1. Claire Lippold, 23, works for the Bat Conservation Trust

I did a degree in biology, and studied bats as part of my thesis. When I saw the ad for this job, I thought it would be perfect for me. We get about ten thousand calls a year, many from people worried that if they have bats in their attics they can't have any building work done. They need the right advice, because the law protects bats. We're contracted by an organisation called Natural England to arrange a service whereby anybody with bats on their property can have a specialist volunteer come out and give information and advice about the creatures they're living with. Generally, once they have the information, they're happy.

2. Anthea McNufty, 26, works for NHS Direct, the phone-in helpline operated by the National Health Service

Having worked in nurse training for a while, I found I missed the patient contact I'd enjoyed doing nursing itself. When I saw this job, I thought of it as a way of getting some of that contact back - without the cleaning up! I remember the dread of what the calls might be about on my first day, but they give you so much training before you're let loose that you can handle it. It was a bit difficult not having the physical clues I'd have been able to pick up on the wards. But you very quickly get used to working with the computer, it makes you feel safe.

3. Agnes Thomson, 60, works for a major broadcasting company

Yesterday, I got lots of calls relating to weekly programmes, though there was quite a contrast: the radio show for the blind, 'In Touch", and "Watchdog' on TV. The 'In Touch' callers had heard of some new equipment and wanted further details. Watchdog is a consumer programme and people generally call me because they have a problem with a product from a company we've covered on the show. Quite often people phone to complain spontaneously, and when we call them again within ten days with a response, which we promise to do in some cases, they've forgotten what made them cross.

4. Caroline Hickman, 34, works for a company with a wide range of household products

I really get a lot out of the work. We have such a wide range of products - from beauty and haircare through to nappies (nenehuku) and household cleaners - that no two calls are ever the same. With laundry products, for example, we get lots of Specific queries - people want to know what to use with certain types of material. We can't always go into details of all the settings of different brands of machine, though. We also get a lot of calls about skincare from people who want to know about specific ingredients in our products. You also get fascinating insight into the country's lifestyles. For instance, we tend to get lots of calls about cleaning products on a Monday, presumably because people buy them over the weekend, then, towards Friday we'll get haircare and beauty because they're planning a night out.