I’d never previously paid much attention to my age and certainly had no intention of sliding into retirement without so much as a whimper, but my recent experiences in the job market have made me wonder if ageism might be the last taboo?

Still more enthusiastic about raving in Ibiza than pottering around an allotment, I’m fit and healthy, filling my life with yoga, attending gigs, and travelling.However, when it came to kickstarting a second career, or even obtaining gainful employment, it appeared my age suddenly had become an issue.

With a spirit of adventure, I had cheerily packed in my career as an art director in my mid-fifties to travel the world and fulfil my dream of writing a novel. Not looking much further ahead than escaping the stresses of full-time employment, I imagined it would be easy to get a local part-time job on my return if necessary. A year after returning from my adventures
though, I was still living on my rapidly dwindling savings and the occasional writing
commission.

Although the path into freelance journalism had seemed relatively smooth, my finances were fluctuating wildly, and I decided I would need to find a steadier source of income. To my surprise, however, that elusive part-time job appeared to be impossible to obtain. I sent my CV out to every bookshop and art gallery I could think of, imagining my transferable
skills would be an advantage in those industries, but failed to obtain a single interview. Getting through the selection process seemed an insurmountable task.

Starting to believe my age could be a factor in these failures, I began to over-compensate for it, emphasising how energetic and motivated I was for someone of my generation. That, despite being one of the older applicants, I had a lot to offer. The outcome remained the same.

Bemoaning my situation with others in my peer group, I realised I was not alone. My friend, Sarah, whose successful career in publishing ended due to ill health, had resorted to various short-lived jobs in retail and hospitality.

After recently applying for a teaching post, she was asked during the interview, ‘How do you see your career progression?’ ‘I’m 62,’ Sarah told me. ‘I’m not thinking about a career. I just want to do an important and worthwhile job making good use of the life skills I’ve acquired over 35 years in the workplace. But from the look on the interviewer’s face, I knew I wasn’t going to get the position.’

Many of the questions being asked on application forms are formulated from the viewpoint of a much younger person. They are about direction and advancement and expectations. Things which aren’t as relevant if you are an older person, who may be more interested in mentoring, nurturing, and passing on knowledge and experience.

Are we being set up to fail by the bias, unconscious or otherwise, of the application process? And does this mean we are unemployable due to our age?

A recent Facebook post by an ex-journalist about ageism in the employment market elicited such a huge response that she is now planning a networking event to continue the debate about such discrimination.

Finally, shocked by my inability to get any interviews, I decided to think outside the box and consider other fields, ones unconnected with my previous career. Spotting an Instagram post by a well-known actress extolling the virtues of a local nannying agency, I noted that age wasn’t a barrier. Childcare experience wasn’t necessarily required either, but it was
considered an advantage if you’d already raised your own family. The website looked modern and easily accessible, so I applied online.

My son, aged 26, who has always been sympathetic to my struggles finding work, suggested that obtaining an interview was my biggest hurdle. ‘Once they meet you there won’t be a problem,’ he encouraged. Seeming to confirm this, all four families I interviewed with after joining the agency offered me a position and I became a part-time nanny to two little boys,
finding myself standing—as I had done twenty years previously—in a cold playground waiting for the school bell.

In my gratitude and excitement about finally being offered employment, however, I’d given little thought as to whether nannying would be a suitable fit for me and was quickly frustrated by the work. As I struggled to juggle any writing commitments with the responsibility I felt towards the children in my care it became obvious I couldn’t do both and I handed in my notice, sad that the one job for which my age hadn’t been an issue wasn’t quite right either. Those of us in our fifties and sixties who have been rejected by our chosen professions or decided to leave due to ill health, stress, or to search for a better work/life balance, still have so much to offer. Our experience should count for something. None of us want to stop younger people from progressing in their careers, but surely there is room in the workplace for a few older faces. Perhaps companies, despite claiming to have anti-age discrimination policies, could recognise this and give us all a chance—or at least an interview.