Air traffic controller, Heathrow Airport
“I work a basic 35-hour week on the ATC tower. My main responsibility is to make sure that plains landing at and taking off from Heathrow do so with safety and without delays. I also keep pilots informed about changes in weather conditions such as wind sheer – a sudden change in the velocity or direction of the wind that can cause the pilot to lose control of the aircraft.
I work the night shift because I prefer it. The airport is quieter and I can get to and from work with ease, and I like having the mornings to myself. I have to make sure I sleep properly during the day, though, because there is no room for blunders up here. You need total concentration to keep track of several planes at the same time and make certain all pilots receive correct instructions. The mental stress of being responsible for the several aircraft and their passengers can be quit exhausting; you simply can’t do it if you are not 100%.”
Friendly Voice in the Night
Jack Cheeps, 54
Radio DJ, Bay FM10.4
“I’ve been doing a programme called Goodbye Mr. Cheeps on Bay FM for six years now. Switching to nights was a bit difficult at first, because I wasn’t exactly a spring chicken, was I? Anyway, the programme kicks off at 2 am, so I have to leave home for the station at about 1. At 6 in the morning I hand over to Kelly Shawls and the morning news, but I don’t go to bed until late afternoon – 3 or 4 o’clock perhaps. It’s a funny life for a middle-aged man, really.
Having said that, recently, I was talking to an Air Force fighter pilot who had just been on the programme that comes before mine. Anyway, after spending thirty minutes about what it’s like to fly a high performance aircraft that can make a U-turn at the speed of sound, he told me that he thought I had the coolest job in the world. This completely blew me away. Next August I will celebrate thirty years of being behind a mike and, after such a long time, it takes a statement like the one the pilot made to make me realize that being a radio DJ really is a fantastic job.”
The early morning messenger
Helen Aldridge, 38 , TV Neswcaster
“I front four news summaries every night, and I also present the Morning News programme at 5.30 am. My pattern is seven nights on, then seven days off – which is like having short holidays every other week, so I like that. A car picks me up at about 9.30 in the evening. I write the news summaries and provide newsflash cover from the time the main evening news comes off air, so I have to be ready and made-up at all times.
At 7 o’clock in the morning I go home, have breakfast, and go to bed by nine. It’s like getting up in the morning, except it’s difficult to do normal things like going to the post office because it’s closed by then. Family life is affected, of course. I often have to go without seeing my husband for a whole week, but this could be a blessing in disguise: I miss him so much that it makes me love him even more!
The Man Who Takes You Home
Kenny ‘Ginge’ Walters, 26
Taxi Driver, London
“Being a taxi driver is not just about getting a person from A to B. It is also about the level of service and how to make their trip an enjoyable one. But when people are in a mad rush to get to work or to the airport or to make it in time for an appointment, it’s difficult to engage in friendly conversations. It was getting me down. That’s why I changed to nights. Most people who use a taxi at night are going to have fun, so they are in a much better mood.
I start work at 9 o’clock and drive around the city all through the night until 5 in the morning. It’s quit busy until 1.30, then it it’s a weekday, it slows down a little and there are fewer fares.
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