WWYD - Feeling discriminated because "no recent work experience on my CV"

[eskimomama]

Hi all,

Can you tell me if I'm overreacting?

I've stopped working 5 years ago after DD's ASD diagnosis (I've a master's degree in finance and 5 years experience in an investment bank prior to that). She's nonverbal and has a hectic schedule like you guys can understand. No way I could fit any sort of part time work into that (let alone full time!) as every day is different and unpredictable and I must drop/collect her at different times.
Anyway, I decided to become a freelance translator to get something back on my CV as well as a bit of money, and for that I studied 2 years for a distance post-grad translation degree, that was hard enough to pass in the middle of this autism madness.

I'm applying to be a member of this official translator database, but they're saying that despite all my relevant qualifications and years of experience in finance I don't have recent work experience and they cannot accept me. Rules are rules. I think this is unfair and I feel like complaining, explaining that as a carer for my SN child I have been everything except a slacker for the last 5 years as they might expect a "regular SAHM" to be (?).
I've actually been translating unofficially a lot of DD's assessments (we're a bilingual family, in between UK and France), and done plenty of informal interpreting around DD's needs between relatives and therapists/practitioners.

Do you think I'm overreacting and should just accept the rules? Or is it worth it complaining that carers should be considered better than unemployed?

Couldn't you list your translating DD reports, role as carer etc as work experience? Or do they want out of the home work?

I agree it's shit - but it's a system that seems employment wise rather than solely around families with disabled children. I know someone who's just completed a degree and went for a trainee job in their field (yiu know the sort degree qual needed but have yo start at bottom) but was told they had no relevant work experience. When asked what that would be and how yo get it told you have to work doing - yep - what him applied to do.

Thank you PolterGoose and youarenotkiddingme.

What upsets me, besides the fact that I'm fully aware that it is just another type of lack of support for SN moms in society (isn't that just the definition of discrimination?!), is that any type of office job would have been enough. If I had been working part time at my old job it would have been perfect. And I strongly feel that I've worked 100 times harder than someone doing an office job in the past 5 years.

I don't want to use my SN child as an excuse to get admitted into their database, yet I feel they need to be told this isn't fair.
PolterGoose I did volunteer for a charity, translating articles about autism, although it's been very random. Also I don't want to send them DD's reports as proof of "translation work" if you see what I mean.

Um, I might just send them a short email explaining in brief words why I think it isn't fair on me.

It would be maybe worthwhile sending an email stating you use done X,y and z and asking if they can reconsider their stance in light of the fact that's how you have done your work as you've been a carer. Then add the skills being a carer has given yiu including discussions with professionals etc.
You may get further challenging it on "but I meet your criteria just in a different way" rather than a viewpoint of unfairness iyswim?

I think you will find this in lots of area of work that it will be difficult to get back into after such a long break.

are there other ways you could get back into translation or does it have to be this particular organisation. Never done translation work but there must be other roads back into business.

youarenotkiddingme I've written something like that, but I also mentioned the unfairness of treating carers the same as unemployed (without details, it's self explanatory, or so I hope) - I can justify random translation work, but many carers can't justify any other "work" but "caring", so I think the "Unfair" aspect of it needs to be said anyway. Nobody stands for carers except carers themselves. IFYWIM.
They've answered that in the light of what I explained, they'll reconsider my application and will discuss it in their special committee for special cases. So formal. But I haven't got it yet!

coffeeaddict I will def apply elsewhere. They call themselves gold-standard in their industry and probably are, but there are many other freelance places to start. :)