Work and age

[Oola]

From experience with older family members and family friends, it really does seem that the older you get, the less willing people are to take you on. It just seems absurd to me... surely employers must understand that with age comes wisdom, experience and a different perspective on things?

Our family has had a lot of this lately... going to employers, only to be fobbed off with a million different reasons like "you're too good" and "you're too experienced for this role". How can someone blow the whistle on ageism if they can just come up with so many crap excuses as to why they don't want to employ someone older.

It's such a shame that many industries are so ageist. The design world is one of the worst culprits I think. I understand you have to keep up to par with technological advances, but there seems to be some misconception that once you're over 50, that's it. I've heard so many stories of people being made redundant at 50-odd and then not really being able to properly re-enter the workplace. It's a shambles.

[franbee]

On the other hand, if you are quite experienced or qualified, employers don't want you because you may be better than them, or you may expect a higher wage, and they only want a cheap person. OH and I have both experienced this. Fran.

[jazzactivist]

I agree that this can be the case. At 45 I am in the bracket of "too experienced" which actually means "too expensive" for many employers in my field of work. I am in two minds about the idea of people over retirement age wanting to work, as on the one hand maybe they should if they want to, but on the other after 65 it is time to spend your life relaxing a bit and doing what you enjoy rather than being tied to the treadmill, and leave the jobs vacant for younger people who need the opportunities.

[Oola]

The problem is that many people have had their pensions wiped out, or investments in PEPs and ISAs are now worthless and they have no choice but to continue working. Also, my late grandfather was just like my Dad, he *had* to work and even when he 'retired' he was working for the Church as a gardener - in his suit (always wore a suit)! I think he worked until basically he was too sick with cancer to physically do it any more.

I do agree though that some people should just spend the time to kick back and relax, but it's so difficult these days with pensions becoming what they are (or aren't) now. I haven't even started saving - I have no life savings whatsoever, simply because with everything else there's just nothing left at the end of the month. I really think my generation is going to be in deep trouble when we hit retirement age. That's if we're all still alive after the binge drinking every weekend.

[Redstart]

I work freelance because I was told at 43 that employers were interested in me because of my age. As a translator I was more experienced than the people running the agencies and it put them off. I was shocked because at 43 you have a lot of working life left in you and it's ridiculous being consigned tothe junk heap because you know too much. Especially as I now have to work until 64 before I can have my pension so they could have had 21 of my labour.

I find ageism elswhere as well - hairdressers look at me and see my age and instead of doing what I asked for, give me what they consider a hairstyle to suit my age. Because my hair's almost white I'm regularly asked if I've retired - people don't look at my skin or eyes to see that I'm not that old! I'm not even 60 yet but sometimes am treated as though I'm totally over the hill.

Yes Oola, gone are the days when our knowledge was valued. And we're not all out of date - if you've kept working you have had to keep up woiththe technolog. I'm not an expert but I can use a computer; however it's assumed I can't. I do a lot of web searching because of my job (you have to know about what you are translating and sometime I have to search for the English meaning of a German neologism or for the current English expression) I could probably give younger people some advice on web searching but they assume I don't even know how to switch the computer on.

I might be a grandparent, but I don't feel like one.:(

It's like the 83 year old I once knew - she told me "you see an old women of 83, but inside I'm still a girl of 20":)

[CountryLady]

I have been interviewing and employing people for the last 20 years or so. If two people were up for the same job I would almost always end up offering the job to the older person - a couple of whom have been in their sixties - because they are generally more reliable, speak to customers nicely and are not afraid of a bit of graft. Youngsters on the other had can and have driven me to distraction with their antics.

[gothfairy]

From experience with older family members and family friends, it really does seem that the older you get, the less willing people are to take you on. It just seems absurd to me... surely employers must understand that with age comes wisdom, experience and a different perspective on things?.

Yes, but with youth comes less salary and someone who has longer to work for the company so they can be moulded. An older person already has his own agenda, his own ideas about how things should be done, whereas a younger, less experienced person hasn't. My husband knows this only too well from experience....we are convinced he lost any chance of one job because when asked what he hoped to be doing in five years, where he hoped to be, his reply was 'five years nearer my pension'....his answer should probably have run along the lines of 'Still working here, helping build the company' blah blah blah, but he never could lie, bless him:D

[Healing Hands]

You would of thought as well with older people that they have had their families and have flown the nest, so they would not be taking time off because their child was ill, school holidays etc etc and that the employer's would want someone a bit more reliable, I just know that I decided to work for myself after my husband died as I did not want to be tired down to an employer dictating to me when you could take my two weeks holiday. I have though tried a few jobs as I do need extra cash, but found that a lot of the jobs in my area have already gone before advertised as they are in house jobs given to people. They have to advertise because it is legal too do so.

Although I have a good cliental I am looking to open up my own shop in my market town, but just waiting for a shop to come on the market.

It is a tricky thing "jobs" and "age"

[sheddie]

Is it the same Carolyn I know? I have a brill idea for you workwise if you haven't already thought of it. Let me know it's you!