Private party

by Alan Tyers

Top professional jobs are still disproportionately dominated by the privately educated. This is the conclusion of a cross-party committee chaired by Alan Milburn; for instance, 75% of judges and 45% of senior civil servants went to private schools.

Not exactly earth-shattering news, you might say. However, I think that the problem of social immobility is deeper than whether someone’s parents paid for their education.

I don’t about the top professions, but in the media, a large proportion of youngsters get a start via unpaid work experience placements. This puts kids without the means to support themselves during an unpaid stint – in pricey and often faraway London – at a big disadvantage.

And not only does work experience culture play towards the children of wealthier people, the chance of getting one of the placements is hardly a level playing field. Disproportionately, they go to kids who are the son/niece/god-daughter of a senior-ish staff member.

Meanwhile, another traditional route into a career – leaving school at 16, starting in the post room and working your way up – is getting harder. Firstly, and this is specific to a career in journalism but can easily be applied to wider commerce, because all the local papers (and local businesses in general) are gradually being closed down.

Secondly, and this is more universal, it’s more difficult because employers can demand that their young blood have some sort of tertiary qualification: everyone’s got a degree nowadays, after all. The well-intentioned drive to get half of all youngsters into a university has arguably made starting in some careers harder for the poorest.

As long as there are rich, successful people, they’re going to give their kids a leg-up in a variety of tangible and intangible ways that go far beyond schooling. Even if it were feasible, positively discriminating against those with a private education will hardly change that.

Comments

[brian jones]

as les lee says
when it comes to SECURING the professional jobs then
ITS NOT WHAT YOU KNOW ITS WHO YOU KNOW !!

[les lee]

the best jobs are made for those families that make up the echelon of society ...
dont let the government fool you with dubious statistics ...
we older ones in this country realise that
ITS NOT WHAT YOU KNOW ...... BUT WHO YOU KNOW !!
only those with proper contacts get the top jobs ....

[The Bogus Anon]

It's patchy anon. Some schools do but ours definately didn't. They all attended different schools thanks to the vagaries of the selective/non selective/ single sex/co ed. system in North Kent, but not one of them was placed by the school. The involvement BY the school amounted to a lengthy form which the prospective employer was asked to fill out, which made them even more reticent to accept the kids! Oh and if you could see what my offspring choose to wear when not in school, you too would have insisted they wear something more appropriate.

[Anon]

Posted by: The Bogus Anon | 23 July 2009 at 14:23

As far as I am aware, at 15 shouldn't the school have found places for work experiences for your very large active brood.
Further, when in placement the school should have been involved in the workplace.

I can't understand why you needed to purchase new clothes for work experience for such a short period of time. I would have thought that what they had in the wardrobe would have sufficed. Time to buy new clothes later when in paid employment.

[The Bogus Anon]

Anon - Why so touchy? I'm not getting at you. I sincerely apologise, if I came across as critical but I have 5 children 4 of whom have so far undertaken work experience. It left us out of pocket without a doubt. They all worked locally but we still incurred travelling expenses and ended up buying something smart for them to wear which was not school uniform, as most teens don't really have 'work clothes'.
I would question the usefulness of the scheme in any case, since health & safety means there is very little they can actually do. Firms are reluctant to take them as they must be closely supervised and most have very little between their ears at 15 years of age. I spent a long time phoning round looking for work experience placements to be met with zero enthusiasm. The placements we did secure left them all bored and if anything more keen to continue in education! None of them work in any related area now. It's all a bit of a waste of time.

[Anon]

I don't understand why an unpaid placement should be done in London. Closer to home would be a better idea. However, transport should not have been an issue if they got themselves a bus/train pass.

As for lunches, everybody has to buy a lunch including school children and as for wearing something they wouldn't normally have to wear, well who would wear a school uniform for work?

Work experience is just that not paid employment.

As usual The Bogus Anon youv'e sought to criticize my blog instead of reading and understanding totally what by Alan Tyers has put.

I hope this blog has brought you up to speed more.

[The Bogus Anon]

Anon. Because unpaid work experience is just that - unpaid.. but you still have to get there and back each day, probably wear something you didn't previously own and eat lunch at the very least.
I'm not sure the blogger meant the one or two weeks work experience that kids do in year 10 or 11, I get the impression it's more of an internship that the media goes in for which could last months, but even a short period of unpaid work can be heavy on the pocket.

[Dot.com]

It's called social breeding. Get used to it.

[Anon]

From what I have observed youngsters get a start via unpaid work experience placements in their last year at school. If they are not earning how can they be out of pocket?

[BIG BROTHER STATE.]

!1984! has been and gone and this country is now feeling the effects of a

BIG BROTHER STATE.

Information gathering is only to be used against you NOT to benefit you.

IT WILL only get worse.

[truth gets removed]

Between the lines has also noted that the truth gets removed when it is posted.

[between the lines]

Is this the start of Murdoch's/Orange anti Tory election campaign
[read this quickly before its removed]

[Johnty, Newcastle]

Of course it's Labour's fault - as Wylie points out with almost boring regularity they are to blame for absolutely everything which has gone wrong in this country. The swines have even given us the 'flu ! Simply can't wait until the tories are in, everything will be fine again and we'll have nothing whatsoever to complain about.

["The Old Boys Network"]

Part of the curriculum at these upper class snob education establishments must be on how to lie and cheat and deceive your way through life with no regard for anyone of any lesser education or "class".

This is proven by the restraint of education by

"The Old Boys Network"

which is ruining this country.

[Realist]

It is very naive to believe that everyone can achieve their hearts desire. Giving kids the belief that university is for absolutely anyone was always going to end in tears.
Not everyone will be able to become a doctor, lawyer or astronaut. Some people will end up flipping burgers or cleaning toilets and anyone who says different is a liar.. or a Labour Minister for Education.

[Brian Wylie]

When will Labour realise that "equality" is a myth and that people are different and some are better than others naturally.
Having damaged the forces, the law, health and just about everything they have touched, the Government is now starting on the professions. This is easy fro them as MPs don't have to have any qualifaications apart from getting enough votes and turning up and even the latter is not essential

[Dot.com]

Well, that's the way of the world I'm afraid and neither you nor anyone else is likely to change it.