Secretarial skills

Southampton Row was Pitman's flagship college

London life down the Pit

I guess nowadays you'd try to get on reality TV or take off to warmer climes for a few gap years, but when London-RIP was growing up, the default option for girls without an obvious career path was a bit more prosaic - you became a secretary.

For this, you needed to learn shorthand and typing and the most established place to do so in London was Pitman's Secretarial College in Southampton Row. The Pitman organisation had other colleges both in London and outside, but this was its flagship, housing its admin as well as classrooms for the likes of us.

Stairway to secretarial skills

The building, which is in the next block from the Hotel Russell, looks pretty impressive from the outside. I went there circa 1980, and remember a rambling structure, about five storeys high with our classrooms at the top of a series of winding staircases - and no lift. As the lifts at Russell Square Tube station were often broken, mornings were pretty breathless affairs.

Home for Solanes

The secretarial students themsleves were an odd assortment of Sloaney types yah-ing their way through every course in London, girls filling in time before they went to college and a few people who actually wanted to be secretaries. The only man present was an ancient court stenographer who came in occasionally to demostrate his customised hieroglyphics to an audience who received his wisdom with varying degrees of interest.

We learned shorthand (2000), office skills, which we thought we were far too clever to benefit from, and touch typing (on nightmare, hair-trigger electric machines). I brushed up on the latter at Sight and Sound in Tottehnam Court Road, where they taught audio typing, and which is also long gone.

Dawning of a new era

Pitman closed the Southampton Row centre circa 1990, although the now-franchised training organisation has an outlet in High Holborn. It still teaches shorthand - as well as spreadsheets, IT etc, but I think the days of long, leisurely secretarial courses are gone, and I certainly don't come across many people who can do 2000 or New Era - it's all Teeline (pah!).

Myself, I was a lousy secretary but I can still touch type and do shorthand, which have, as my mother annoyingly predicted, come in incredibly useful. So those days toiling down the Pit weren't entirely wasted.

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Message:	25/25
Date and time:	03/09/2010 at 03:32:58
Sender:	Have need of some suggestions

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Message:	24/25
Date and time:	25/07/2010 at 15:20:45
Sender:	Susan Leslie

WOW - I went there back in 1984, what happened to it? was it taken over by Pitmans College? Never new what I wanted to so fell into scretarial work (yawn). My kids think I am showing off just because I can type without looking at the keyboard. Great location I remember getting home at 8-9pm each day because west end was so interesting.

Message:	23/25
Date and time:	21/05/2010 at 12:07:50
Sender:	Mumbest

I went to Sight & Sound in Charing Cross Road from 1984 to 1985 on a Youth Training Scheme earning �27.50 per week. It was one of the best things I have ever done. I had a great career as a secretary and people still comment on my excellent typing skills, the best being able to talk & type at the same time!!!!. Touch typing is a dying art which is such a shame cos as my parents predicted it is a skill for life!

Message:	22/25
Date and time:	10/05/2010 at 14:29:46
Sender:	Joe

Wow ! Does this bring back memories. I took a typing class here back in the spring of 1986 before I went back to the states for college. Just in case if I didn't complete my education, I had something to fall back on. I remember I got a job and if you had typing skills, you got paid more money. All I had to do is to provide a certificate which I did. I still remember my instructor and the famous lit up keyboard. Joe USA

Message:	21/25
Date and time:	07/04/2010 at 13:47:31
Sender:	Scarlett Blissett

Iwent to Sight and sound Tottenham court rd, in 84 and spent all my lunch times in Covent Gardens, and erm got chucked out, cos i just loved Covent gardens,very handy for the laptop though !!!!

Message:	20/25
Date and time:	28/03/2010 at 11:30:04
Sender:	ulf from Sweden

I went to "Pitman school of English", as it was known to me in 1986, for the Cambridge Proficiency Course class in English. The location in Southhampton Row was excellent. I came from Sweden in September to spend a semester in London before deciding on my future. The vague dream was to stay on in London and make a future there. It was exiting to be in London at the age of 20 and I remember having a good time with Stefanie and Michael from Germany, before I suddenly decided to leave the school in favour of another English Language school. In time for Christmas I went back to my home in Sweden and eventually studied Fine Arts and now I am working in the Visual Arts. Over the years I have been thinking about you Michael, why I didn�t keep in touch and so on. I did pass the English Proficiency Exam with a good grade. And I know you did too!Alas! Stefanie you didn�t! My dream now is to catch up with your here! And hopefully others from the Proficency Class of autumn 1986. Yours Ulf, from Sweden.

Message:	19/25
Date and time:	20/03/2010 at 19:32:45
Sender:	Valerie Murr nee Ford

I was at Pitmans College in Ealing from 1952 leaving in 1954 at almost 16 to start a long secretarial slog. Now retired, mother of two, grandmother of four it was still the job I was to 'fall back on' not the career in journalism I wanted but had no idea how to start! However, I have never had a day without pretty well-paid work. There is no such thing as a 'secretary' now.. I don't remember many other students but I do remember a charismatic English teacher who made a huge impression on me - her name was Manya Lichtenberg. A great teacher among a lot of singularly bad ones.

Message:	18/25
Date and time:	03/01/2010 at 20:26:48
Sender:	Chris W

I went to Pitman's College (Southampton Row) from September '57 until December '59 when Mr. M. Crehan was principal. At 14 years of age I had a 1-1/2 hour commute each way. I still remember most of my shorthand, although some of the short forms elude me. I emigrated to the USA in 1961 and worked as a nanny for a couple of years before obtaining a job as a secretary in Manhattan. I held that job for 5 years before getting married and moving to upstate New York. To this day, I still hold my palms above my fingers when typing on the computer. Old habits die hard, I guess. I wonder if that great Italian restaurant around the corner still exists. We had some great lunches there.

Message:	17/25
Date and time:	29/10/2009 at 07:55:51
Sender:	Pam ex M

I went there in 1948/49 and it was exactly the same. I was expected to become a secretary - get married - and produce grandchildren. All of which I did - except I married an Australian and moved to Australia. Again - my mother was right about one thing - my typing skills have come in very handy but when I found I only got 50c per hour more in the 60's/70's I told prospective bosses I could only type. I couldn't read the shorthand back anyway and why have a headache for the sake of an extra 50c per hour?

Message:	16/25
Date and time:	03/09/2009 at 02:58:26
Sender:	cj

I went to pitmans college london england form 1970 -1973. I would like to speak with anyone who when to college at that time. My english teacher was Mr. Gallerger also remember a Mrs. Morgan. send email to colmaxjes@hotmail.com