Aston Villa defender Mings worked part-time at L&C Mortgages while playing non-league football at Yate and Chippenham, after winning a sports scholarship to Millfield School.
In an interview with The Sun, he said: “I can’t say that while I was at my desk cold calling or trying to remortgage that playing for England was a real achievable goal.
“I couldn’t see playing for England at all. I had other goals at the time when I was a mortgage adviser and had different goals when I was playing non-league football.
“Playing for England seems a different world away and I just needed to get back into the professional game at that point,” Mings told The Sun.
Mings may make his England debut this weekend against Bulgaria or next week against Kosovo.
The 26-year-old has worked his way up having lived for a spell in a homeless shelter with his mother and sisters and battling knee and back injuries. He played for Ipswich and Bournemouth before moving on loan to Villa last season.
He said that his past experiences had given him the “ability to empathise with other people outside the game or others not as fortunate as me.”
