A day in the life of.... Customs Administrator, Fiona Watt

I am usually awake before my alarm at 6.15am. A quick read of my book and then I’m up. With 2 rabbits, 3 guinea pigs, a hamster and a dog to feed before myself, I need all my time! I catch up on some telly before heading out the door 7.30am. I enjoy contemplating what’s in store for the day ahead during my 40-minute commute.

Once I’m in the office my first job is to stick the kettle on! After reviewing my workload with Customs Manager Elaine, I get stuck into my team emails, Monday.com and my calendar to plan the day. I also check our clients’ direct email for any new correspondence, marking these as appropriate to either entry work or air / sea freight, and using the sequential numbering system in force to save all attachments to the appropriate client folder.

At lunchtime I devour a quick sandwich before enjoying a brisk walk in the fresh air with a friend. Getting back down to work, I continue progressing through my tasks which support the rest of the team including: cross-checking relevant documents and manifests, and using our traffic light system to highlight any issues to be followed up on by our Compliance Executive.

Come 1.45pm my notifications tell me it’s time to complete my timesheet. I finish at 2pm, but it can sometimes be later than that if I get engrossed in a task. I often have Elaine asking me “Why are you still here?!”

Once a week I visit my mum on the way home for a “fly cup”. At home I have a cup of coffee and a catch up with my daughter and husband, and then take the dog for a walk – aaaand relax!