dgjamison

The problem is proving it, unfortunately!!! They have ways of covering themselves, even these role playing exercises, says to me they want the youngish 20-35 year olds, but I can't prove anything, you just feel it. ED has'nt been home long, but I think even when she gets a job, she will see this happening in some workplaces. Unfortunate but true, Have to say Canada is much more forward thinking on that issue, I have to say i was really pleasantly surprised, I know if I want to work here my age won't stop me, in GB i knew I was finished with most companies sad eh?????

jobolton

Dear Trottytrue & Dawn

Like Dawn I can't tell you how sad I am to read your latest posting. Hope you are OK re Health Insurance etc as this is one the issues many of us have in our moving home decision. Was hoping you would be there when people talked about meeting up one day in the UK.

Also am not shocked by what has happened with Dawn & the job. Way back in 1994 I bumped into a long lost relative who was being made redundant from the RBS. He told me that most management over the age of 50 were being asked to take redundancy from the bank.
In recent years another old friend had struggled to find work even though he was a qualified 'Draughtsman' he told me qualified people half his age from Easter Europe would work for half the money he had earned. Eventually he got lucky, went for a job and a guy he worked with back in the 1970's was the interviewer , so he got employed. Sadly over a year ago was let go & is still unemployed. He is also in his late 50's, the ageism is relevant more than ever it seems these days.
On a lighter note, maybe we should all move to Malta (like AES1 is doing) & club together, open a small pub just for us over 50's !
John

dgjamison

I am so sorry to hear your news, but sometimes I think things happens for a reason, (my mother used to say) I know you are disappointed at the moment, but I think when the situation has been taken out of your hands, you tend to accept it more and settle a little better. I truely hope everything works out for you both. I sometimes want to give up on Canada and go back to what is familiar and safe for me, coming back here after 26 years, things are different and I feel left behind, so we will most likely go home soon, maybe that would have been the same for you, I have no family support here and that is the worst part. If you have family here, it will a great support for you should your husband unfortunately need to go into hospital for example. Good luck to you, your story has made me think more seriously and I realise I don't want anything to happen to me or my husband here,, I want my family round me. Denise

Taffy Duck

So sorry to hear about your situation and wish your husband all the very best. I know how hard it's been for you as I have dealt with moving back myself for over 34 years. Home sickness is sometimes hard to contain and I give my wife all the credit for helping me manage it over the years. many times I just wanted to pack up and move back, so by going home every year to see my family it was my quick fix and my wife being Canadian and concerned encouraged me to do so. Now we both want to move back I'm already retired but my wife has to work until the middle of next year that's why our goal is the end of 2011. I don't know how many times you've been back to the UK...so maybe if your husband gets well enough to travel maybe you could return for a holiday it wont be as hectic and it'll be something to look forward to...take care.....

Taffy

Rodfan

Hi, E.D.

Sorry to hear you did not get the position..their loss!! why do employers still not recognize a "mature" person has more to offer? Do you need to put down your age on a C.V. and are they allowed to ask for your D.O.B. on application forms??

shelley748

ED sorry to h ear that- b ut you know what- it happened for a reason, and you will get something closer to home and not have to move!!

aes1

Hi Everyone, I have been out of town for a few days and am back briefly (leaving for Florida first thing tomorrow till Wednesday!), and have just had to read TEN pages on here - that I have missed!!!! I can't believe you have all posted so much in the few days I have been gone. It is also amazing how much has happened!!! Forgive me if I leave anyone out, or any situation out. First, Trottytrue, I do hope your husband does well with his present health problem. So sorry to hear about that. ED, also sorry re your job interview, but it must mean something better is around the corner! Those still selling, me included, oh well, at least we are not alone. Those worrying about taxes, pensions, again, we are all in the same boat. Those with good news - Relocate Me - wow, from famine to feast!!!! And Rodney - pension thing working out - you deserve it! So there is a light at the end of the tunnel! Some of us just aren't that far down it yet, or took the wrong one!!
Elvira - yes, I have an account with currency online and Hifx, haven't used either yet. Problem being I am in need of euros initially, not pounds, and don't have a bank account in Malta, and don't know how many of either currency I need. That won't be till I decide which country to live in, and if that is dependent on finding a job - who knows how long it might take!!! I am giving up worrying, cold turkey!! Staying in the 'now', only thing I can control. Worried forever my passport renewal wouldn't arrive, it has been 4 weeks. Waiting for me on my return today. Been rejected. In my photos my lips were slightly parted enough to show two front teeth!!! Apparently NOT allowed! Now have to overnight new photos, will they accept them, will I get my passport back before March 24 when I fly to England???? Big question. I don't care anymore, worrying gets me nowhere!! Except sick! What will be will be. Now have to unpack and repack for tomorrow's trip! I am going to (try and) forget about everything for a few days in the sun. Wonder what you will all have written when I get back......

jasper123

Denise your right about Canada being much more forward thinking on that issue, and so is USA at my Job there are many people in there late 60,s and 70,s there is also a man and a woman over 80 where I work, all full time employees, the longest time anyone of these people have been working there is 4 years, so my point is these are not people that joined the company like 30 years ago when they were way younger, so over in USA just like Canada age is not an issue, I think it all boils down to this, both the UK and Canada and USA have Anti age discrimination laws in place, and USA & Canada companies in the past have been taken to court and sued on a wide scale, and the courts here in our countries tend to side with the person that was discriminated against and so the companies over in north America are quite scared not to hire a qualified older person, where in U.K I may be wrong but just going on what my family over there have told me over the years that companies over there seem to most always get away with it, the courts there I think are mostly siding with the companies that discriminate, so I think that unlike North America the U.K. does not enforce the age discrimination law, and as far back as I can remember when I was younger and used to work over there it has always been the same, and heres an example that I have just thought of, the last time I was in the UK was only 5 years ago for a 3 week holiday, and I know the UK has had the age anti discrimiation law for a lot longer then that, for many years, and anyhow I always read the local newspaper in Portsmouth that my Mum has delivered every day, and I always for interest sake look at the classified job listings and I have always noticed that so many of the companies when advertising say this ----- prefer applicants to be between 25 to 35, ---- now my point is that in North America ever since I have been here 36 years I have NEVER EVER seen that in a job ad, thats the difference you see, the UK has a completely different idea of what makes a good employee, ----- the older you are the more experience you have in your field so that alone makes a whole lot of sense to employers over here, and then of course they also quite rightly take into consideration that in most cases older people are more reliable in that they show up for work every day unless they are extremely sick, and they dont believe in going from one job to another, they find a job they like and they stay put,
I dont work in a store but think of all the times you have walked into any Walmart over here in North America anywhere you go, notice how many people there are in there 60,s & 70,s that work in there stores, now this is my point, Walmart is the very biggest retail giant in the whole of the world, and they hire all these hard working reliable older people, from so many ethnic groups it sometimes looks like the united nations,
But in the UK it seems to me that the majority of all large companies look at one thing and one thing only, say just for an example a firm is looking for only one person to fill the job opening, and only two people apply for the job both on the same day, now they both have equal qualifications for that position, one is 25 and the other is 55, now the company chooses the 25 year old, and there sole reasoning for there decision is that they can get there pound of flesh from the younger one, if he or she works out and stays with the company they can get maybe 30 years service from the person right up until they reach the what they look at as the over the hill age of 55,at that point the company would make the decision to put the old horse out to graze and offer a small severance package and say cheerio, and then turn around and replace the old horse with a nice young new one of the age of 25,and so the cycle starts all over again,
Rodney.
PS so sorry everyone but sometimes I do go on dont I, will have to try and keep my posts shorter in future,

Relocateme

Oh I am sorry ED to hear the news about the job...

I can honestly say I was so surprised to hear you were not offered a position. HSBC will go a long way before they find another so bestowed of high courage, key managerial skills, wealth of experience and fortitude.


Had the same happen to me when I went back in 2000..just couldn't get nothing going on as we say in the family.

Didn't know why at first and then my neighbour told me it was the way I talk ...with the accent that is..I sounded too different for them and told me to change it...phew, never thought of that..I poo-pooed it at first then I needed the money so I thought I would give it a whirl and it was very hard to not come out with all the sayings and putting your own spin on stuff..

How I got round it was Office Temping...just went into the Kellys temping agency and did their typing test and tried to keep from speaking much. Even then I was asked how old I was. Now these days apparently in UK they cannot ask that,. so my friends tell me who live there.

This is crucial to me at this stage as I could end up starving to death

You see I found it difficult with my Canadian accent to change back . It was that they didn't like. Couldn't even get a job cleaning at the airport with it..

Believe me I applied for everything!

In the middle of some questioning the interviewer would stop and ask " just where are you from?"..After countless blasts of the great white north .I learned to say I was born in England but spent some time working in different countries...that seemed to go down better than "Oh I'm Canadian blah blah !"

So I buttoned it and just did the test..acted in a furtive manner (had to concentrate to focus on what and how to say the next thing and played it like a fine violin...

Hey Presto ended up with a temp postition for 6 months...once I was in the door it didn't matter then...its getting the foot in the door that counts. Everyone got used to me after that and we had the best laughs at work.

Also later that year I interviewed with someone who just got back...got that one right away, same age...Bingo!

I know what I have to do this time to make it work for me...

Well that's what happened to me to get a job as a 50plus worker the last time I went to England. Had I sussed it out sooner I would have saved a lot of money in rent and food. It took the neighbour to point out the obvious

As you know ED and as Jasper rightly pointed out, it doesn't matter one Iota
here,. even the younger ones at work accept you for who you are ..another colleague and that's all that matters really

Something will turn up you'll see

I too really dislike role-playing. Somehow it seems childlike and insincere. Spose its the North American Corporate Engine on a roll.

I had a number of temp jobs and that situation suited me as I was not staying in England.

By the time I came away from UK I had reverted completely to my English accent again although I must say with some improvements

Relocateme

WOH!!!!!!...what a great idea John I love it ...put me down for this...whose going out there first?

I dont know why I didn't think of it myself ..I love Malta

Tell you what, I will meet up with AES1 in Malta then you Jo come out and Jasper you better bring your Mom...she will enjoy the sun..then ED and the others

We would have a good knees-up in that bar that night..anyone play the spoons?

A while ago wern't we talking about setting up a landing station for us to come back to?

ED ..were you supposed to be meeting with someone about it?

This would be more like an expat holiday villa with bar of course

Who remembers these?....Brandy and Babycham....Port and Lemon....Rum and Pep....Rum and Black...Rye and Dry Old Fashioned...Pint of mixed...Black and Tan....Gin and It...Oh I could go on

Easterndawn

I will have one of each

jasper123

Sounds damn good to me John, just like relocateme put me down for that, yes lets all chip in and buy a Pub in Malta, the place has half of Briton living there so I know we would all feel very comfortable there, come on Ed we need you and your husband there too and dont forget to bring the dogs, (who let the dogs out?) they would love the sunshine and so would you, come on Denise, you too english mum, and aesi you cant seem to catch a break can you lately, cant believe the passport thing, we need you in malta for sure especially as you put the idea in our heads, and trottytrue well look at it this way thank goodness you did not sell your house already with you current situation with your husbands health and all, come on you both need to come to malta too, your husband will be better off there with the lovely sunshine and no stress and nice people, and I will try and talk Mum to come out too
Come on gang lets just chuck it all and make a completely new start, we are all pioneers arent we,
I know how to make a black & tan, and take the top off of a bottle of babycham,
Havent we all gone through enough, you can only kick an old horse so many times until he says woooooo thats it Im not taking anymore, Ed with her skills can be the manager of the Pub, How about a name ------- oh yeah the Rovers Return, isn't that the name of the pub in coronation street,
Come on ya all we all need to cheer up, nothing is ever hopeless, not all the time you have passion and hope in your hearts,
never loose the hope and never loose the passion, nobody lives forever, we are all getting older, but it is time for us all to jump up and dance and sing and be happy from now on,
too many problems thats what weve got, time to say like they do in New York ----------- forget about it !!!!!!
Rodney.

Easterndawn

I did wonder about the accent if it has any bearing?

Easterndawn

Hey, great name for our group when we meet up "The Rovers Return"

jasper123

Hi Ed, yes the accent does kind of pull us down a bit over there, all us expats have that problem over there, we just sound so different, we cant try and pronounce our words like the Brits we would have to concentrate too much, and do we even really want to?