John Law, 61, who traded life as a chef to become a press car delivery driver

“I left school at 15 and worked mainly in industrial kitchens, banks offices, that sort of thing.

“Eventually I became a head chef and had the grand title of executive chef, worked for the British Council, moved to Citibank in the Strand, catering form 1,000 people, including the executive dining room. The food was as good as anywhere in the West End. I worked for the National Film Theatre. When they opened the Museum of the Moving Image we needed to prepare 2,000-3,000 oysters.

“I was given ‘voluntary early retirement’ when I was 51-2, which says it all really. I pottered about for a bit doing casual work, but my pension was quite small, and a friend was doing a driving job, and suggested I did too. I don’t earn a fortune, but it keeps me ticking over.

“I’ve always enjoyed driving, and deliver press cars (for makes like Mitsubishi) all over the country. I’ve been up near Shropshire today. There was a five hour train journey to get home, but you’re your own boss.

“Until I cut down to a four-day week I was travelling 70,000 a year. You meet good and bad in any job. There’s a guy in Cheshire who makes you a bacon sandwich and always runs you to the station, but other times you’ll be told ‘there’s a bus stop up the road,’ and you get there to find there are only two a day.

“When it goes well the work’s a doddle, but it’s important not to get wound up by traffic hold-ups. You’ve got to rise above it or you couldn’t do the job.”

What did you do next? If you’d like to tell us about your big career change, email web.editor@saga.co.uk

Written by Martin Gurdon

This article was created: 13 October 2006.
This article was last edited: 10 January 2007.

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