Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
CRUISE THAT AT DOOR?
AS the pandemic swept in last year Damian Jay was living the life as a cruise ship entertainer and running children’s parties.
But once the 45-year-old from Fareham, Hants, realised his performing career would have to be put on hold, he went for a major career change – becoming a home delivery courier for Yodel.
How did the Yodel job come about?
Once I had wrapped up my last children’s party in March 2020 and Covid-19 started sweeping the country, my diary quickly freed up as events were cancelled.
That’s when the reality of the pandemic set in.
I knew I wouldn’t be able to go back to performing any time soon and needed an alternative source of income until things got better.
I’d been working as a stage and cabaret performer aboard some of the world’s biggest cruise ships and also performed in theatres and holiday centres in the UK. It was all I knew.
I had studied performing arts in college and joined an illusion act once I graduated.
I then worked at holiday parks across the country before I decided to start my own family soap bubble show Believe-a-bubble. When looking for a new job I knew I wanted something that allowed me to spend time outdoors and interact, albeit socially distanced, with people.
That’s when I stumbled across Yodel and thought it would be the perfect opportunity for me to combine the two.
So I decided to try my luck and put in an online application.
I quickly got the job and started working a few days after my last performance.
How does an average working day pan out?
I usually head to the Yodel Southampton depot at 9am where I get the parcels I need to deliver for the day.
I use my own car to deliver my parcels, usually 100 a day, and once I’ve loaded them up, I check the best route for my deliveries on my Yodel app and set out.
The app is great as it does all the hard work for me – it orders my parcels according to the best route and it guides me to each location.
Once I’ve finished my rounds I either return to the depot or debrief remotely with the operations team. I am usually home by 3pm. I live with my 10-year-old collie, Flynn, and at that point in the day we usually get out for a walk.
Are you hoping to get back to the cruise ships soon?
Yodel has given me a fantastic opportunity when I needed a helping hand the most.
For some people, delivery drivers are the only people they see throughout their day and I really enjoy taking the time to chat to them and brighten up their day as I deliver their parcels.
I am looking forward to getting back on a stage and performing on cruise ships as soon as we are allowed to travel again.
But I am also confident I will keep working for Yodel in between my entertaining work.
The flexibility and earning potential is great – you can fit the job around your schedule, and do it from the convenience of your own vehicle.
So I’ll definitely continue to make my way back to the Southampton depot.
‘‘ I like chatting to people and brightening their day as I deliver their parcels