This month we thought it would be fun to have a look at what jobs various celebrities had before they became famous. Each week we will be focusing on a different group of celebs, so without further ado…this week the spotlight is on UK Musicians.

Adele – Vinyl Record Store

The UK chart topping sensation Adele burst onto the music scene at a tender 19 years-old. At that age, most teenagers have barely managed to get out of bed before noon let alone create a chart topping album. Adele revealed that AFTER scooping two Grammy Awards back in 2009, she secretly took a job working for vinyl record shop Rough Trade in Notting Hill. Far from needing the extra cash, Adele enjoyed a bit of hard graft, wanted to keep herself grounded and keep her finger on the pulse what’s new in the music industry. Now that’s impressive – we love her work ethic!

Rod Stewart – Grave Digger

Rod Stewart and Grave Digger — Rod Stewart before he was famous

After abandoning his dreams of playing professional football, the young king of Rock’n’Roll’s career took a spooky turn. According to Rod he learnt the value of hard labour while digging graves at London’s Highgate Graveyard. Now worth over £100 million, Rod is trying to teach the value of money to his offspring, but somehow we don’t see Kimberley following in her father’s footsteps to the graveyard.

Sting – Bus conductor, a construction labourer, a tax officer AND a qualified teacher.

Sting and Bus conductor — Sting before he was famous

Gordon Summer – aka – ‘Sting’, before he found his calling in making music, worked as a bus conductor, a construction labourer, a tax collector and qualified as a teacher. We’re pretty blown away by this variety of jobs here at Adzuna HQ, but it makes us think – either Sting was not, let’s say ‘gifted’, at everything he did or the saying “you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your Prince” applies to jobs too.

James Blunt -British Army

James Blunt and The Army — Before he was famous

James Blunt is a British sing-songwriter famous for number 1 hits like “You’re Beautiful” and “Goodbye My Lover”. However, before he found fame in 2005, Blunt was in The Army and even served with the Life Guards in Kosovo in 1999. Despite not being his true calling, James spent four years with the British Army and even rose to rank of Captain. This in our eyes shows some pretty impressive determination, a trait that has obviously helped propel his career to greatness.

Cheryl Cole – Hotel Receptionist

Cheryl and hotel receptionist — Cheryl cole before she was famous

Cheryl burst onto our screens in 2002 as one fifth of Girls Aloud during reality TV show Pop Stars. However, before landing in the spotlight, this Geordie lass reportedly worked as a Hotel Receptionist in Newcastle, hardly surprising considering her welcoming smile and cheerful manner. We only hope her guests were better able to understand her northern twang than X Factor USA.

The examples of this handful of famous UK musicians only go to prove that there is no career change too drastic, anything is possible with a little hard graft. Here at Adzuna Towers we’re always coming up with tips and advice to help you find your dream job. Check out our blog for new posts and start your job search now.

So, to sum up…

What did celebrity musicians do before they were famous?

Adele worked in a vinyl record store
Rod Stewart worked as a grave digger
Sting worked as a bus conductor, construction labourer, tax officer and qualified teacher
James Blunt served in the British Army
Cheryl Cole worked as a hotel receptionist