Harry, welcome to La Mansión del Inglés. You’re a retired man now, but you've had a very interesting and varied life. Tell us about some of the jobs you've had over the years.

I left school when I was fourteen years old. That was in 1946. It was exactly one year after the Second World War.
I started work as an electrician's apprentice, and after that I went into a selling career. I started selling in the famous Covent Garden fruit market in London. It was very different in those days. The market imported foreign fruits from all around the world.

I left the market and joined a canned food company. They were, in fact, the largest packers of canned fruit and vegetables in the whole of Europe. They sold their products to the large supermarkets in England. I was with them for seventeen years. I then decided to leave and start up my own business. I bought a shop in Ilford and we sold newspapers, cigarettes, sweet and chocolates. From there, after five years, we opened up a sandwich bar which was right in centre of London. We only had that for two years.

From there I decided to start up my own business in car hire, and I was really…. it was really interesting. I drove many famous T.V. personalities; and from there I went to the South African High Commission in London, and was responsible for driving the High Commissioner.

Which job did you most enjoy, Harry?

I think, possibly the last one, driving the High Commissioner, because it was very varied and it was different. The people I met were so interesting. For example, I..I drove Nelson Mandela when he came over on a state visit to England. I also drove many other important politicians and during the time at the High Commission I met some very interesting people.

And which job did you hate the most, Harry?

I think, possibly, the one in my early life, for instance, the electrician's apprentice. I didn't enjoy that too much. When I first started selling, I didn't enjoy the jobs very much either. It was at the end of my working life when I was driving and came into contact with famous and interesting personalities that I really enjoyed myself.

And finally, looking back on your working life Harry, is there anything that you would change?

The one thing I would change, and it’s a personal thing, and that is that I wish I had studied more at school, I wish I had improved my educational level, but there were reasons why I had to leave school at fourteen, and at the end I suppose one must look back on their life and be thankful for what they've done and what they've achieved.
 

       Vocabulario

Retired = jubilado
Varied = variado
Apprentice = aprendiz
Can = lata de conserva
Selling career = una carrera en márketing (ventas)