Dáithí Ó Sé has candidly confessed that he’s “always been prepared” to lose his job as a presenter with RTÉ, and has even returned to college to ensure he has a backup plan.
While he’s a regular on RTÉ, hosting the Today show on weekdays and the Rose of Tralee every year, the Kerry native doesn’t want to get too comfortable.
Speaking to the Sunday Independent, he confessed: “The day is going to come when they’re going to tap me on the shoulder and say: ‘Dáithí we’re after copping on to you – you’re gone.’”
“And any presenter who doesn’t believe that is deluded. It’s going to happen to everybody at some stage, so I’ve always been prepared for it.
“I have been on television for years and I’ve enjoyed every bit of it. So if somebody came to me and said ‘it’s done’, I would say, ‘Do you know what? I had a great time’.”
Dáithí confessed: “It’s not that I’m waiting for that day to happen… I’m under no illusion that it’s coming. It happens to everybody.
“I’m not a member of staff [with RTE], I’m a contractor. And when you’re a contractor, you can’t rest on your laurels. You’re only as good as your last job.”
“If I don’t go to work, I don’t get paid. If I’m sick, I don’t get paid. I’m a sole trader. I’m on my own.”
Dáithí worked as a teacher before he fell into his career as a broadcaster, and revealed he recently returned to college to qualify as a life coach.
“I went back to college this year and I completed a professional diploma and life coaching and mentoring,” he shared.
“I was lucky enough to get a distinction in that last month so I am very, very proud of myself there, but I learned a huge amount about myself. And I certainly learned a lot about other people – what bothers you and why.”