A day in the life of…Warehouse operative and delivery driver Nelio

Warehouse operative and delivery driver Nelio takes us through his day:

I’ve worked with Instant home for nearly four years now – the work I do takes me all around the country meeting people from all walks of life from all over the world. I love the variety and I truly value the work we do in helping people to get settled into a new home.

I’m originally from Portugal, although I have been in the UK for twenty years now. I know what it’s like to relocate from another country, which is why it is so important to me to ensure their arrival is as welcoming and stress-free as possible. My biggest piece of advice to anyone relocating, whether you are moving from abroad or from somewhere else in the UK, is to research the area before you come. Knowing as much as possible before you arrive about the local area will really help you when you get here.

So I work in the warehouse where I hand-pick all the furniture and other household items for delivery. We have everything you could need to fill an empty house so the warehouse is pretty big! Customers either order a furniture hire package or create a bespoke order, detailing everything from beds to dining tables, sofas and wardrobes, to outdoor furniture. We also have kitchen equipment packs including everything you need from cutlery and crockery to wine glasses, pots and pans and even oven gloves. Plus electrical equipment such as fridges and TVs and even down to bed linen and towels. There is nothing we haven’t thought of!

We will then load up the van with everything we need and take it to the new home. We are based in Cambridge but operate all over the UK so our deliveries can take us anywhere. I really enjoy this aspect of the job – getting to see new parts of the country that I haven’t been to before. A couple of my recent favourite cities that we have delivered to are Bath and Portsmouth – both very vibrant places, so full of life.

We will either meet the estate agent there so that we can set up before the client arrives, or we will meet the client directly and they can go and explore the local area while we set up their home for them. Then we carefully unpack the van, take everything into the house and unpack it all. But it’s not just unpacking, it installing, it’s putting away, it’s tidying up, it’s unfolding a new home. As I said, people can buy everything from us, even down to bed linen so we can even have the new sheets on the bed ready for your arrival. I love turning an empty house into a home with all the finishing touches and making it a truly welcoming place for a client to arrive to.

We have worked with lots of wonderful people over the years, including famous musicians and sportspeople. Like I say, the job is definitely varied! We tailor our services to meet the client’s requests, we pride ourselves on going the extra mile. We like people to hand their move over to us so that they can relax and focus on other things. I find this a big responsibility because I know how much goes into a move, both emotionally and financially – but I truly relish that role.

For me, the most satisfying part of the job is the joy on people’s faces when they come and see their new home and the lovely emails that we receive afterwards. I can drive back to my home and family knowing I have done something good, helping people to have the best start in their new lives.