Just to add to this, I think this also extends to things like work experience and extra-curricular activities. Most people who come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds end up needing to part-time or full-time during their time at university (to afford the cost of living), so do not have the luxury or time of securing internships and being part of 20 different clubs and societies. Some people don’t even live on campus and choose to commute to university to lower expenses, so can’t afford to spend time on campus outside of lectures and seminars. 🙂
I wonder whether firms take into account that social mobility and coming from a lower socioeconomic background impacts people far beyond their academics. The kinds of work experience opportunities available to people are limited if they don’t live in a major city. The closest major cities to where I live are around an hour away. For people who come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, the kinds of work experiences and employment opportunities that are available to them are limited even further. In my local area, there aren’t many employment or work experience opportunities at all. I’m grateful that the university I went to ensured there were opportunities targeting students like myself (e.g., legal professional mentoring schemes and shadowing lawyers). 🙂
Honestly speaking facts!
These are such critical aspects which I don’t think enough firms or grad rec teams appreciate when assessing candidates. Working part time does limit how much we can take on.
At HSF, grad rec said that if they have two similar candidates they use work experience as a distinguishing factor. I really don’t think that’s fair at all… although I love the firm!
There’s also other aspects of social mobility like being from a lower socio economic background and living in a council flat and having to share a room with your sibilings or extended family members and trying to work and live in overcrowded spaces, I have friends who do not even have a desk in their room to work on.
I don’t think people realise how much material deprivation can affect educational achievement and how this feeds into the training contract process.
I think a lot of firms would benefit from having trainees who have lived experiences of social mobility to advocate for some reform in their recruitment processes than just the standard checklist. Firms have “DEI” experts but I really don’t know how much impact this has.
And to reiterate your point: opportunity is absolutely everything when it comes to this process, how are we meant to build our candidacy if we don’t have any opportunities in place or can take on.
Similarly those who are privately educated are on a higher footing to us from lower socio economic backgrounds because of the opportunities and advantages they had growing up. When I started uni I had nothing to my name compared to my privately educated peers.
