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The question

What is the worst job you have ever had?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

The Guardian's long-running Q&A repeatedly asks this standing question, with minor tense variation.

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Others on this question

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When I was younger, I signed up to a job agency and thought I would be doing secretarial work, but they assigned me to clean toilets in a factory in Oldham.
Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 25 October 2025 source ↗
Julie Hesmondhalgh English actress and narrator
I cleaned for a very posh lady in Knightsbridge who made me handwash her knickers. I’d advertised myself in The Lady as a dog walker, so I’m not sure how I ended up there.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 17 February 2018 source ↗
I’ve never really had a horrible job – I liked working at restaurants and being a nanny when I wasn’t acting.
Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 25 April 2026 source ↗

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