Working for the Royal Mail sounded like an ideal job. But I discovered it’s falling apart, just like its vans

‘I quit in March. I left feeling empty, disillusioned at the catastrophic failure.’ Photograph: Gareth Roberts

For most of my life, I worked in the media. In early 2023 I returned from a job abroad, and it had been intense: six weeks in a remote mountain environment. I needed another job quickly, but could not face an office or the blank gaze of a laptop. The Royal Mail seemed to be on an aggressive recruitment drive: ads for drivers and postal workers flickered across my socials. I applied.

The Royal Mail is part of our national fabric – its workers are everywhere, delivering post six days a week and parcels seven. I always imagined it must be a relatively stress-free job, strolling through leafy suburban streets delivering birthday cards and gas bills, providing the country with a vital service, one that has been running for 500 years.