What does the future hold for Mike Dudds and Pete Sutton? Mike has an excellent brain, but no qualifications for either of his dream jobs - nuclear scientist or airline pilot. Mike has a job lined up at the factory where his father is transport manager, but the consequences of one of his final school pranks mean that he won't be attending the interview...
Mike and Pete do pretty well when given the job of looking after a market stall owned by Eddie Sheldon. But he's far from happy when he finds they have sold for 30p a small pink vase that is worth between £100 and £200. when they later spot it in Cavern Antiques with a £100 price tag, the boys rapidly learn all about financial cunning!
Mike and Pete find themselves working in the printing shop of The Gazette; it all goes wrong however, when they are asked to work overtime without notice. The boys refuse, are laid off for causing trouble, and try to deal a blow to the system with a couple of placards declaring 'Unfair Dismissal' and a call for unionisation.
Mike and Pete set up a domestic cleaning business, using the phone number of Emilio's Cafe - much to Emilio's annoyance. It's not long before the first booking comes their way, but the job proves to be a little beyond their capabilities.
An advert for packers in a brush factory draws the boys into the Employment Office. Once there, something more exciting catches their eyes: an advert for North Sea oil rig divers! They enthusiastically prepare for interviews, buying snorkels and flippers, reading a book about diving, and beginning a rigorous training programme, But unexpected dangers lurk below the water...
It's not fun to be young and on the dole, and now Mike and Pete are in trouble at home for now contributing enough to the household budget. Emilio suggests they join a council-run scheme called 'Action Now', in which young people visit run-down properties and clean them up, enabling them to earn a little more money. Unfortunately, they are sent to the house of the curmudgeonly Mr. Docherty.
