To think being prejudiced against the privately educated is OK

[EastLondonObserver]

I have spent 25 years working in the advertising industry at some of the most highly regarded agencies in the world. Most of these have been dominated (in certain roles, at least) by the privately educated who gained their entry to the industry through having personal/family contacts in it, were subbed by rich parents while working in low-paid or free internships to gain experience and had that empty confidence private schools instil.

Perfectly capable graduates educated comprehensive schools didn't get much of a look in. However a few managed to break through, including myself.

Consequently, throughout my career I have actively rejected almost all privately educated graduates applying for entry level positions. This runs into hundreds of applicants. I have managed to do this without being called out. Sometimes I have rejected them even when they clearly would have done a better job than a comprehensive school educated alternative. These were corporate companies - it made no meaningful difference to me if they were mildly less successful as a consequence. The only exception was one graduate educated at Harrow and Bristol. I gave him the job as an experiment. He was average at best.

I did this in the name of social justice: re-distributing opportunities away from those with unearned privilege.

Have I been unreasonable? Has anyone else done the same?

Nope. The OP may feel a lot of people are badly treated but it’s difficult to be pleased with your own success and be angry and bitter at the same time.
’Chip on the shoulder’ is a handy stereotype people are using in a situation where it just doesn’t fit.

Which is to clarify, that it seems to be implied (and OP said so) that a privately educated candidate might be able to do the job better. I don't agree with that (in case it was not clear).

I know those private school, Oxbridge types have other avenues, money behind them, connections etc they’ll bounce
but for the WC, state educated, middling Uni graduate this might well be there one big shot - so hell yes I’ll give them a shot.
mid it doesn’t work out then they won’t stay but it’s worth giving them a chance where others wouldn’t.

Yanbu as you only work in advertising so I doubt high calibre candidates matter. Crack on if it makes you feel important!

It's blatantly obvious that the OP is not very well educated. I'm not talking about anyone else.

‘Yanbu as you only work in advertising so I doubt high calibre candidates matter’

only the privately educated are ‘high calibre’? Really? My colleague has a lovely, shiny new Cambridge grad who can barely wipe her own arse. History of Art degree, interned in mummy’s gallery. Apparently she was full of potential ( and speaks Mandarin & Spanish neither of which are relevant or needed for the job) but god knows why the hired her other than she dresses well, and speaks well because she cannot seem to be arsed to do any work.

Yes I know! You can't make it up 😄

This seems a very narrow-minded post and doesn't acknowledge the different reasons why some people are educated in the independent sector. My DD spent three years of her education in an independent school. That was because she had specific learning differences that weren't supported by her large state school and was incredibly stressed and unhappy as well as failing academically. While she is obviously more privileged than someone with the same difficulties who wasn't able to access a private education, her sister, who went to a state school throughout but didn't have SpLDs is likely to have far more opportunities in further education and employment than her. State v private are not the only drivers for opportunity and privilege, and people turn to private schools for reasons other than merely wanting to perpetuate privilege or network.

YABU I knew lots of people who went to school on the assisted places scheme in the 1990s. They were often from very working class backgrounds and the first in their families to go to university or indeed do A Levels. I'm sure there are lots of similar people on bursaries today. I can't see how someone from that background would be at an advantage compared to someone who went to a top state school in a nice area of the South East with professional parents and lots of connections. Isn't your issue more about personal wealth and nepotism as opposed to school type.

'Isn't your issue more about personal wealth and nepotism as opposed to school type.' @runningpram that's a little advanced for the OP.

Really? It is not blatantly obvious to me that the OP is not very well educated. Quite the opposite - they have been calm and articulate throughout, despite some very unpleasant personal attacks.

As a PP said, state educated kids deserve a shot and the statistics show they really do not get an equal crack of the whip. The OPs guerrilla tactics may not change the world, but they could change the world for one bright kid and that of itself is worth something.

No wonder there’s still discrimination when people think it’s ok to stick someone in a no pile because they have decided they aren’t worthy of a look in because their parents were able to pay for their education. What happened to ‘best person for the job?’. I just don’t understand the attitude. You may believe you are simply ‘making it all fair’ but I’m not sure you are, you are punishing someone because of their parents decision.

Parents who send their children to private schools do it because they believe it will advantage their children. It is impossible to hold this belief and to simultaneously not know that their action disadvantages those children who don’t go to private schools. You can’t advantage one group without disadvantaging other groups

So why are they allowed to do this (an action that results in discrimination) but when the OP does something that’s also discriminatory, but is an effort to counteract discrimination, she’s vilified in a way that the parents of private school kids aren’t?!

I think they might be entry level and someone else got the position, then it makes sense.

The world is changing. This kind of ‘discrimination’ will become more come- whether through OP kind of tactics or DE&I policies. About time too.
private school educated kids have essentially’bought’ grades… everyone knows it. So those grades from those schools are becoming less and less valuable.

Eugene wouldn’t that apply to any parent who makes any choice that advantages their child?

So that would include - parents who move area to one with better schools; parents who give their children extracurricular opportunities; parents who read to their kids and buy them books; parents who help their child make a revision plan; etc etc.

Should I not buy my children books, because some kids don’t have any? Am I somehow disadvantaging those other children, by buying my own kids books?

We are all trying to give our kids the best possible chances in life, it’s called parenting!

No they don't always - sometimes they do it when their children are already disadvantaged due to SpLD or other factors and the schools available don't meet their needs. They just want their children to stand a chance.

No idea what you mean here by you couldn’t make it up…I don’t know the advertising business - so whether it’s relevant re a private school candidate being better - dunno. I worked in publishing and because of the preponderance of private schooling in that line, invented additional (relevant to the job) tests. I never found a non-private school candidate worse but didn’t have a no private school policy (might be hypocritical in my case as am privately educated).

erm, the internet.

I don’t think the op comes across as uneducated. I do, however, doubt they have worked in recruitment for many years or is in a position to do this.

But I think uneducated is a stretch.

So you do actually google the name of the applicant's school to see if it's private or not ? OP you've got to admit this is pretty unusual behaviour.

May I ask what this meant for meritorious comp students who graduated from oxbridge?

That's not what I said. I said advertising doesn't need high calibre candidates at all as its a meaningless job. The op seems to think she's rather important and can try and play god in her vacuous industry, let her it's not like they're curing cancer or sending a rocket up to space, so who cares!

@MmeArnault I never claimed to describe a European-wide school system, there is no such thing - outside of @EastLondonObserver 's mind.

Obviously there is no European-wide school system. I was referring to the educational systems in those countries that a) have a significantly smaller % of pupils attending private schools and b) also perform better than England on key quality of life metrics, including equality. NL has been discussed on the thread already.

@MmeArnault blatantly it'sobvious that the OP is not very well educated.

Really? How do you define "not very well educated"? And, on what basis do you believe I meet that description?

when I was hiring I did the same. Oxbridge CVs went straight in the bin.

Was it your company? Out of interest

Ektan agree with your take