UK Public Schoolgirls

[TwilightDawn]

Are you a former UK public schoolgirl? What careers do MOST UK public schoolgirls go into and do MOST of them actually progress far on the career ladders? I am aware that the majority of people in top positions in the UK are former public schoolboys (old Etonians etc.) but what happens to former public schoolgirls? I don't mean the relative few who somehow get into top positions (they as women still have a fight on their hands) but what about the majority?

I went to a bog standard comprehensive school and university. I took a few years out working before uni to build up savings. During this time I worked for various govt. departments and found that some of the typists, secretaries and lower (entry) level administrators were women who had been public school educated and had been in these jobs for years if not the whole of their careers. Some of them went to top public schools. This came as a surprise to me. I hadn't imagined that women with this background would be working side by side with me and earning the same peanuts which the Civil Service refers to as a salary.

I now work for the NHS as a nurse. Back in my student nurse days, some of my cohort were former public schoolgirls also. The last I heard, most of them were still band 5 nurses whereas I have progressed to senior management level. AIBU to wonder whether the potential future benefits of a public school education actually manifest for the majority of former public schoolgirls?

Just to clarify, I am using the English definition of "public school" i.e. fee-paying, private, exclusive school.

@BlibBlabBlob

Yes, the joys of motherhood. My children definitely came first and my career at the time (read "job") had to fit around them .

My best friend from school days came from a relatively privileged background but went to the same bog standard comprehensive school as me. Her brothers were sent to a public school and have done immensely well for themselves. My friend however, was sent to the "comp" because her parents thought it wasteful to send a girl to public school unless you are loaded. We thought this was outrageous at the time (we were budding feminists) but I am starting to wonder if they had a fair point. Her brothers have influential connections which they made at school. Do you have any influential connections made at school which could help you if you did decided to pursue a career in the future i.e. its not just what you know but "who" you know?

I was at one of the big coed public schools. 20 years later, the women I went to school with include doctors, army officers, accountants, teachers, journalists, management consultants, priests, SAHMs, restaurant owners, small business owners, big business executives, writers.
Compared to friends who went to state schools, I know that we had a much wider range of opportunities at school, to do sport/drama/theatre/music, a wider range of subjects and were encouraged to have much wider horizons.

My uni was full and is full of public school girls who do degrees in land management, food studies or equine management. The majority will admit to being there to find themselves a nice farmer to marry, most succeed. Is this what you are getting at?

I think British public schools encourage a level of confidence that means you can if you have the ambition, aim high. I just don't think everyone has the same levels of ambition.

I know a very bright woman who studied English Lit at Oxford and is very happy being an A level teacher in a school. She had no ambitions for "higher" academia and gets her job satisfaction from seeing the least academic students make some progress and that to me speaks volumes about this woman's good character. It's about other people's success for her, not her own. If that makes sense.

i went to a top all-girls public school. at school, we felt like we were going to rule the world. A few people are now doing that (top of their profession - law / media / business / medicine), and plenty of others are doing ordinary jobs & everything in between. None of those connections have got me a job, but I guess if my child needed work experience in any field, I'd know who to ask.

I went on to be a drug addict (in recovery now) so wasted the opportunity really. Home life was kind of dire, in my defense.

@HOkieCOkie

My eldest daughter went to a state school but is a Norlander. What can I say but that Norland was worth every single penny it cost us to send her there. Do you agree?

A very high percentage of stay at home mums I know locally (London), the affluent ones, are former private school students.
I went to a state school but then studied Law at a London university and it was dominated by former private school students, male, but the female students were more a mix of state/ private/ International.
Obviously that’s anecdotal, and being in London I will meet a high percentage of affluent stay at home mums than in some other areas.

One thing I noticed, when I worked in the city before teaching, was that I had no sports hobby or musical ability whereas most former private school students had horse-riding experience/ golf skills/ had played in a youth orchestra etc. I think that counts for something in life, I wish I had a wider skill set outside academia. I can’t sing, read music etc and my sporting ability is low.

Looking around all the family and kids (under 30 to me!) I know:
Don't know of any younger public school people. The young people I know of from "bog standard" private schools are in "better" careers / earning more than those from state school. The one younger person I know who opted to go to out of town to a grammar has done very well too. But then she was academic and optimistic enough to go down that path.

So my experience isn't yours OP.
It's best to look at overall statistics if they are available.

@WorkingItOutAsIGo

Aaah ..... the development of leadership potential. Yes, I see. Not everyone has it in them to become leaders, whether it be in a greater or smaller capacity but let's certainly develop these qualities in those who do possess them. Thanks for the clarification.

One was not so one cannot contribute, OP.

Those I know are a real mix: lawyer, dr, nurse, various City finance careers, SAHM and a variety of other things.

Oh dear I missed the qualifying rule for posters!

I'm 34 and went to a private school from 10 - 18.
My female peers are now:
Psychiatrist
Paralegal
Senior vet nurse
TV presenter
SAHM
Teacher
Finance administrator
Doctors of various specialties, inc GP
Hospitality business owner

@Wideawakeandconfused

You seem to have an axe to grind. I didn't ask if there are benefits to public schools. There clearly are! My enquiry was specific to girls and whether the POTENTIAL future advantages of their (specifically) public school education actually manifest for these girls.

I went to a public school and then University.
I'm now a very happy SAHM. I'm on lots of committees, Councils etc and I cater for local events and holiday-makers in my spare time. I'm basically living in a Jilly Cooper novel.
Most of my friends from school are SAHMs, the rest work in pretty high profile roles (property, accounting, journalism) in London.

I didn't go to a private school, but I've taught in a few. Sure, you'll find that the number of girls that go on to do impressive, well-paid jobs will be higher amongst those who went to (decent) private schools than to comprehensives, but it seems a bit odd to be surprised that plenty are just doing normal, run-of-the-mill jobs accessible to anyone. Of course they are!

Not all private schools are great, not all private school kids are clever and talented. Not all private schools offer thesame level of connections. Plenty of private school kids have family issues, mental health problems etc. Also there will be plenty of women doing jobs for which they are overqualified, because they have children and have chosen to be the second earner.

I went to a private girls school. My acquaintances and friends from school have done pretty well: lawyers, doctors, senior civil servants, software engineers, academics, research scientists. Don't think anyone earns significantly less than their partners/husbands, no SAHMs. In fact, I don't know any SAHMs generally.

(Most of my friends have young children)

What is the definition of a public school? Is it the same as a private school? I went to an independent school, but I think that is something different?

My friends and I all choose totally different careers

If somebody had a private education, that path was chosen for then by their parents. It has nothing to do with how ambitious they may or may not be themselves.

Not many girls at the 9 Uk public schools :

Eton -boys
Shrewsbury- co-ed from 2015
Harrow -boys
Winchester,
Rugby,
Westminster- boys
Charterhouse.
St Pauls- boys
Merchant Taylor- boys

Do you mean independent schools?

@Jacksonsmusic

What is the definition of a public school? Is it the same as a private school? I went to an independent school, but I think that is something different?

it is

there are 9 public schools