I was was on Zoom earlier speaking group of friends around the country. (I hate Zoom type chatting.)
One of the group is really a friend of a friend and she is applying for a job in the NHS. Administrator level, based in the South West. The job involves filing, booking appointments etc. and pays about £10 per hour.
She's just turned 30 and has been out of work for the last 5 years bringing up children and is looking to get back to work. She's bright and has good "A" levels in Maths, History and English.
The application states that if you have not worked in the last 3 years, job references are not required.
Instead, they require references from two of the following; doctor, optician, qualified accountant, qualified architect, qualified engineer, solicitor, barrister and a few other similar professions.
It goes on to state that the referee must know the applicant personally and not just through the course of business or practice, so their GP is not suitable nor is their accountant if he only does the family books etc.
I can't help thinking it's a bit elitist and possibly a touch of "jobs for the boys" because the only type of person that is going to know that group personally is likely to already be in that group.
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