I had worked as an au pair for 4 months and was now living in a shared house just outside of Staines while giving living in England "for real" a go. I was on the bus on my way into Staines to meet up with my friend Katie-Jo.
Me and Katie back in the day
The bus was full so I was standing up, and a woman made her way up to me. She excused herself, said she realised that this might sound odd, but she was wondering whether I was looking for a job. She said I had just the right look for the job she was doing. I replied that I was indeed interested, as all I did back then was some temping work (where my manager was called James and would later become my husband, but I had no idea of this then).
She gave me her card, and asked me to call her boss. The job was something about going around to people's houses and giving them makeovers. I was very into make up and beauty at the time, and being 19 you really think you can do anything. Today I would have said no way, I have no proper experience, but back then I just though "why not??".
Me at 19
Ready to take on the world
So I called her boss up, to speak about this job. She asked me about my background, and when I said I had studied marketing she got all excited. She was running a marketing company, and was also looking for an assistant. She asked me if I thought I'd be up for the job, and again I thought "why not?". Oh the confidence.
So I dressed up to go for an interview, and they had a driver picking me up from the station. I remember waiting for him to turn up, and this older lady turned to me and said that she used to turn heads as well when she was younger, and that I should appreciate the attention I was getting as it would pass. "I used to be like you, you know", she said.
I went for the interview, which was held in the office within a private house. They had a really nice house and a massive tv, and I remember the lady saying "this is what you can get when you're in marketing!".
The interview must have gone well, because she asked me to come back the next day to do a trial day at work. "Dress smartly" she said, "we are going for a meeting in London".
So the next day I met her at the station wearing my nicest suit. I felt like a real business woman. She bought train tickets to London and we were off. She told me more about the company on the train, and also asked me how good my French was. Today I always say that I don't speak French, but back then I just said "it's ok", as I had studied French for five years (this means nothing if you learn nada, (or rien)). She was French or from some sort of French speaking country, and many of her clients were French.
So we got to the meeting. She had quickly briefed me, and we were meeting a potential client for a presentation. I was clutching my note pad and pen, I had know about this company for a day and here I was, ready to assist someone who was trying to sell their services!
We met this smart man at a cafe, and I remember that the lady had problems getting the slide show to work. After a few awkward moments she started telling him about the service they could provide, whilst I was taking notes, literally trying to scribble down everything they said. I think it had something to do with the marketing of jelly beans if I remember rightly.
At the end of the meeting she turned to me. "Charlotta, do you have anything to add?" she said. What!? What could I possibly say to that? "No, I think I've got everything I need here!", I said with a smile, patting my trustworthy note pad. Thank god for that note pad.
We went back to her office/house (I think it was in Sunbury) and she asked me to print out the minutes from the meeting. I did, trying so show off my typing skills as I did so. She then dropped me at the station, thanked me and paied me for the day's work in cash.
I never got the job, I lost it to a French girl who was probably much more suited than me.
But seriously, how often do these things happen? How random was that? Looking back now it seems surreal. That is just something that would never ever happen in Sweden, and one of the reasons why I fell in love with England. It was tough and you had to work hard, but the opportunities seemed endless. Especially when you are 19 years old and have gone off by yourself on the biggest adventure of your life.
New in England
18 years old and working as an au pair
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