually ever buy ideas?

I am quite tactless, so the only awkward question that's ever come up on my radar as such (that I still asked, with as much sensitivity as I could muster) was to a soldier asking if he'd ever killed anyone.

To those who work in the art galleries and just sit in each exhibition room - how to you stop yourself from falling alseep??

I remember listening to Ricky Gervais on the radio talking about how he had ex SAS as a bodyguard.once (not by request!!), and they got chatting over the few days and turned out he still did the odd bit of work for them, and was also one of.only six negotiators in the state, going to hostage situations to talk down the attacker. He said snipers are trained to shoot the top lip - to prevent th attacker reacting and shooting their own weapon! Gervais was in utter awe.

I was a zookeeper once.

As someone upthread said, animal attacks on keepers are human error. If you're dealing with a dangerous species they'll be locked in/out of their enclosure. For instance, if you're cleaning out a chimps enclosure they'll have an inside where they sleep and an outside where they play, they will be separated by a metal door. If you're cleaning inside they'll be locked in the outside iykwim? but it is bloody hairy when you're doing that and they're hammering on the door with their fists. They're extremely strong and dangerous (I'd take my chances with a big cat over a chimp any day) and it's very easy to believe they will get through .

I used to be a waitress, chewed food was the least of my worries. A lady once told me her little boy had done a wee on the floor. I replied "I'll fetch you a mop." In my defense, I was 17.

I used to work in a cinema, if anyone wants to know anything?

Mortified, I used to work in an art gallery but in the office not as an invigilator. They were all volunteers so were too keen and interested to fall asleep! We could never have afforded to pay them, so it was great that they were willing to sit with the pictures. We paid them in coffee and cake after their shift because it was often a condition of the picture loan and insurance that someone was present during opening hours.

This thread is fascinating.

I've invigilated as a volunteer in a teeny little local museum. Never fell asleep because I was too busy trying to work out when the best moment was to attempt to make the hapless visitor sign the visitors book and buy some raffle tickets (pretty much our only source of income).

Definately agree with chimps being scarier than a big cat, would happily face a big cat with a broom in my hand (keepers weapon on choice) over a chimp.

Most modern zoos are very safe, but there still needs to be someone operating the door.
I have known friends who have accidently been in with gorillas and lions, and I wandered in with a hippo once, managed to leg it before he noticed!