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.

Cinema Workers were there certain screenings everyone wanted to be in - could you request certain films?

Ooh Mortified I was an usherette in my year out. Admittedly that was 20 years ago.

We couldn't really request certain films but everyone usually got to see every film that came around since we were quite a small cinema/ team. I saw Jurassic Park 32 times.

We did sometimes do showings just for us, with popcorn and icecreams.

Also, sometimes nobody showed up for a screening and I got to go home for two hours (only lived round the corner). If just one person showed up we gave them glares of hatred.

kim this may be of interest, but a friend used to work in LaSenza, and they had an unofficial evening a week (tues if I recall), where men would.come in for the last hour and be measured or choose stuff for themselves !

Minion we only had one screen so I can't answer that one.

But it was possible in our cinema to sneak through the fire exit at the back of the building which by law had to be unlocked (obv), come up the back stairs and sneak into the auditorium. This only worked if there were loads of people in the audience and not the five or six we often had, in which case you would stand out like a sore thumb.

minion I didn't work in a cinema, but that trick works. Think record in my student days was 3 and a bit films. The key was to go mid-week and start early so that the seats weren't all booked - and it often meant missing the first or last ten minutes.
That was nearly two decades ago, btw, am v good and pay for my tickets now .

If anyone wants to know anything about films of the mid-90s teaching EFL/ESL, I'm your woman...

Mortified: you wait! Seriously though, bus routes are generally not that long so you can usually go at one end of the route.

Coach driving is different though. I have a bladder made of steel due to long distance driving! You can drive up to 4 1/2 hrs without a break and I've been stuck in massive traffic jams while desperate for a wee. Not fun, kinda like having a potty training toddler, you go when you can whether you need to or not!

kim147

my dad goes into Bonne Marche with my mum and pays for her clothes announcing "They're not for me"

They know him in the local shop.
But about 10 years ago we stayed in a rather erm, notorious part of Leeds (which every blighter knew was a bit but didn't tell me).

I told my dad on no account trill his "Not for me" speech because they would not believe him

I knew it! Brilliant.
Disclaimer.. I'm not going to do it, I always just thought 'there's no staff around I reckon it's possible'!

Ok another one for lawyers/solicitors
When you have someone in your office who you know is guilty how do you find the way round your consciousness to defend them?

I'm an accountant too, seems no questions for me

I have worked in a wide variety of industries though and find it really interesting :-)

I work in HR, so any questions feel free to ask.

Interestingly I know a man who is a doorman, and has previosuly worked at a strip club for a number of years as security, I asked him if he had a constant hard on but he said you become really desensitized to it, and his GF was massively pissed off as she dressed up one valentines night in stockings, high heels etc and he sighed and said it was like being back at work!

Work in TV? who is the best/worst to work with? Have you had any ridiculous demands?

Yeah, unless a lion is hungry and/or feels threatened by you, it'll completely ignore you. Also a lot of people tut about how little space lions get in captivity compared to other cats but in the wild lions only roam to hunt, if they had a constant supply of food they'd barely move. Nor can they eat every day. Tigers would kill you, just because.

Gorillas are relatively safe but those cuddly looking chimps? they'll rip your arms off as soon as look at you. They have on average ten times the strength of a human male.

So, if you ever wondered why Michael Jackson got rid of Bubbles? once they get past the baby stage (the sweet brown faces) they're too dangerous to keep as a pet.

I did used to love seeing people's faces as I happily walked about in the Canadian lynx enclosure they are big cats but very docile (think being in the same room as a big, but daft dog) the visitors didn't know that though. They must have thought I was well 'ard!

this is a fascinating thread. I'm so moved by all the people who work with those who've just died and say they talk to them/tell them what they're doing. That's lovely. I think that would be a great comfort to me if my loved one had just died.

I've worked as an art gallery invigilator too, being paid...we had to stand, not sit, so tricky to fall asleep, we used to rotate every hour so you'd move to a different part of the gallery. On busy days it was fine, as you'd have lots of people to watch; on quiet days it was soooo dull.

I'm a journalist and a playwright, if anyone has any questions about that!

Oooh loads of questions for Probation officers! Will answer methodically...

Sassh Are SOPOs effective? Do you think there are crimes /8 situations that should not lead to being on sex offenders' register?

I don't think sopos are fantastically effective, it's more the monitoring of the sopo which helps to reduce risk. If someone has, for eg, a no Internet without saving history condition, it's the skill of the police monitoring this, frequency of attending to see case etc which makes a difference.
I have only come across one case who I thought should not be on the register, his was a drunken offence in which he touched a woman's bottom briefly, I agree it was an assault but in my assessment he was not sexually motivated and i feel placing him on the register dilutes the severity of other people's offending.

Celtic promised. Dick how do you feel about the constant criticism of the probation service, messing about with systems, privatisation etc? And how do those of you trying to do a good job feel about the tick box jobsworths? (Have met one or two of those and also plenty of good POs)

I am hugely concerned about the privatisation agenda. I do not believe there should be any element if profit driven agendas in public protection. I could write an essay in this but will leave you with the thought that under current proposals several of my cases, including a very high risk DV perpetrator, would have been supervised by group4/ whatever private company will be given the contract, and the motivation to achieve payment for his supervision may have over ridden the need to manage risk (the two will be mutually exclusive in some scenarios). I don't say that lightly, I left probation to work for a private company in a related field some years ago and this was my experience on two occasions. I had to leave, ethically I could not be part of it.
There are tick box jobs worths everywhere, there is one in the next room, it's very frustrating and a product of a target driven culture unfortunately.

Theresamcqueen. dick, do you find it hard to treat the people you work with (like the sex offenders or DV offenders) normally when you know the things they have done? Did it take some getting used to working with people like that?

Yes! I find DV perpetrators especially difficult as many of them have the same set of views and justifications, they are a strange mix of boring to work with for coming out with the same stuff all the time and yet risky. I think most of my colleagues would say the same.
Sex offenders, you always keep in mind what they have done, often there's a whole host of info and intel you have on unconvicted behaviour too. I have genuinely liked some of the cases I've worked with but even those who have completed treatment, done everything asked of them, I'd still go the opposite way from them if I saw them in tesco and I had my kids with me.

Can I ask nursery workers if you really do care for the children in a perfect, calm, loving way all the time. What do you cut if you are having an off day? What do you hope parents don't find out about what goes on?

Ireallymustbemad... I have a question.
Don't you just love the number zero?

The Mr Bloom one- didn't he say its a fake accent when he came here for a webchat?

Cinemas- dh says his has someone in each screen so they'd probably notice. He saw Harry Potter 43 times over a few weeks. Worst audiences were Harry Potters and Twilights.

Don't think I've anything not covered.
Worked with horses, people with SN & in schools.

waves at accounts on thread
I love it when something balances :-)

Minion I've answered similar above, but basically I will defend anyone. Everyone is entitled to a defence. You might advise them to plead guilty and try to keep the sentence as low as possible- most people do plead guilty. You might advise them the evidence is strong, if it is, but they're still entitled to have a trial. If someone tells you they are guilty and asks you to put forward a defence you know not to be true, you are obliged to withdraw and tell them to get another lawyer. You have a duty to the court as well as the client. However you are perfectly entitled to put the prosecution to proof in those circumstances.

Paediatric A&E and ex PICU nurse here.

In 6 years I have retched only once and that was when a newly formed colostomy, shall we say, exploded into my face. I still feel bad about that, he was only young in pain and mortified.

A period while unconscious isn't really an issue. Usually would have a continence pad on already and would be periodically cleaned as normal.

Ask away...

Have worked as a waitress and a cook and server in a fast food restaurant, and on a holiday park before, if anyone wants to ask any questions.

Currently a drama student and student ambassador, so I have my fair share of stories about over-excited parents and their PFBs off to uni

isle - none of my friends smoke anything! im a 41 year old mother if 2 so most of my pals are of a similar age and just as boring!
I also talk and chat to deceased folks, if im called to a sudden death. we have to check the body and remove jewellery etc. I always talk to them, it just feels more respectful.