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What I did next: from filling station to call centre
Colin Bailey, 55, Cardiff-based British Gas call centre operative and trainer
“I was a fuel filling station manager. If the phone rang at home at one in the morning, there was only one place it was coming from.
“There was a rumour that my station was going to Tesco, and they’d bring their own managers in. I was 51 and started looking for a new job. This was the first one I’d applied for in ten years and I was lucky to get it. Age didn’t seem to matter, which I found refreshing.
“The job entailed managing a team of fifteen, processing all the contracts that came through the system. A lot of that work’s gone to India and now I support the phone teams with two new systems we’re introducing. About 80 per cent of my time is spent helping the staff, although I have gone on the phone to take calls.
“New people work in ‘graduation teams.’ If they get stuck, we sometimes put customers on hold to sort things out, or I might take the call. It’s a bit daunting doing that for the first time.
“At the garage I had to be the boss. Here it’s more to do with encouragement, feedback and lots of coaching. I work in a very young office, and I’ve quite enjoyed it. It’s kept me a bit younger. Two years ago they (British Gas) let me go on an NVQ management course. Not many firms would allow someone of my age to do that.”
“Hours? I work shifts, but there are no overnights, which is excellent. When you go home the work isn’t in your face and you’re not worrying.”
What did you do next? If you’d like to tell us about your big career change, please email web.editor@saga.co.uk Written by Martin Gurdon
This article was created: 5 October 2006.
This article was last edited: 6 November 2006.
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