AI-generated transcript: I saw a message on Facebook from a guy who was complaining about age discrimination in teaching.
He said he was struggling to make enough money for food or rent or something and he said he had a job but he wanted a Saturday work and he was looking for Saturday work and he couldn't find places and every time he had an interview he was
Rejected and he thinks it's something to do with being older.
He's older than I am.
So in his late 50s I Thought yeah, well, that's pretty tough but in the Comments and in Facebook somebody suggested.
Well, why don't you try taking?
Private students.
I said, oh no, that's that's too hard.
That's too too much not hard.
That's too much trouble to start I'd rather just have a job
Okay.
And somebody else commented, Well, yes, it is tough to be running around and being full of energy when you're in your 50s.
And when you got little kids, have you considered teaching adults?
No, I don't want to do that.
I want to teach children.
Can I is there anybody who can give me a job?
And
Yeah, on the one hand, I am sympathetic.
If you're struggling for money, it's tough, and it's hard to see your way through.
And I am genuinely sorry for him, and I don't have any jobs to offer him, so I can't, I wouldn't mind.
But, also there's a but, if you're, I don't mean to pick on him, but that kind of attitude, if you don't want to change,
You say, no, I'm looking for this one specific thing.
I want to have somebody to pay me to work all day on Saturday.
And it's got to be children.
And even though I'm 57 or whatever I am, you know, well, yeah, that might be tough, tough to find exactly what you're looking for.
If you're a bit more flexible, if you said, well, okay, I prefer children, but I'm happy to try older.
You know, that would be okay.
You might have a better chance or, you know,
Why am I, you know, I need to do it on Saturdays.
Well, why don't you, can you do evenings?
Could you build up a few students here and there?
I don't want to come across as picking on the poor guy, but I just want to suggest you have to be flexible to make things work.
And if you don't, then you might find yourself at my age or older and finding that the market has changed, that maybe there aren't so many
children teaching gigs and you haven't developed a repertory to deal with adults and frankly you're getting older you can't you know you can't run around jumping around climbing up and down the ceilings climbing up and down the ceilings getting the kids off the curtains or whatever if you're a certain age maybe I would find that tough if I'm pushing 60 I think that that's enough for the little little kids
So is that age discrimination or is that just life?
I don't know.
I don't know in this person's situation that I shouldn't judge, but all I know is you're in a better position if you're prepared to make compromises, adapt and change.
That was just a little thought that I had.
I don't know if that comes across as uncharitable, but I hope it's... I don't mean it that way.
I mean it as sort of advice.
Don't box yourself into a corner where you have no options.
That's all I'm saying.
Okay?
And you might find what seems painful and difficult turns out to be a good thing.
Anyway, good luck to you.
Talk to you next time.
48. Age discrimination? Don’t box yourself in