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?

The point is that OP is probably not that pleased with his/ her achievements. She/ he might say she’s pleased with her/himself but her/ his behaviour suggests otherwise.

She/ he likely feels inferior and is a bit bitter about it. Why else come on Mumsnet to seek validation/ boast?

She is the very definition of chip on her shoulder as Jamimas says.

At least this was a more original put down, if still rather shallow.

I would agree with you on advertising's faults, so no never touched there. There are, of course, are many sectors that are far more important to the economy and societal good.

It's no skin off my back if you "don't care". The fact remains it's a 30 billion industry in the UK that can still provide a lucrative career at its higher levels. The privately educated are overrepresented in it. I never claimed I was changing the world, just making a small adjustment in my area of responsibility.

Finally, regarding calibre of candidate, no, advertising is not curing cancer. But, the shift to digital has made it a more analytical, data and technology driven practice (e.g. all those capable engineers in silicon valley working at Google on their advertising products - although the very best engineers tend to work on other projects). The stereotypical view of it being a bunch of Mad-men-like chancers dashing off a quick slogan in the morning before spending all afternoon in the pub is long dead in reality.

1/So, exactly what I was talking about in my post addressed to you, then. Why don't you respond if you have anything of interest to counter what I said?
2/It depends, is english your first language? (It's not mine in case you should care)

I’m going on the evidence in front of me. Others are speculating wildly to try to shoehorn the OP into a particular stereotype that doesn’t fit the available evidence.

‘. I said advertising doesn't need high calibre candidates’
what are you on about?? It doesn’t? Okay then. I mean, I think that’s bullshit and if you want to look a really meaningless industry, chocks full of ‘high calibre’ privately educated Oxbridge folk you should check out the world of finance and banking.
its literally all smoke and mirrors, and industry built on ‘confidence’ aNd benefiting only the very wealthy.

IN case it wasn't obvious.😑

Brilliant comment - thanks for sharing!

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

Successful companies are NOT charities who can afford to employ the 'the WC, state educated, middling Uni graduate' on a trial basis to 'give them a shot'

They are in the business to make money!!!

They will choose the BEST applicants that will do the best job. Often these are bilingual graduates from top Unis!

@EugeneLevysEyebrow and they also need extra warning that a hiring policy might be directed towards the majority than (teeeeeeeny) minority?

So why are they allowed to do this

Because we thankfully live in a free country! People can choose to spend their money however they like. And a great education is one of the BEST investments you can make.

@Jamimas investing in education is always worthwhile. It's just, at a national level, it might be better to release the talents of 95% of the population rather than 5%?

Yes of course! 100% of the talent should be released! Absolutely.

And companies should short list the best applicants WITHOUT knowledge of gender, age, religion or education. The BEST candidates should be selected, regardless of background.

@Jamimas getting the impression you've never actually recruited anyone...

So parents are free to send their kids to whatever school they want (subject to having £000s of surplus cash).

but I am not to free to employ who I want - paying them from my actual money - at your say so?

A pretty fucked up notion of ‘freedom’ you’ve got there…

Of course she hasn’t. But I’m trying to not do the ad hominem thing and play her posts on their merits, such as they are.

If people want to do it on their own dime, that’s their call.

HR exists to reflect company policy and it’s fairly pointless hiring someone to do that job if they just do their own thing. I know op and others say I don’t care although I doubt the op is recruiting, so one positive.

Why do you “doubt” it?

Yes I agree banking is full of arseholes what's your point? That's not what this threads about and has nothing to do with my opinion that advertising is pointless and parasitic. You seem very keen to defend it, do you also have a meaningless job?

*So parents are free to send their kids to whatever school they want (subject to having £000s of surplus cash).

but I am not to free to employ who I want - paying them from my actual money - at your say so?

A pretty fucked up notion of ‘freedom’ you’ve got there…*

A company can recruit who they want. Generally that is the person who they think will do the best job. HR exists to reflect company policy!

You are free to set up your own company and employ whoever you want!

But don't go into other companies and secretly jeopardise their recruitment policy by binning CVs you don't like!!

Neither is the thread about whether advertising is “pointless and parasitic”. This renders your comment rather erm, pointless, no?

But FYI, the % revenue generated by advertising for many large-scale products and services is typically between 5% and 30%. So it certainly has a “point” (albeit within a commercial context) if, like many people, you work in a commercial enterprise.

And also re. your curing cancer mention, one of my proudest moments in my career was creating a long running campaign for a leading cancer charity which significantly raised its donations over several years. This money it used to fund projects researching cures for various cancers.

With regards to it be “parasitic”, I would agree with you if sometimes can be. Yes, it does create excess wasteful consumerism and so on.

But, again, that’s not what this thread is about.

Yep, done that. Going really well. Recruited mainly people from ‘ordinary’ backgrounds. Talented, resourceful, don’t need mollycoddling, and no misplaced sense of entitlement.

how’s yours going?

*So parents are free to send their kids to whatever school they want (subject to having £000s of surplus cash).

but I am not to free to employ who I want - paying them from my actual money - at your say so?*

A company can recruit whoever they want.
Generally that is the person who they think will do the best job. HR exists to reflect company policy!

But sure, set up your own company and employ and pay a salary to whoever you want to. But remember that you're in business to make money!

Cheers for this helpful business advice

Im another one who had a huge scholarship to private school. Its a shame thats an issue for you.