Slowly, please.
Hilary Johnson has been working in the tourist industry for twenty years. She started as a part-timer when she left college and she liked it so much that she stayed. She explains, "Most people work hard all year round and look forward to the two weeks when they are able to get away from it all and relax, so it's very important for them to have a good time. Luckily, things don't often go wrong, but when they do, it's my job to get on the phone and try to sort things out. It's a challenge I really enjoy , but satisfies me the most is when people telephone me after their holiday to thank me for the wonderful time they've had."
Many people wouldn't like to be a waiter or waitress, but John Orton says that he couldn't imagine himself doing anything else. He works in a very expensive and smart restaurant in the centre of town, and over the years he has served some very wealthy and well-known people. "What I love more than anything else", he says, "is the huge contrast between the kitchen and the eating area. Where the customers sit, it's very quiet and peaceful with people speaking quietly and classical music playing softly. Then, you walk into the kitchen and it's very noisy. Then I walk back out to the tables carrying the plates and it's all peaceful again. It's crazy!"
Jimmy was working as a D.J. at the weekends even before he left school. Now he works six nights a week and earns quite a good salary from it. "The best thing", says Jimmy, "is that it doesn't feel like work. I'm so lucky to have been able to turn my hobby into my job. I know many people who hate what they do for a living. I'm always so excited about going to work, buying new CDs and then watching people really enjoying themselves. I have met so many people who I really like. The only negative aspect is working different hours to everybody else, but nothing is perfect!"
