Sometimes, the job of your dreams turns out to be a job of dreary routine. That’s when you dream again of making a change that will lead you to a whole new walk of life. The new dream for this South African expat? To live the life of Postman Pat, delivering the mail in a quiet English village. By Quentin Wilson
It was a long time coming, but after 20 years as a development manager in the software business – sitting at a desk and staring at a screen, for TWENTY YEARS – I finally bit the bullet in June last year. I was simply not having enough fun.
The plan was to take at least one year off, live a little and then have a good think about what to do next. Then I got into walking around the English countryside. There are around 150,000 footpaths across the UK, and I absolutely love it.
It clears my head, makes me feel healthier, and there is so much to observe. So the idea was to somehow find a job that involved this new found passion of walking. I’ve always had a bit of a fantasy about becoming a postman, but it was never a realistic proposition. The money was simply not enough.
Until now.
For the last six months, I’ve been on a personal cost-cutting mission, and I’ve amazed myself as to how little I really need financially without feeling in any way deprived. I don’t have kids to send to university; my partner has her own business; I’ve almost paid off my mortgage; my pensions are in a solid position; I have other investments that bring in some income; healthcare is free in the UK; and I’m kinda finished with needing non-essential things.
I live in a place called Fleet, and while it is just an hour’s train trip to the middle of London, it is pretty rural. There are plenty of apple trees, pear trees, blackberry bushes, blueberries … I don’t really need to drive. Walking and cycling are my principal means of transport.
I’ve stopped going to pubs and restaurants every week, and am really enjoying making my own meals at home with grog that’s on special in the supermarkets. I’ve become a self-proclaimed shopping ninja. From someone who didn’t know how much a loaf of bread cost, I know where and when to get the most out of my weekly shops.
I now spend half of what I considered to be my minimum possible spend a year ago. I can now realistically move into a semi-retired position, working shifts that pay close to the minimum wage over here.
So that should hopefully cover off where I’m coming from. I am now genuinely able to pursue my dream job of becoming a postman.
The supply side of the equation? As a South African expat, I’m forever gobsmacked by just how many job vacancies there are over here. The post office seems no exception, and since November I’ve seen jobs advertised for postal workers in Fleet and neighbouring Farnham.
This is quite a wealthy area and so there aren’t that many local people who would typically be looking for these kinds of jobs. There is also a bit of a local housing frenzy going on. New neighbourhoods are sprouting up, meaning there’ll soon be new postal routes to cover.
I’m confident I’ll find a postal job when I start looking, but I’m still quite keen to have another month or two off before committing to a new employer. My life has slowed down dramatically, and I’m not speeding it up for anybody ever again.
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