First generation immigrants vs British class system

[classmisfit]

I am starting this thread simply out of interest, I am not outraged, hurt or looking to provoke a bun fight. Lighthearted to an extent, but I really want to hear genuine opinions.
For the native British mumsnetters, do you have an opinion about how your non-native friends and acquaintances fit within the Great British Class System? First generation immigrants, I mean. If yes, are there any external "markers" you are paying attention to, in the absence of the usual accent / went to private school / second countryside home etc.? What are they (even if very shallow and superficial?) What they wear / what they drive / where they live / fluency in English / the school their children attend?

My curiousity is triggered by yesterday's conversation with a (relatively new, a year or so) acquaintance who automatically assumed that I am uneducated and unemployed (and was suggesting "ways out" for me, completely uninvited). She was probably just trying to be kind and helpful, but it felt a bit patronising from my side. And, analysing some encounters over years, it wasn't the first occasion. So it made me think whether I am sending any specific vibes?

Yes and some Steins became Stone. You certainly have never been required by law to change to a more British sounding surname (whatever that is) but some people do choose to change it or use a shorter version of a very long sri lankan name etc

Working class people are finding it easier not harder to get to university now there are loans many of them never pay back
Why is it seen as a success that working class people move away from their class to a professional middle class position. But staying as working class a failure.

Degrees have fallen in value though. They don't guarantee earning potential any longer, unless its medicine, finance or engineering.

..which is why at the majority Asian school my sons went to many of the parents were pulling their teenagers over to the caerer evening law, medicine, dentistry stands I suppose and perhaps why in the 1980s my siblings and I did career specific degrees, - law medicine etc (we are white) and indeed my parents did - medicine, teaching and my uncle too (medicine). Actually even in the 1890s my great uncle did an LLB - career specific and his sister studied nursing and practised for 30 years in London (I don't think was easy in England in the 1890s for women to become doctors but nursing was a good alternative and she ended up in the 1930s as the only one of the 10 siblings with a pension!!) My children broke that pattern but 2 and probably soon 4 became lawyers after. The outlier in a sense has moved class downwards if that is possible in the sense of going from clogs to clogs in 3 generations - drives a delivery van for 3 years and was a postman for 3 years after university and is happily so. I suppose he will keep his middle class status given his education etc but it will be interesting to see if his children if he has any move closer back to the working class mining etc type roots of this family.

As immigrants we are more willing to take jobs that would be "below us" in home countries. Standard of living would still be higher and we wouldn't be looked at as "failed at life"

Discussing this thread with a friend, she mentioned something called intra-racism. She’s British Indian but not first generation and says her experiences of racism are often from other Indians, and especially from Eastern Europeans.

Completely, completely disagree with the PP who says class is not something she cares about.

I see class dynamics in my working life every day when the former public school and Oxbridge folk leapfrog me, mostly by repeating everything I’ve said in a posher accent .