They might not necessarily be staffing intensive care units, procuring PPE or delivering vaccines, but, in many ways, Britain’s young people are on the coronavirus frontline.

Not because of the health risks, it’s a disease which poses the most risk to the elderly, but the financial ones. 

The economic fallout of the pandemic, Britain’s own national statistician notes, has ‘been felt more by young people and the lowest paid’.

More than 200,000 16-24-year-olds fell out of the UK’s workforce between November 2019 and the same month last year thanks to the pandemic-induced recession, which has particularly affected industries like hospitality which employ large numbers of young adults.

Of the 418,000 who became officially unemployed over the same period, 26 per cent, 109,000, were aged 16-24. 

Even those lucky enough to keep their jobs and be placed on the Government’s furlough scheme were younger.

One in 10 employees aged 25 and under were furloughed at the end of October, the latest date from which figures are available, compared to 8 per cent of the total workforce.

And that is just in the short-term. We know from previous recessions young people often bear the brunt of economic downturns. 

The ‘lost decade’ following the 2008 financial crisis meant someone born in the 1980s would be £800 a year poorer at the age of 27 than someone born a decade earlier at the same age, as their prime earning years were stripped away by sluggish wage growth.

Someone born in the 1970s, by contrast, would be £7,000 a year better off at 27 than someone born in the 1960s.

In order to put names and faces to reams of statistics, This is Money asked five members of the ‘class of Covid’, all of whom left the same Buckinghamshire secondary school around half a decade ago, for their experiences of the pandemic, their hopes and fears for the future, and, if they could, how they’d sum up the last 12 months in a word.

‘If I can get through 2020, I am capable of anything’

Charli Burns, 23, became a qualified teacher during the coronavirus pandemic

Charli Burns, 23, became a qualified teacher during the coronavirus pandemic

Charli Burns, 23, became a qualified teacher during the coronavirus pandemic

Charli Burns, 23, lives in Oxford and works as a history teacher at a secondary school in South East England.

She graduated from the University of Warwick in 2018 with a degree in history, before training to become a teacher at the University of Reading in September 2019.

Where were you at the start of 2020? 

At the start of 2020 I was just starting my second placement as part of my teacher training, and this was at an all-boys comprehensive in the South East. It was amazing and a massively eye-opening experience

It was supposed to finish in June. I was very fortunate in that I had a good training year prior to March, my reports were really good, I had a job by December, and I feel privileged because that’s quite rare. 

When did you first hear about the coronavirus? 

Everything that began to happen in January was almost drip fed to me by the students that I was teaching. I had a Year 7 tutor group I was attached to and every morning they would come in and they’d be like, ‘have you heard about coronavirus?’

I finished that placement in February half term, so I said goodbye and went back to my first placement. When I did it was the same conversations with these kids, and I was like ‘maybe I should be paying attention to the news’.

Then everything started kicking off in March, and we all kept being like, well they’re not going to close the schools, they can’t close the schools, surely, they can’t close the schools. And slowly it became clear that they were.

The university I did my training with told us to go with what our school said. We sent a few year groups home, kept the exam groups like Year 11 and Year 13 in, only for exams to be cancelled on the last day.

I had about 10 girls cry on me that day because those poor kids were so overwhelmed with everything that was happening. You think these kids, especially Year 13s, have their entire worlds, if they go to a grammar school, defined by the idea they’re going to do A-Levels and then go to university.

And suddenly everything they’ve known has been torn from underneath them. That day I cried for about an hour after I got home because it was so emotionally taxing.

What was your experience of the lockdowns, both personally and professionally?

What was really challenging about remote learning was working out how these kids have learned and progressed, without any of the immediate feedback that kids give you.
Charli Burns 

We didn’t do any live teaching between Easter and September. We recorded mini lectures almost for each year group to complete at home, which worked really well.

Some of the other teachers I was training with at different schools were doing Google Meets or Teams or Zoom lessons and were teaching almost as if normal, so there was a real spread.

The videos we made were popular, but there were teething problems. I have a parrot, and in the background of one video I did on my own you can hear the parrot squawking for almost the entire thing. I’m convinced you could hear it swear at one point.

The transition to remote learning was really difficult, what was really challenging about it was working out how these kids have learned and progressed, without any of the immediate feedback that kids give you.

Another thing I found really tough was the lack of routine in my day. Obviously teaching my day is defined, it’s heavily structured, which is what I thrive in, it’s part of the reason I wanted to be a teacher. Having that and the accompanying social interaction taken away was really difficult.

But I was lucky to be kept busy because I was still working and after about a month-and-a-half I managed to get myself into a routine with my mum who I was at home with.

By June though I’d moved out with my partner to a new town, I think everyone at that point in lockdown was seeking some kind of change, and that was a real godsend. 

What are your thoughts about the future and what are you looking forward to?

September to December was a manic time after finishing my PGCSE and becoming a teacher full-time with so many learning curves. Although it’s almost been easier to adapt because everything’s new to me.

A year ago as I walked around the school I would tell pupils to tuck their shirts in or do their top button up – this time around I was telling them to put their mask on.

Those aged under 25 were likelier to be on furlough throughout the pandemic than the workforce more generally

Those aged under 25 were likelier to be on furlough throughout the pandemic than the workforce more generally

Those aged under 25 were likelier to be on furlough throughout the pandemic than the workforce more generally 

One of the big lessons I’ve learned looking back on 2020 is that I can do anything, I can get through anything, if I’ve been able to become a qualified teacher in the middle of a global pandemic. And this is what I’ve been telling my students as well.

If and when the world returns to normality, I’m actually just really excited to see my Grandma and hang out in their house and have my Grandad make me a cup of tea. We did that on a regular basis pre-covid and it’s just really lovely. I miss doing that, and I miss my grandparents giving me a hug.

And how would you sum up the last 12 months in a word?

Mindboggling.

Joe Mellor's ski season in Canada was curtailed in March as a result of the coronavirus. He rejoined the company he had joined as an apprentice when leaving school

Joe Mellor's ski season in Canada was curtailed in March as a result of the coronavirus. He rejoined the company he had joined as an apprentice when leaving school

Joe Mellor’s ski season in Canada was curtailed in March as a result of the coronavirus. He rejoined the company he had joined as an apprentice when leaving school 

‘Coronavirus cancelled my ski season’

Joe Mellor, 23, lives in Buckinghamshire and works for a vintage car restorer, a company he joined after leaving school and rejoined in August 2020.

Where were you at the start of 2020?

I was in Whistler, Canada, on a ski season with my friend. I’d become an instructor for the 2019-20 season and in January everything was brilliant. I planned to be there for the spring and summer too.

I’d never travelled the world much and I wanted to see new things. Also, I need to be doing something, I need to have a job, to be active, to have something to stimulate my mind, to have that working environment to keep my head sane.

Canada seemed the ideal mix, the compromise between working, I mean it’s not really work, teaching kids how to ski was amazing, and enjoying skiing which is something I’ve always loved doing.

Joe Mellor skiing in Whistler, Canada, with his friend Matt Smith (right) in early 2020

Joe Mellor skiing in Whistler, Canada, with his friend Matt Smith (right) in early 2020

Joe Mellor skiing in Whistler, Canada, with his friend Matt Smith (right) in early 2020

When did you first hear about the coronavirus?

I was sat on a chairlift with a man from China. And he was saying ‘oh there’s this flu going around at the minute which is why we’ve come out as quick as we can because we’re worried it’s going to lock the whole of China down’. At that stage I didn’t feel like it’d affect me at all.

Then it snowballed and there was that March period when it was this kind of disbelief and everybody started to panic a little bit.

Where I was staying was with all the ski instructors, and we had people from Australia, Austria, Denmark, all over the world.

It was suddenly a scramble to get home, because nobody wanted to be stuck there with no job and having to pay rent. There was this big mass exodus all at once, it was strange.

My parents were on the phone to me saying ‘borders in Europe are closing and they’re thinking of closing the Canadian border’. After Justin Trudeau caught coronavirus it became really quite serious and everything went down.

I booked a flight for the next day and just got out as quickly as I could as there were scares the border was going to be shut.

In hindsight I probably could’ve stayed a bit longer, but, realistically, there was nothing you could do because the whole mountain was closed. I’d had a good season anyway and only missed a few months, so it wasn’t awful.

What was your experience of the lockdowns, both personally and professionally?

It was certainly very strange coming back to a different environment.

Coronavirus wasn’t really a thing in Whistler but coming back to the UK was a bit strange because everything was starting to go into lockdown.

I spent the first lockdown with my parents, they still had a room for me. But I didn’t have a job, I wasn’t on furlough, so, you know, having spent a lot of money in Canada I was sat there thinking ‘uh oh, what am I going to do to keep myself entertained and get a bit of money in?’

I became an NHS responder, I helped this one lady and she said: ‘Oh I hope it’s not too much bother but would you mind going to Tesco, M&S, Waitrose etc for me’. I pretty much ended up doing this weekly shop at five different shops.

I also worked for Tesco as a delivery driver for two-and-a-half months, which was quite good fun. It was nice to visit lots of different people and understand how they felt about the virus.

I missed having the freedom of Canada so much in the first few weeks and not being able just to walk out of the house and put some skis on. But I got used to it.

The Buckinghamshire company refurbishes vintage cars, usually ones which predate WWII

The Buckinghamshire company refurbishes vintage cars, usually ones which predate WWII

The Buckinghamshire company refurbishes vintage cars, usually ones which predate WWII

And then towards the end of August, I rejoined the company I had joined as an apprentice after I left school. Half the staff were furloughed when I first got back from Canada and they didn’t have room for me, but I knew when the opportunity came I would go back there.

It’s been nice to take on more responsibility and do a slightly different job, I’m now the marketing manager, I think if I’d just slotted back into my normal role servicing cars it would’ve felt a bit of a step backwards.

Between the lockdowns I’d also moved into a new flat with my girlfriend, so the second lockdown was amazing in that we were at home together, so that was a good move.

What are your thoughts about the future and what are you looking forward to?

I’m certainly hopeful, I mean, things can’t get much worse really.

When I look at the news and all the facts and figures about unemployment and the financial and health stress that people have been under, it makes me feel quite lucky.

Lucky to have my health but also that I’m still able to work and secure a job and that’s something I’m really quite appreciative of, because, you know, not everybody’s had that.

I’m excited about seeing friends more often and getting out and actually doing more. I’d like to go skiing again, that’s a hole I haven’t managed to fill since coming back. It’ll probably be the Alps rather than Canada though, because of the expense.

And how would you sum up the last 12 months in a word?   

Shambles.

‘I don’t even feel like I look forward to my graduation’

'Like Darth Vader on a budget': Dentistry graduate Maia Nolan has struggled with the extra PPE required by dentists as a result of the pandemic

'Like Darth Vader on a budget': Dentistry graduate Maia Nolan has struggled with the extra PPE required by dentists as a result of the pandemic

‘Like Darth Vader on a budget’: Dentistry graduate Maia Nolan has struggled with the extra PPE required by dentists as a result of the pandemic

Maia Nolan, 23, lives in Exeter and works for the NHS as a foundation dentist on a 12-month contract which ends this August. 

After secondary school she went to dentistry school in Plymouth, a course which lasted five years and ended over Zoom in May 2020.

Where were you at the start of 2020?

I was approaching the beginning of my final exams, so January was when the panic was starting to kick in ahead of them starting in February and March. 

You’re approaching the end of an era, so there’s a lot of anxiety but it’s exciting at the same time.

The thing that ruined it for me, I’d say, is the latter half of the year, from January onwards, the pressure was so much that you couldn’t enjoy it anymore. 

It was all about meeting your targets, passing your finals, doing your presentations and things, and being able to qualify.

It wasn’t a very enjoyable time, but there was a lot to look forward to in May and June. 

My friends and I were planning on a sort of tour around Europe where we could hang out with each other without the restrictions of working holidays.

When did you first hear about the coronavirus?

It was starting to creep into the news in January, and I had a bad feeling about it. I think I’m just a pessimist, which is why I thought we needed to hold off on booking this holiday as I didn’t want to risk it and it was going to be a lot of money.

By early March we had just managed to do some of our face-to-face final exams, the ones I had been dreading the most, before everything went horribly wrong, but I was worried I wasn’t going to be able to graduate or would have to repeat the year because I hadn’t done some procedures.

I thought, ‘oh no, what if they bring me back to repeat this hell because of this one root canal that I haven’t done.’ 

They’d shut down the rest of the university and stopped all face-to-face lectures, but we were still treating patients, who were really apprehensive about coming in. I just thought it was ridiculous, we’re in such a high-risk profession anyway, why were we still there? 

I thought, ‘oh no, what if they bring me back to repeat this hell because of this one root canal that I haven’t done.’ 
Maia Nolan 

Our last day was 17 March, one of my patients actually hadn’t turned up.  

We had two hours’ notice that there would be a meeting at 5pm with the whole year and a couple of staff members and that was it. 

It was a very sombre mood, and the next day I was out of there.

My three final year flatmates were all dentists too and we were all thinking ‘oh no I’ve got to pack, what happens now, when do I go home, can I go home, what’s happening’? 

One of them was from Australia, and she had to book two flights after the first one was cancelled while I was driving her back from Plymouth to Heathrow on my way home to my parents in Hertfordshire. 

That was an extra £2,000 and it took her about 34 hours and three flights to get home.

What was your experience of the lockdowns, both personally and professionally?

I spent a big chunk of the first part of lockdown just napping and trying to recover from the trauma of final year. 

We were then told about doing our final presentation over Zoom, so I spent a few weeks preparing for that. But after that was out of the way in early May I could finally relax.

I still haven’t had my graduation. A normal one was supposed to happen in September but was cancelled again, and I’ve now got a virtual one coming up soon.

I don’t even feel like I look forward to it. It’s online, I’ll probably be at work and it just feels like such a long time ago now that it doesn’t feel like you’re graduating from anything anymore.

The cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

The cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

The cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

With lockdown, there was a sudden end to everything. You didn’t have a chance to gather your thoughts at all, there’s some people I never got to say goodbye to and I still haven’t seen them. 

I was lucky in that I was with my parents and with my brother, but the lack of human interaction was quite hard.

In terms of keeping busy, I have a thing on Etsy where I predominantly make personalised bracelets and a couple of other little things. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed doing. 

And while I’ve never been a big trash TV watcher at all, that changed come lockdown. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills has been my escape.

What are your thoughts about the future and what are you looking forward to?

I think 2021 is going to be the year when all the consequences of the pandemic are going to rear their ugly head. 

If a lot of dental practices close down because they’re not financially viable, which is possible because there is now more expense involved due to PPE and other coronavirus-related costs, then where am I going to find a job?

I’m less experienced than other people, I’ve only had one year out of university, my feeling is it’ll be very hard for me to compete in that sense. That’s partly why I’m drawn to staying in the South West, because there’s a lot more opportunities here than back home.

Post-coronavirus I am looking forward to things, but you almost think, ‘have you forgotten how to socialise’, because I’ve seen so few people. It’s going to be very strange. Not having to think about how many people are in one room at a time is going to be a very strange luxury.

And how would you sum up the last 12 months in a word?

A blur.

Tara Hinchy had the experience of trying to get to know new colleagues over Microsoft Teams during the middle of the pandemic, which she found tough

Tara Hinchy had the experience of trying to get to know new colleagues over Microsoft Teams during the middle of the pandemic, which she found tough

Tara Hinchy had the experience of trying to get to know new colleagues over Microsoft Teams during the middle of the pandemic, which she found tough

‘I moved in with my boyfriend’s family’ 

Tara Hinchy, 23, lives in Berkshire and works for NHS Berkshire’s Community Mental Health Team in Wokingham and is currently training to become a psychological wellbeing practitioner in March. After leaving school she studied psychology at the University of Reading and began working for the NHS in August 2019. 

Where were you at the start of 2020?

I was excited for the year ahead. I was working for the NHS and was still fairly new in my role.

I was just looking forward to pushing myself jobwise I’d say and was also looking to move in with my boyfriend to rent somewhere – we’ve been together for two-and-a-half years. And I was planning on going on holiday to Greece.

When did you first hear about the coronavirus?

I’d say it was probably about November, December. We’d have briefings where we’d mention it and talk about it in our team meetings, but it was all very distant and a bit ‘it’s not come here yet, maybe it won’t.’

I remember very distinctly meeting up with friends in December, January time and someone ordered a Corona and everyone was laughing and joking, but obviously it took such a big turn. I think it only set in for me, in terms of how severe it was going to be, when we were actually in the first lockdown in March.

What was your experience of the lockdowns, both personally and professionally?

I actually moved in with my partner and his family during the first lockdown, because I would’ve been quite isolated otherwise. I formed a bubble with them again second time around in November, staying there and working in the house I live in in Reading.

It was really tough, I have to admit, I definitely struggled with my own mental health and I’ve been utilising the NHS for that and been referred for talking therapy. 

They’ve been absolutely brilliant, and everyone should do it.

It was really tough, I have to admit, I definitely struggled with my own mental health and I’ve been utilising the NHS for that and been referred for talking therapy. I have to say they’ve been absolutely brilliant, and everyone should do it.

Exercise was massively useful for me after I did get into that routine of getting out and about, and I did watch a lot of Netflix during the lockdown. That was actually really helpful for me because I’ve never had time to sit down and binge a series. Gilmore Girls, for example, I’ve been loving that.

Former police officer Peter Bleksley on Good Morning Britain

Former police officer Peter Bleksley on Good Morning Britain

Former police officer Peter Bleksley on Good Morning Britain

And there’s a YouTuber I like called ‘JaaackMaaate’ and he has a podcast called ‘Happy Hour’ where he gets celebrity guests onto it and they talk about some really interesting stuff. There was a fab episode with a man named Peter Bleksley, who used to be an undercover detective.

Professionally, I work in a team that helps people with mental health problems get work and retain it. I would often be out and about meeting people in the community face-to-face. That all changed during lockdown and the phone is really not the same.

My role also transitioned a bit from helping people get into employment to checking in with their wellbeing as more of a support worker.

I also changed teams during lockdown from covering Reading to Wokingham, which was also incredibly stressful. I’ve not met the people I’m speaking to in-person now, and meeting people virtually has been a completely new challenge. There have been a lot of awkward meetings on Microsoft Teams.

I think this pandemic is going to create a real lasting impact on the mental health services and I know how overworked some of my colleagues have been, so I’m concerned for the future in that respect.

What are you looking forward to after the pandemic?

I think 2021 will be a year for spending time with my loved ones. I’ve managed to see my mum and dad a handful of times but I haven’t given them a hug since March, and I’ve found that really difficult.

I would also love to go on a few holidays. I have a holiday to Greece booked for August so I’m a bit optimistic that it’ll happen, but I’d love to do more, I’d love to go to Italy. It depends on how everything goes with vaccinations.

2021, I think, will also be a year for me to work out what I’d like to do jobwise moving forward.

And how would you sum up the last 12 months in a word?

I’m going to do three words, it would be, ‘you’re on mute’.

23-year-old Michelin-starred chef Aaron Wessely was made redundant in July

23-year-old Michelin-starred chef Aaron Wessely was made redundant in July

23-year-old Michelin-starred chef Aaron Wessely was made redundant in July 

‘I started my own restaurant delivery business’

Aaron Wessely, 23, lives in Buckinghamshire and has run his own meal delivery business, EZ Eats, since last year after being made redundant by a catering company in July.

After leaving school he had a brief stint studying Biology at the University of the West of England, before dropping out to train to be a chef, which included 16 months at Tom Kerridge’s Michelin-starred The Hand and Flowers.

Where were you at the start of 2020?

I’d started working for a catering company in London the previous November, which I had applied for after seeing one of my friends worked there. I’d previously wanted to get out of the kitchen for a bit.

I’d left The Hand and Flowers in December 2018, I’d cooked for Mary Berry, Michelle Roux Sr and The Pet Shop Boys among others, it was great working there but afterwards I found myself in a little bit of a slump.

I’d done a short marketing internship but wasn’t really learning anything, it was a waste of both my time and the creative director’s, so I left after three months.

I got back into the kitchen because I missed it, but contract catering compared to cooking in a two-star kitchen was a very easy job, I felt I wasn’t really doing myself justice. I thought I’d stick it out for a year, earn some good money and leave.

But my plans were all pushed back because a lump in my groin that I’ve had for three years turned out to be a hernia, so I started the year being signed off from work and waiting for surgery.

Tom Kerridge pictured outside of his restaurant The Hand and Flowers, where Aaron Wessely worked for 16 months

Tom Kerridge pictured outside of his restaurant The Hand and Flowers, where Aaron Wessely worked for 16 months

Tom Kerridge pictured outside of his restaurant The Hand and Flowers, where Aaron Wessely worked for 16 months 

When did you first hear about the coronavirus?

After my January surgery I came back to work in March and was working for the caterers in the canteen of a quantitative surveying company doing breakfasts.

But because of coronavirus there was no buffet, everything was being pre-made and all I would be doing was handing it to the customers. I was like, ‘result, I’m just going to be standing around all day’.

I did that for one day, and then the head chef said to me: ‘We’re not too sure if we’re going to need you for the rest of the week’, because of the coronavirus. I was then asked to take two weeks holiday, and after that I was furloughed.

What was your experience of the lockdowns, both personally and professionally?

First time around I wasn’t really doing much at home, I think I started a paint by numbers, I tried to renovate an old bench in the garden, which, sadly, has nearly come apart again. 

It was a bit hit and miss really, some days I’d wake up and feel productive and some days I just wanted to sleep in and watch Netflix. The hardest thing was not being able to see my girlfriend for about 10 weeks during it.

I was made redundant over Zoom in July, there were meetings with about 16 other people and three in total. In all honesty I was going to leave it anyway, so I’d already made my peace with it.

Inspired by friends doing a similar thing, he started his own meal delivery business, EZ Eats. The name might be seen as being short for 'Easy' but is based on his nickname 'Ez'

Inspired by friends doing a similar thing, he started his own meal delivery business, EZ Eats. The name might be seen as being short for 'Easy' but is based on his nickname 'Ez'

Inspired by friends doing a similar thing, he started his own meal delivery business, EZ Eats. The name might be seen as being short for ‘Easy’ but is based on his nickname ‘Ez’

One of my chef friends, a Gordon Ramsey-trained chef, lives in London and started selling pre-prepared meals you could microwave at the start of the first lockdown, and he was incredibly busy. I saw what he was doing, and my dad suggested I should start something too, although I wasn’t initially sure if there was a need for it where I live.

The original plan, because of the rule of six, was to start doing menus for dinner parties, three courses, five courses, seven courses, canapes, amuse-bouche, all that jazz. But then the second lockdown happened, and those plans went on the backburner, so I decided to start a delivery business as my friend had done, called EZ Eats.

Mostly I’ve been delivering to my friends, friends of my girlfriend, friends of my parents It’s been a nice amount of busy. Although the first day I was delivering I had a flat tyre, which my friend, his dad and I spent about an hour changing. It’s my full-time business right now.

Aaron's first delivery was blighted by a flat tyre

Aaron's first delivery was blighted by a flat tyre

Aaron’s first delivery was blighted by a flat tyre

What are your thoughts about the future and what are you looking forward to?

Excluding the time spent on my business, I calculated I only worked eight days in 2020. It was strange to think most days I’d been at home at all day. I don’t think 2021 will be as bad, for me I don’t see how it could have been worse, obviously I had the hernia surgery and I also had laser eye surgery in September.

In the future I might transition to dinner parties, my original plan, I still have the menus and recipes developed. But I’m just going to stick this out and try and break down the boundaries of my friends ordering to support me.

Not just, ‘oh let’s spend the odd £20 on Aaron to support his new business.’ I want them to think ‘I’ve got a busy week let me order six meals, that’s easy, I don’t have to go out and get any ingredients.’

And how would you sum up the last 12 months in a word?

Speechless.

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk

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