Being in a private school - A golden ticket when job seeking?

a pig in a cage

So the title really says it all, I'm a TY student in a private school in Ireland, and it's been suggested by one of the guys in my year, that in spite of the financial crisis hindering the country and leaving thousands unemployed and searching for work, that people in my school will all get jobs due to the fact that the people who give out jobs are from similarly affluent schools, and that we're "well in". His attitude is that there is a golden circle among private schools that guarantee we'll receive jobs after the L.C., and that once we don't mess up in school we're 'hardly gonna be poor'. So what I'm basically asking is does having a payed for secondary education give one a "clear advantage" when it comes to getting jobs? From what I've been told, by a past pupil who is currently a barrister, the benefit goes to the extent of possibly getting you an interview in a firm, being picked out from the many applicants along with the most prestigious if there are 'school ties' with the employer(s). Of course this is probably futile, because surely the best of the best are picked for jobs and not the richest and most well off?

PictureFrame

a pig in a cage wrote: »

So the title really says it all, I'm a TY student in a private school in Ireland, and it's been suggested by one of the guys in my year, that in spite of the financial crisis hindering the country and leaving thousands unemployed and searching for work, that people in my school will all get jobs due to the fact that the people who give out jobs are from similarly affluent schools, and that we're "well in". His attitude is that there is a golden circle among private schools that guarantee we'll receive jobs after the L.C., and that once we don't mess up in school we're 'hardly gonna be poor'. So what I'm basically asking is does having a payed for secondary education give one a "clear advantage" when it comes to getting jobs? From what I've been told, by a past pupil who is currently a barrister, the benefit goes to the extent of possibly getting you an interview in a firm, being picked out from the many applicants along with the most prestigious if there are 'school ties' with the employer(s). Of course this is probably futile, because surely the best of the best are picked for jobs and not the richest and most well off?

I'm not trying to cause offence to you, but this boy you mentioned that is in your class and made that comment is the reason a lot of people in Private Schools are seen as snobby and condesending. That's such a ridiculous statement to make that basically "if your parents are rich, then you will be automatically rich". This classmate of yours has evidently never had to work hard to achieve something he truly wanted, I would have assumed that the collapse of the Celtic Tiger and "high-flying" tycoons whom were seen as invincible back 5 years ago would have destroyed these uneducated assumptions.

I'm from a small area in Co. Longford, it is seen as Socio-economically "poor" and as quite a dump to some people. One of my best friends sat his Leaving Certificate last year, his father was disabled and his mother unemployed. He wanted to make a better life for himself and widen his options for himself and his family also. He attended a very average school and achieved 570 points in his Leaving Cert. and is now finishing his first year in NUIG studying Medicine. He is hard-working, determined, and a really nice guy.

(And believe me i'm not stereotying people here as I know a few people who attend private schools), but think of it like this if you were interviewing someone for a job where one of the candidates was from a poor area and worked extremely hard to achieve his dreams, or a rich person whose parents paid for education who would you choose?.

This myth of more Job Prospects if you attend a private school is terribly outdated in my opinion. If you work hard, achieve your potential and have the right characteristics for a particular job does it really matter if your parents forked out thousands of euro's a year?. I think not.

That's my two cents anyway! :P

HavingCrack

PictureFrame wrote: »

This myth of more Job Prospects if you attend a private school is terribly outdated in my opinion. If you work hard, achieve your potential and have the right characteristics for a particular job does it really matter if your parents forked out thousands of euro's a year?. I think not.

That's my two cents anyway! :P

I do agree with you but you have to remember that 'networking' and building connections, whether that be via school, college, golf club, gaa club, book club, part time jobs etc. can be a very important part of securing jobs as much as people might not like to hear it. This goes for every city in every country in the world. How often do you hear about Mick getting a job in New York through the GAA team over there? If two identical candidates come up for a job and one happens to be in the same gold club as the interviewer and the other one is it, I would bet person 1 gets the jobs majority of the time. While it certainly is not the main criteria for getting a job, networking and building ties never hurt anyone. It could be the small boost to get you over the line.

BostonB

Networking and hard work are important.

One without the other is only going to get you so far.

Kadongy

PictureFrame wrote: »

This classmate of yours has evidently never had to work hard to achieve something he truly wanted, I would have assumed that the collapse of the Celtic Tiger and "high-flying" tycoons whom were seen as invincible back 5 years ago would have destroyed these uneducated assumptions.

I think working hard is a pretty fundamental requirement for becoming a barrister tbh.

OP: Nope. A private school is not this sort of golden ticket across the board. It sounds like it helped in your friend's case. He is generalising incorrectly however.

spinandscribble

I went to a private school for the leaving cycle and if anything its been unnoticed and when it has usually the conversation turns to something along the lines of

"so since you didn't do medicine you must have been in private school because you were in danger of failing the leaving, so your parents paid for your leaving...":rolleyes:

i don't think its ever hindered me but it sure as hell hasn't been a golden ticket. All it says about you in ireland if you attend a private school is your parents had enough money to send you there. other places in the world going to a private school can mean (but not always) that you are a high achiever and bias uni acceptation.

BostonB

It will make a difference in some places and not in others. Thats the way life is.

PictureFrame

Oh yeah I totally agree that Networking would broaden your Job Prospects as you begin to get to know more people and improve your realationship with them!. My Uncle has a top position in a Pharmaceutical Company as a "Supply Chain Specialist". He attended an average, public school and did a Level 7 Business Course in WIT. He got a small offica job in his company answering the telephone, faxes etc and made his way up the ranks from his ability to relate to people and get people to agree to Sales Prices etc, he has become one of the top Employees in his Company. His company thought he was such a good employee that they paid for him to be put through his Honours Degree and Masters in Business in UCD.

So basically what i'm saying is, Private Education may open your possibilities at Career Prospects, but would Public Education not do the same?.

BostonB

There lots of different types of networking.

Aside from the likes of law it won't make a difference, law is one of the few professions left where snobbery etc still runs through. The lad in your class is a knob of the highest order to reckon ye'll all get jobs due to having gone to private school. Half of ye might be thick as sh1t and struggle to get 400 points in the LC despite all the grinds and that ye'll get.

BostonB

I can't agree fully with that. You see a lot companies where everyone is from the same school or college. Indeed you see lots of high profile people, all from the same few private schools. I've seen it in IT where some companies are pretty much all from the same college. Its pretty obvious where you see it. That said there are many companies where its completely irrelevant.

HavingCrack

I think a lot of people are a bit misguided to presume old boys networks don't exist. As much as I hate citing wikipedia it actually does a relatively decent method of suming the phenomenon up worldwide-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_boy_network.

I would say the idea of networks being centred on schools alone is outdated however. It certainly isn't unknown to come across a small company where nearly everyone attended the same course in the same university. Likewise, if you're friends with someone on your football team who knows the manager in the company you're itnerviewing for etc. Denying these sort of networks exist for the sake of saying 'everything just comes down to hard work' is a bit naive. The United States generally isn't as bad as Europe, Canada, Australia, Japan etc. but a lot of those Greek organisations students join over there have tremendous influence. All you have to do is look at the alumini of the Skull and Bones for example.

While the influence of the 'school tie' may decline (I doubt it will however), different forms of 'old boys networks' will always exist despite what proclamiers of equality and hard work might like to believe.

Fad

It ultimately depends on where you want to go for a career, if I wanted a job in law or business, it could help, but otherwise, I cant see going to a private school helping me (In fact I got a considerably worse education than I could have gotten in local public schools, but I had no choice....).

So, I cant see myself wearing my class ring to an interview anytime soon....


From what I've heard, in the legal profession (Especially with Barristers, there's a serious glass ceiling there unless you're incredible at what you do, so being from a private school might help, you'll have to do a bit of social climbing without any connections).

BostonB

BostonB wrote: »

I've seen it in IT where some companies are pretty much all from the same college.

Is this thread not about second level schools? The third level course is no doubt be a huge factor, for good reason too.

BostonB

RoverJames wrote: »

Is this thread not about second level schools? The third level course is no doubt be a huge factor, for good reason too.

It extends beyond second level, and often for no good reason.

For example.

...In the United Kingdom, the network exists primarilyI][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed"][COLOR=#0645ad]citation needed[/COLOR][/URL][/I within alumni of the Eton Group and the Rugby Group public schools, as well as having affiliation with Oxford University and/or Cambridge University. Such a network is often blamed for an apparent high proportion of former pupils of these schools and graduates of these universities in high status positions in government, business, and the professions....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_boy_network

randylonghorn

While I doubt that these kind of "old boy networks" have entirely disappeared as yet (though I suspect they're on the wane), there is I think a downside as well.

For every "old boy" who will be inclined to look favorably on Ross O'Carroll-Kelly because he played rugby for the 'Rock, there will be many who will be knowingly or subconsciously prejudiced against him as soon as he opens his mouth with "Roysh, loike, the Dorsh ..." etc.

pow wow

Old boys' networks don't exist in Ireland on a level anywhere near that of the UK. A private school education would never be a hindrance, but it's not an automatic door opener either. I went to private school in England and I never put it on my CV as I've been to uni since. The older you get, the less important it becomes, believe me!

BostonB

BostonB wrote: »

It extends beyond second level, and often for no good reason.

That's fair enough but the lad who started this thread was on about secondary school, and so was the numpty classmate of his.

randylonghorn

randylonghorn wrote: »

For every "old boy" who will be inclined to look favorably on Ross O'Carroll-Kelly because he played rugby for the 'Rock, there will be many who will be knowingly or subconsciously prejudiced against him as soon as he opens his mouth with "Roysh, loike, the Dorsh ..." etc.

That's a very good point, very few of these private school educated folk get part time jobs etc. When I was in secondary school I worked part time for 4th, 5th and 6th year even through the actual leaving cert (was only Saturdays). Relatively unheard of in knob land, back then anyway in the two main private schools for "chaps" in Cork City.

One place I worked in recently (large multi national) one of the lads taking on a few college students for work placement said he looked on folks with no work experience at all fairly negatively. Employers like to see young folk with a bit of get up and go.

BostonB

Perhaps they get work experience but not in the local shop. The few I know all worked part time and summer jobs, but in offices, hotels, big business'es that kinda thing.

seriouslysweet

I'd say the opposite is true, maybe it's just from where I'm sitting but both of my parents came from working class backgrounds and assuch always pick people who have worked their way up for their positions. I attend a community school, yet will probably do medicine like they did. I don't think it does you any favours as many see such schools as spoon-feeding you.

flyswatter

I've seen it happen in my last school.

A guy got 40 points and dropped out of his plc course.

Has a good job managing a hotel bar now.

It is good for networking though.

I get on with all of these people to be honest.

Let's just say his dad is a well known journalist.

As a musician that is unbelievably helpful.

PoisonIvy

I used to totally not agree with this.. Even though I've gone to a school held in really high regard which regularly tops league tables and gotten loads out of it, I figured that I'd be finished reaping the benefits when I leave next month.. However was talking to my principal recently and she told me someone completely unassociated with the school is doing a thesis on why people want to hire people from our school... Apparently we're 'sought after' in the workplace, Don't know why! It makes you think though cause there's definitely a varied bunch in my year same as everywhere..