Secrets of your trade.

[Confusedfornow]

I have worked in my current area of expertise for the last 20 years or so. It's in Aviation, can't say exactly what or for who as it's a relatively small community (for my role) and it would be VERY outing. Before this, my only other "job" that I did for a few years was dancing (yes, that kind ). So I don't have massive experience of the world of work.

But I was chatting with some people in a bar over the weekend and conversation turned to jobs and then to my role. I was telling them about some stuff which is perfectly normal to me, but was absolutely news to them.

For instance . .

When a plane is "parked" and everything is switched off, the aircraft is referred to as being "Cold and dark".

If a helicopter has engine failure, it won't just fall out of the sky. The pilots are trained in a procedure called "autorotation" and can usually land safely even if the engine isn't running at all.

All British Airways flights use the call sign "Speed Bird". It's unique and no other airline in the world uses it.

Last one . .

Pilots can't wear polarised sunglasses. They make the electronic displays on the flight deck appear black, and you can't read any information from them.

So, what do you know from your jobs that is mundane for you but which most people wouldn't have a clue/be surprised by?

Journalism - local newspapers.

The vast majority of reporters are decent, honourable people trying to do a decent job with far too little resource (at least half the staff than ten years ago for example).

Visiting the families of people who have died for a story is called doing a ‘death knock’. It happens rarely now, due to staffing levels and the fact proactive police media departments release photos and statements anyway.

Twice in my experience we opted not to do a death knock, circs were too tragic and we agreed to leave the families in peace. Both families complained as they wanted the chance to talk about their loved one, have their photo and good memories shared in the paper and felt very offended to have been left.

Some families would stay in touch for years after and enjoyed speaking (usually off the record and over a cuppa) about the loved one they had lost - thia surprised me too as a young reporter, but I happened many times.

Many people make their information and lives public without thinking about it - when a tragedy or scandal happens the first thing journalists do is look at public profiles, where people have willingly shared pictures without putting privacy settings on. Definitely worth reviewing if you have not already done so.

@HerRoyalFattyness
Best insider secret yet! 😂😂😂

@NarcissistMum I think the country own the first 12 miles out and after that, I have no idea

Great thread!

Hospitality

If you're precious about food hygiene, just don't eat out. Ever. Kitchens and bars vary greatly in their standards of cleanliness, and there really is no way of telling which the good ones are unless you work there. It's amazing how few people get sick from kitchens where food hygiene is below parr.

Be pleasant to the waiting on staff. Not because they'll spit in your food, but most will go out of our way to ensure that the nice customers have a great time.

If you have a big function or big party at a function, tip the staff for the whole night yourself at the beginning of the night rather than assuming your guests will throughout the night (They don't). I've not seen this done for years but that's probably more because I moved out of hotel work, but it always put a smile on our faces and a spring in our step for the shift, and it's amazing how much nicer that makes it for your guests.

YY to the poster who said please don't "help" by taking pots of tea etc off our laden trays, nor by passing us plates or stacking them. It's an amazingly exact science, and an unbalanced tray of hot drinks could easily land in your lap. Please just try to keep out of the way and let us organise it best. Keep your handbag straps and walking sticks tucked right under your table so we don't trip, and don't be so wrapped up in conversation that you can't lean out of the way to help somebody put your plate down.

And for the love of god remember what you pre-ordered. The party organisers I loved the most were those who had typed lists of who was having which starter, main & dessert, and some even printed place cards with name and choices on so that their guests couldn't deny that they had indeed ordered soup ;) ... It's nice when they organise a big tip at the end too of course, but you being organised helps us to help your meal to go smoothly.

Thanks Lorddenning1. It reminds me of a quirky fact about Malaysia. If you own a property/land, you also own the area underneath your property right down to the core of the earth. When they built the three level underpass under the city a number of years ago, they had to follow the route of an existing overground highway, as getting permission from thousands of owners would have taken years.

Primary teacher:
Re: cakes - there is a hierarchy...

• large cake, biscuits - eat (it's baked, all bugs killed)
• cupcakes that look suspiciously like the child had a hand in making/icing them - depends how hungry I am and if I've had any breaks that day.
• chocolate truffles, peppermint creams or anything else that is not cooked and is shaped by hand rolling - IN THE BIN!!! (Later, and the child is always genuinely thanked for such a kind thought)

And take OFSTED with a pinch of salt.
I had a placement in an Outstanding 'montessori' nursery that had 1 Montessori trained staff member and the majority of the others were young women either being paid peanuts whilst training or the minimum wage - the way they talked to the children was shocking and as for the Tesco basics nuggets with ketchup that were served rather than the stated snacks ....

In my last primary the inspector came in with a clear agenda and we all knew our grading was determined before he'd even started.

Visiting a school/nursery and talking to parents is the best way of choosing.

And take OFSTED with a pinch of salt.

Yep, there are still incompetent and lazy teachers in schools with excellent Ofsted reports - they know how to play the game!

Narcissist I think the same is true in the uk because the tube often follows the roads above to so only it's just the Council and a few land owners that need asking eg the central line runs under oxford street, New oxford street, high Holborn, Newgate street...

Yeah I also want to know who owns the earth's resources like sea beds, that they can 'sell/profit' from it?

The high levels of nitrates/nitrites in tap water wasn't really directly addressed. Saying we test for lots of things and what's OK for fish isn't for humans, and vice versa? allergic I try to avoid them in food, as links with cancer when used as preservative. It's always niggled me, and never had an answer from authorities. I remember being so shocked to know tap water could test so high.

I would say the same of eating out, seen for myself and from others some of the shoddy practices.

Congratulations OP, for classics accolade!

YY to the poster who said please don't "help" by taking pots of tea etc off our laden trays, nor by passing us plates or stacking them.

Oh no, I always do this, I thought it was helpful. The waiting staff have always said thanks but now I'm wondering whether they're just bring polite and secretly cursing me

Another HR here.

We take early notifications and indicators of stress and depression incredibly seriously. The faster we can intervene the faster our employees can get back on their feet. We also understand that mental health problems manifest differently in individuals.

Oh and constructive dismissal is really hard to prove and not an easy way to get a payout!

“when employees say they’ve got a solicitor, I know that you’ve been talking to your mates brothers’ wife, whose likely told you, you’re in the wrong”

No, it means they have a mate or their partner has a mate who is a solicitor but is giving advice off record for free and can’t be named due to liability

Why do judges have to complete advanced driving courses?

Would love to see more from vets, mine are just wonderful but always so busy I’d never get to find out such interesting information.

Narcissistmum each coastal state will own a distance out into the sea from its coast, these are referred to as continental shelves. Each state’s distance varies as they can apply to extend/reduce it.

Also, we own the land beneath and airspace above the homes we buy (to an extent, of course).

Here’s my very pointless input:

Rabbits can’t vomit.

Spaniel feet smell of popcorn

Barristers in their first year can be paid as much as £12k. This is set to rise to just under £15k in September.

Some junior criminal barristers can come away having spent more than they’ve earned that day due to the amount of travel and rate of pay.

Some pubs I’ve worked in will tell you reuse pints/halves. So say you pulled a pint of fosters at 1pm but the customer wanted carling or whatever, it would then sit there and be ‘topped’ up when the next customer ordered a fosters - this could be 10 hours later.

Smotheroffive states can apply to a UN commission to claim seabed zones that are a natural prolongation of their continental shelves. Once owned, they can then drill for oil and so on.

The sea above remains international waters.

Why do judges have to complete advanced driving courses?

Perhaps for personal safety and security reason.

I recommend the books/audiobooks "The Secret Barrister" and "This is Going to Hurt" for an insiders experience of the criminal legal system and being a junior doctor. I really enjoyed those two.

And Full Metal Cardigan by David Emery for an insider view of social work!

Just to add on that interesting rabbit factoid, lots of animals can't vomit! Horses can't, for example.

Continental shelves are the area of the continents land mass that's submerged in shallow waters, on an island its an insular shelf, geographical terms.

So the UN 'sell' earth resources! I've always found the concept of owning bits of a land mass weird, or bits of anything on earth, or planets for that matters. I think the whole establishing the rights to own is all a bit odd. I totally get the selling of water that you've treated, but selling/owning naturally occurring water; they'll be selling air next! I mean the gas (not the area of space, although that's weird too!)

@ChanklyBore - to respond to your question about named midwives etc, in both of my pregnancies I had a "named midwife" noted on my official notes!

A 'my dad' secret of trade now...
There is a hill nearby. It is hollowed out and used to store the kind of weapons that are used in underwater vehicles. Some nuclear. It is guarded by a security guard who is not armed in any way. The belief being that anyone with the capability to use such a weapon won't be interested in stealing one, they'll be making their own weapons.

Everyone local knows about this 'secret weapons storage' . It's so obvious. Two fields of sheep are separated by a LOT of razor wire...

A surprising amount of rehoming/re-purposing of animals is done in racing. The tales I could tell of horses whose top bosses had ordered to be put to sleep, but who were found suitable homes on the quiet, or who lived their lives out as "we just need this one for the summer before we pts because such and such is really bonded to him... oh he's a great nanny for X foal... nooo that's not him in the red rug, that rug means it's clearly X horse" and/or, hiding them in the back paddock for years sometimes!

Vets end up with animal themselves. Mine has the most fugly not-his-type-at-all little thing because he was brought in to be put to sleep when there was nothing wrong with him, owners just couldn't be bothered any more Vet said "I'll put him out back and do him later" and that was how Rupert got a second chance at life 😁 SO many vets and vet nurses end up with animal from work that way.

I work in healthcare. We say we’re going for Mrs Brown when we’re going for a tea break.

@origamiunicorn ha ha! Maybe if they said thanks they meant it. Maybe they didn't. But most will prefer to at least be able to put the tray down properly first 😁 some of them will be holding their breath all the way to the table in an attempt not to spill it