Social mobility is impossible in the UK. Don't waste your energy. 

🌟Improve your speaking and help me out by joining one of my courses: jadejoddle.com/courses/ Donate £10: jadejoddle.thrivecart.com/donate-10/ Donate £20: jadejoddle.thrivecart.com/donate-20/ Donate any amount via Paypal: www.paypal.com/paypalme/jadejoddle

The UK seems very stuck in the past. Classism is very rampant in the UK despite many Brits denying it, coming from Australia it was a big shock.

I have a friend here in the United States, who moved here over 25 years ago. We’re both 50. I asked him why he immigrated. He said with his accent, he could never have been a success in England. He works in tech and makes over $250K per year and is a millionaire at this point.

UK is returning to its roots as a stratified, class-by-birth society of peasantry, nobility and royalty.

You are in a class all of your own, Jade. You live life with a passion for depth, meaning, and substance. You not only seek them out, but you are also a source of those things for others. To truly live is the rarest thing in the world ~ most people only exist

Maybe I was lucky, but social class has never bothered me. I was brought up in a 2 bed council flat in the 70’s. I lost my mum when I was 7 to cancer, had no advantages in my life whatsoever, apart from free school dinners which made me strong as there was no food at home. I went to the roughest comprehensive in Liverpool. I was beaten up every week until I took myself to a boxing club. What I learned quickly was to be persistent. I never ever gave up. 50 years later I am at the top of career and retiring this year selling my shares in a multi million dollar£ business. I have never thought about social class. I have always been lower working class and still am but I have achieved far more than those more privileged. My advice; you are as good as anyone. We come in and leave the world with nothing. Learn to be tough, but be kind and have integrity. Never stop learning and being curious and get used to pain and knock back. You only have to get lucky once. Fail quickly and learn.

The UK is an advanced country with a medieval mindset. If you look deep enough into each country you will find there is no perfect country. Sometimes going deep down the rabbit hole is actually worse and you only end up disappointed 😢

You are 100% correct. My father was born British and fought for the Crown during WW2. He has a drawer full of medals from the UK for his bravery under fire. But after the war, in the 1950's, he noticed the good jobs always went to "special" people who came from a certain social class. Then he would be hired to do the work of these special people because many of them hardly showed up for work even though they received a pay check. When my Dad asked why he had to do the work of these "no show" employees, they always evaded the question and just said, "That's the way it is." So one day, he boarded the steamship SS United States on Thanksgiving Day 1960 and set off for New York. And he has never looked back. He is proud of his military service in the British Army, but he never went back to England even to visit relatives. He wanted no part of a system that rewards the lazy only because they are from the protected social classes and assigns their work to people who will forever be known as the working class because that's the only value they have for the elite.

Opinion of an immigrant who moved to the UK nearly seven years ago... You can have all the professional opportunities in front of you, if you are a good person with morals you'll be put on hold and held back. Someone will pull your rug. Higher positions are for the selfish and immoral. Narcissistic people if we want to give a proper name. My goal shifted from developing a career here to having my own business or at least work away from people. Unless my performance is precisely measured with numbers by the company I work for, I end up being scammed and used by others.

One of my best friends moved to Canada from the UK with his family when he was 11. Now he owns and runs a farm on very pricey Saltspring Island on the West Coast of British Colombia. My parents were both born into the working class, made it into the middle class and now I'm fortunate enough to own a 100-acre farm outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario. As much as I love the UK's history and land, neither of us would likely have been able to achieve anything comparable had we been living in the UK. Not only are there the class politics that you reference (which exist to a lesser degree in Canada but aren't anywhere as strongly defined or exclusionary), but there is so much less land relative to the population. Although the price of real estate in the big cities of Canada has gotten out of hand, there are still rural areas that are quite inexpensive.

Very brave comment. I've got English friends who basically tell the same story. I think Uk has been mistreated government wise for far too many years. Tax reductions, which have led to lover public welfare. From my point of view, equal opportunities for education are essential. I'm Danish. In my country, you're supported financially from the state during your studies at eg universities. This means that everyone who has the skills is able to get the best education despite ones social background. In other words, you get paid for educating yourself. As far as I know, it's the same in the other Scandinavian countries. This system inpires to social mobility.

Social mobility these days just seems to be, if you have no debt, have 6 months of emergency savings, and some sort of pension beyond the state pension, you're winning. I couldn't care less about being socially mobile. So long as I have some semblance of security in own very small way, that's all that matters. Comparison is the thief of joy.

You can work as hard as you like but you won't beat people with family money and connections.

Interesting thoughts. In Norway, my home country, almost everyone was a fishermen and a farmers just a few generations ago. We have not had nobility or rich landowners, the farmers and fishermen have largely been independent. We have also had a class battles after the industrialisation, but out of that we have got good possibilities of social climbing. Keep it up with intersting videos. 😊👍🏻

My ancestors were crofters in Scotland and in the 1850’s they were thrown off the land and put on a prison ship and sent to Australia. Now that is social mobility and I am ever grateful. How you all tolerate the UK I can never understand.

I'm in the USA, I can clearly see there is a caste system in the UK. If you do not have an upper-class speech accent, or have met the right people and did the right activites (polo, sking in the alps, attended the right schools, etc..) you are kept out. You can get to go to law school--but the legal system there only allows (400?) to become barristers each year (lawyers) and those positions are given to sons or daughters of those who already hold that position. It happens in the USA too, but is a little more subtle--because if you become well-known in your field, you can "break in." But there is one here in the USA too.

A few things matter 1) your accent and command of vocabulary 2) going to a top private school 3) going to a top university 4) social networking. If you want to be a top Lawyer - read Law at Oxford. A top politician - read Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford or LSE. etc. The system is self-perpetuating and is designed that way.

Back in 2010 I did a placement on my economics degree. To get the job I had to do a numerical test and a 2-stage interview process as well as send a cv and cover letter. About a month into the role, the niece of the owner of the company came to work on the same team as me. He had created a role for her and she was given her own research projects to work on while myself and another student were given crap admin jobs. Learnt the hard way how unfair life can be. Thanks for sharing your experience.

This is very true. I will give a practical example of my experience. My parents were middle-class academics, and I have always considered myself middle-class. When I was studying law, I initially wanted to be a barrister. I enjoyed studying the BVC and got as far as being called to the bar. By doing lots of mini-pupillages at chambers in different areas of law, it became apparent to me that in my chosen areas (commercial and employment law), the bar was occupied by a class which was way above me and virtually impenetrable and, crucially, something I didn't particularly want to be part of. Nepotism was rife regarding family members being given pupillages when they had far lower grades and less interest in being a barrister than other students. So, I thought, "sod that," and became a solicitor, which is a much more inclusive profession and which I love. Don't get me wrong, you can come from working or middle-class stock and become a barrister, but it will be a massive uphill struggle, and you are most likely to end up in an area of law which doesn't pay much, which is why the upper classes won't touch it.

Class is a form of social control and it sounds likes youve bought into it all.

I am just retiring at 62ish and claiming social security. I must say, I wish I had just stuck with babysitting as a cash business and socked it all away instead of going to University and working in petty and uncomfortable offices trying to fit in. It was a TOTAL WASTE OF TIME and ruined my back all that stress and sitting immobile for decades. If I had had a decent family who didn’t enjoy riding me and being sadistic I could have at least seen the forest for the trees. And on top of it when I tried to step out of my place and try something new there were always judgmental women there happy to laugh in my face at my lack of a manicure or because I didn’t have a care in the world. Because I clearly did. Do not waste your time and energy trying to fit in if you are a standout. It will only snuff out your 😢😅😮 creative lamp.

Truly strange watching this. I left Ukraine for the UK just before the war started with my family, and only noticed 'class' behaviour from one real estate agent, she basically inferred that they wouldn't have me as a client, that was until I said I'd pay for 12 months up front, whereupon she took me to a place I wouldn't keep a dog in with extortionate rent, and effectively told me that I should be grateful anywhere. It felt like she was more working class and wanted to put me in my place. Don't play the 'class' game, life is too short.

I'm a dual US/UK citizen, though I grew up in the US, and consider myself "American". In my experience, the people most hung up/hypocritical re Class in the UK are invariably the upper middle class - and they're also the group of people most likely to deny that the British class system still exists. I have a very standard US accent (not specifically regional, like say from the south, or NYC), so it's hard to pigeonhole me from the way I speak - interestingly, and since my accent is not British, this can make many of the upper middle class UK types squirm, because they cannot easily "put me in my place" quickly via speech (although, they can/do still look down on me as an "American"). When they find out I have UK family, they'll of course want to know "where from" (to gauge class) - when I tell them, there's alway that smug look of relief on their faces (FYI South London Suburb). Yes, they ARE better than me, after all.

The notion of social mobility is really good for capitalism. A carrot of false hope to keep the masses motivated.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

You should watched Paradise Postponed (TV mini-series) if you haven't already, it's on RU-vid. Explains this phenomenon really well. While it's true you can't buy your way into class or old money, it's always best to keep learning and making yourself more valuable to society in anyway you can and find new ways to make more money. Don't bother with the social class thing, it's an ancient thing and the same everywhere in the world more or less. Regardless of where you are it all depends on your luck and if you're among the right sort of ppl at the right place at the right time, etc. and if they like you enough to decide they want to change your life provided you're up to the job and your fortune favors you. But more or less you're right so don't worry about it too much and do what makes you happy, take it easy! =)

One of the first things I noticed when moving to Australia (moved from England in 2007) was how it appeared classless. Over the years I've come to see that there are classes of sorts but it's much less than the UK and there would be no issue with moving upwards. Another thing I noticed when first arriving was how much wealthier the average person was, yes there are people living in poverty and there are very rich people but there is a much bigger chunk of people in the middle relative to England. Accent also not an issue in Australia, nobody cares that I grew up in Dudley :-)

I once tried to find the secret of social ladder to move up. There was this poor woman fighting to get out of poverty and I took it as a personal project to make this world better. In a way she was my PhD project in the university of life on economics. In the end she failed, but she ended up marrying a guy in a good situation so she finally got out by marrying. Society has not changed in 40 years when I heard that was the way for women to go up in the social ladder..

Gen X Yorkshireman (with accent) here.. Have a good honours degree in Engineering, have worked my whole life.. As a kid I believed in the idea of social mobility, but after 5 decades I know existentially that it was always a lie. Telling working class kids that they can be the prime minister when they grow up is just cruel. Working class kids should know what they can and can't achieve, so that they can maximise what they can achieve.

There a something taught in sociology classes about social mobility. It can be done but it is unusual for a person to climb more than 2 levels. The person with a 2 level rise will have children who go to school with those in the 2 levels up social class and become comfortable in the 2 level rise of their parents and they may rise 1-2 levels. Language, social cues and the culture of each level are different. Every culture has this, but it is easier or harder to climb levels depending on the country.

I am Italian so the situation could be a bit different, however I do come from a working class background (I am the first and so far only person in my family with a university degree, my parents were the first with a high school degree, my grandmothers didn't even finish elementary school) and now I'm in one of those professions you mention (an engineer, not a doctor). Currently I do have a well-paid job and could afford e.g. a nice flat but my well being is entirely dependent on a job that's not guaranteed to be secure. Now take someone who comes from a wealthy family (property, connections, etc): these people often do make less than me but their lives are made a lot easier thanks to their milieu and will always have a safety net. At the end of the day in the current economic system social mobility cannot be achieved through wage labour and that's a huge problem.

My mother achieved her life dream in 1956, emigrating to Australia with her 3 kids. Best thing we ever did. All of us succeeded, and our kids are absolutely massive successes and quite rich.

The algorithm brought me here. I think we need more content like this. How REAL life works. Whether it’s our preference or not. So much information on the internet is based on non-reality and it’s causing a LOT of pain and destruction in their life.

I'm British and the son of an Irish Catholic labourer. I did a degree in electronics. I graduated with a degree in electronics but left uni at the end of the Cold War, which meant I could not get a job for love nor money. After a year on the dole I finally got a low wage technician job with quite a few of my colleagues being downsized ex-defence workers. I went back to my uni a decade after a graduated and met up with an old professor. After a brief conversation I realised that they no longer taught my degree, "Since that sort of work is now done in the Far East, we no longer see the point in teaching it. In fact, you'd be hard pressed to find an institution in the UK that does". In my experience, no matter how highly educated, highly skilled or highly experienced you are it does no guarantee anything. I once lost a job after twenty years and on the day I was sacked my boss said to me, "Look Ged, nobody will be doing what we do in five years time". Guess what, he was spot on and all my colleagues were sacked five years later.

Great advice, understand the structures around you (even if they are corrupt) and stop putting your energy in the wrong direction.

Why would you want to rise up the ladder in a criminal debt slave system?

100% agree, there IS a social or CASTE system in the UK. From Eton College, to Homeowners...

It's rapidly becoming this way here in the US. Today, even when you have a "useful" college degree, marketable job skills, work both hard and smart, have no substance abuse issues, have no criminal record, it's become very hard to earn enough to keep your head above water. Today, a lot of homeless people have college degrees and good job skills but they aren't able to make enough to pay the rapidly rising rents or home prices. Also, even when you go to school to learn new skills, it often doesn't translate into a bigger paycheck. And job promotions also often don't mean higher wages or salaries.

As a “working class” person, I’m confident in my own abilities and in myself. I’ve got a good career and although busy, I make the time to look after my loved ones and try my best to get my priorities right. I have several hobbies that I really enjoy (time permitting) and lead a full and active life. No, it’s not perfect and there are good days and bad days, but overall, I’m happy with my lot. This hasn’t happened by accident. I really couldn’t care less about becoming “middle class” of ‘climbing the ladder’ I know plenty of people from different backgrounds and social classes. Some are poor but happy, some are poor and miserable. Same for those that I know with money/success. Some are happy, some not. Find your own path in life and learn to love yourself.

Its not only higher social classes that get on, it is a fact that working class are always discriminated against in favour of another ‘privileged class’ something altogether different to what is generally understood by the term ‘ working class’ in all respects. I agree, once youve had the realisation it becomes about damage limitation, concentrate on things that are self determined, things that are within your own control. I think you’re making a very valid and little discussed observation. Keep it up 💐

Spot on Jade. I grew up poor in the UK. Fortunately, I was very good academically and left the UK for the USA 42 years ago after getting a PhD. I am doing much better here than I ever could have in the UK. I remember going for an interview in the UK after getting my PhD, and the first question was “father’s occupation?” Time to leave.

In the 1970s, I realised people had to lose their local accents to be taken seriously and accepted in higher social classes, however there were limits. I refused to take on a posh accent and lose all elements of my former speech, though I dropped a lot of it to sound more educated. That process began in a grammar school where there was more of a mix of classes and continued in University where lecturers did not take students seriously if they spoke with a local accent. However because I don't speak 'posh' I still encountered snobbery from some people who wondered at my rank at work with an accent that clearly indicated I'd not been to a top school. Even my in laws judged me as not good enough for their son. Let's say they showed their disappointment in his choice. Partly that was because I did not come from the South of England but from a city they imagined to be 'rough' and because I had Irish born parents. Some of this rankled but mostly I could shrug it off because it was not important to me. Towards the end of my career, I did have a boss at work who would not refer me for promotion when I had lots of knowledge and experience by then and others looked to me to teach them. He said that getting through the next promotion board was not for the likes of people like me (words to that effect). He was ambitious himself and said he had failed his first promotion board and assumed I would automatically fail. I pointed out that I had never failed a promotion board (having been through two) and just wanted a chance, but his belief was strongly ingrained and I don't think he wanted me to do better than he did. Tory governments though are still dominated by people from public schools, many of whom inherited wealth but are often highly ignorant and clueless in areas of knowledge and skills needed for a modern economy.

This is true. When I was at school all my friends were working class or lower middle class. I was just about in lower middle class but poor within that class. I was quite academically bright and i really believed I could have social mobility. I'm now in my 40s and I'm still lower middle class. It turns out being in top sets in a school of lower class pupils just meant that I'm very unremarkable in competition against other lower middle class people. I have explained this to my daughters because i don't want them to be deluded like i was.

There is very little room at the top. Just 7% of children are privately educated but they get two-thirds of the top jobs. If you’re working class and you want to be successful, you need to use, for example, your feet (like Marcus Rashford), your fists (like Tyson Fury), or your vocal chords (like Johnny Rotten). There are other routes to success for working-class people but there aren’t that many. Ms Joddle is indeed correct: it is extremely difficult for a working-class person to become truly successful by following a career structure.

Your family connections and education are everything. Trying to elevate yourself in terms of how to affect an accent or mannerisms will expose you and leave you feeling unhappy. Confidence and a cheerful demeanour with a work ethic will get you somewhere.

This is why I love tech. No matter who you are or where you're from, as long as you have the skills and some half-decent communication skills, you can easily earn more than in any of these typical 'class' jobs. If you want to be treated well regardless of background, I'd recommend moving to one of the North/West european countries like The Netherlands.

I think that a lot of the people commenting don't fully understand. Class in the UK in not synonymous with wealth, or fame. It is mostly which family you were born into. There are very few routes into the upper classes. Marriage maybe. Or becoming a general or admiral. Even then, you are not properly upper-class. It comes down to 'breeding'. Some of those locked doors can be opened, however, by speaking 'properly' and dressing well. And, without wishing to be to critical.... washing your hair.

I am just an immigrant in the UK but in my job hunting and in work interviews I noticed all the points you mentioned in the video. Sometimes they were more interested in knowing the of kind of family I come from or which social status I had in my country than in my profesional experience and qualifications, (and I studied in an international university)

Quit London and the Anglo-class system in 1969 for Australia. Zero regrets.

“The cards have already been dealt before you were born!” - Harry Smith

Only very insecure people feel they don’t belong, someone who has this mindset will not be a success at anything.

I can tell you something that I figured out a long time ago. It's all fixed. And I mean everything.

And just like that *snaps fingers * we are, socially, back in the pre modern era. Turns out it was all just veneer.

I agree entirely. Well done and thank you for highlighting this unspoken topic. I did not have the right accent for a number of jobs so wasted my time. If only I had been warned or been cleverer enough to know. Spread the message: it's not what you know in the UK but what class you are- look at dumb Boris or Tress...

Even in the USSR, they had a social system that conferred privilege to party hacks/friends/family. Basically, just make sure you are born to the ‘right’ people if you want the best for yourself!

True nobility we all should aspire to is the nobility of spirit.

Only experienced social mobility once in my life - when I got out of the UK. Medieval mindset, ugh.

Nobody really talks about it so thank you so much! Everyone just pretends on social media they are doing great, some follow success coaches and money gurus, some believe you just need to be positive and that "positive thinking" can change everything. So your video is very extremely close to my experiences and struggles. I feel the same.

I kind of agree with this I think in order to transition you really need to marry out of your class, to remake yourself and essentially abandon your roots. I am Scottish and like to imagine that we are a little more egalitarian than the rest of the UK but a few years ago I was living in London studying for my Masters and went to a party post-grad ex-pat Scots. As the only person there who was from a working class background and not privately educated it only took a few drinks before these people were mocking my accent and suggesting it was like something they would hear while waiting for a flight home from the people who use farmfoods plastic bags as carry on luggage. These were my peers, people I assumed to be friends but deep down they were laughing at me and looking down on me because of the class I was born into and raised within. I think even with dating if you want to retain who you are the class thing often becomes a problem even if they initially find it intriguing, unless you ultimately remake yourself as fully middle class and distance yourself from your background they look down on you, your family, where you come from and your culture and they don't even have any self awareness over that. In the end I married a first generation university educated working class guy who I can be myself with. We have a nice house, money, decent jobs and even some middle class friends but we don't really fit in with them and in some ways we don't really fit in with our families that much either. I've noticed those from my background who do "ascend" are pretty keen to distance themselves from other people of their birth class perhaps because they worry we will expose them or highlight who they actually are. There was a very brief period of social mobility in the post war era through the 50s and 60s in particular but sometime during the 70s and 80s that door closed. For a long time though there was an attitude which still exists amongst older generations that they just worked hard and succeeded and the reason younger people fail is because they are lazy or their expectations are too high, they failed to realise that the material conditions had fundamentally altered for younger generations.

Totally agree Jade, however the Middle Class has been in decline all across the western world for some years now. Most middle class graduates will never be able to buy a property, and let's not mention the cost of the Private Rental Sector. Graduates now leave Uni will high debt levels, only to go into a profession that has not kept up with the cost of the living. Another serious problem the next generation will face, is mass job sector replacement. It amazes me how little the so called well educated middle class know about the advancement of A.I automation and Robotics, as its progressing so fast. Many profession won't require years of education, as it will run more efficiently by a A.I program, such as Acountancy and Graphic Design etc.. Eventually it will be just the working poor and the ultra wealthy, with no middle class.

I agree with you to a great extent. I'm Welsh and I was talking to a friend of mine at a school reunion. She is a lawyer in London and she commented that she couldn't speak like me in her work in London ie a Cardiff accent would be frowned upon.

It just occurred to me that I'm completely blind when it comes to the social realm. I had no idea one has to go through all this hassle to become part of some class of people and only care about having free time to indulge in hobbies and making enough money to not have to worry about basic needs being met. Working less and having more fee time is what constitutes wealth in my head. What other people think of me imo is their problem, not mine. Most people seem miserable regardless where they find themselves.

You are absolutely right. Many Black people in the UK refer to something called code-switching when speaking in a professional setting. What they don't know is that even white English people ALSO code-switch. I knew a girl from Gloucestershire who would plum up her Sloane accent in our workplace. Sometimes I would catch her out with her strong welsh crossover. I throughout my years have also changed my accent. As a teenager I would speak as a roadman coming from a working-class setting of London. I was referred to as a Chav by relatives. It was only until I failed at College and subsequently ended up with adults some of whom were from around the world I realised that they couldn't understand me. So I started to speak in simplified English. I went on to Uni and met Europeans and other nationalities and started to change my accent even more so. However, it was only until I got into my career (which was professional services/posh) I started to tart up my accent. Or at least so I believed. I was at the coffee machine and the Miss Gloucstershire was small talking with me and I mentioned Battersea. She quickly said 'Baersea'. I started laughing and she did too. It was one of those moments we laughed because we were keenly aware I just dropped the T. I was a little tart and so was she.

Ironically, in unsung Eastern EU countries like Poland, Hungary or Croatia, you can live the equivalent of a Western upper middle class life these days -- if you work and live there, and obviously work in the private sector as opposed to the local public sector. That's because private sector wages skyrocketed in most of these eastern countries relative to local real estate prices, bills, insurance etc. You can buy and upkeep a quaint lakeside home in Hungary that you could never afford in the UK.

There are professions in America that require nepotism to get in. Social mobility is probably worse though in the UK. Growing up in America, it was always people from the lower classes that mocked the way I spoke.

Wrong place wrong time. 7 of us in a small council house with dad a coal miner dad an Italian immigrant mum. All home owning professionals now. Why did we suceed? Hard work, good values, natural ability? These helped but most of all we had council housing, free healthcare and supported education. It's not that hard to fathom. Sometimes you have to act with others to change yourself. Now

There was a brief period of social mobility in the UK during the immediate post war decades when we had the 11 plus and grammar schools - it wasn't perfect but it was the closest we've ever got to a true meritocracy and saw unprecedented numbers of working class people start to actually occupy the higher strata of society, which is why it was stopped. Public schools were going out of business and the hereditary elite were losing their status. They made a lot of crappy excuses for it's abolition, basically using a lot of guilt tripping, blame shifting and psychological manipulation, claiming how concerned they were for the poor who weren't selected. Which we of course know was complete bunkum - they didn't and don't give a crap for the poor, gifted or not. You can still get to the top from a low base, and there are examples of individuals who have, but it's much harder. Which is why social mobility has stalled. None of this is accidental though, I'm afraid.

Quit London for central Europe in 2015. Never looked back.

Well spoken Jade - listening to your thoughts was certainly a breath of fresh air and a lesson on how to live and what to expect from others. I left England nearly 4 decades ago but your experience serves as a good extrapolation of what I felt then. Looking forward to watching more of your videos in the future - a well deserved Subscribe from me!

I am not even English, and I can "see" that invisible barrier. But in my opinion, a person like yourself who has made a substantial success through your own efforts is in an enviable position. You can never be kicked out of your position through someone else's whim.

I agree. In London if you go searching for any serious job, you run out of money before you find a job. Even with real qualifications it’s true.

Lie, cheat and steal is how most have risen through the class system. Kenan Malik wrote - and the comments btl - an interesting piece in the Observer this weekend ("What a legendary historian tells us about the contempt for today's working class")

It is a caste system. With a stiff upper lip.

It's so strange to hear someone else say that, especially cause i guess you're born and bred over there? I was a student immigrant for a little over 2 years. Did everything in and outside of my power to change all my colors in order to fit in, and to mix as you say. To be good. Sacrificing my natural boundaries in order to "emerge the better" and be noticed, as i believed i deserved. Long story short, these people are where they are cause it's part of families and circles they were born into. It wasn't all bad, i respect many talented friends that i had during that time, but also, people with power and privilege, they hold social and cultural capital, and they have these unspoken ways of maintaining themselves in a central position of dominance. It's all another profit driven bubble. It was a huge aspiration, nowadays, it's in my rearview, i guess. Know your limitations, always. Don't wreck yourself for nothing, you and your life are precious ❤ and bigger than just another bubble

Climbing over the backs of others less fortunate is unsocial, even anti-social. The veneer of civility is paper thin.

If you want to understand how this country really works, you need to examine the military structure and its relation to the City. There's an old boys network that runs things.

we don't have this class structure in the USA. we are not overly concerned with where you come from. we look at where you are going in life. the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. USA!!!

WTF no way, I and many others have made it happen despite our shite beginnings… Not everyone can succeed, but social mobility is 100% easily achievable if you have talent.

My Dearest Jade, I really enjoy your informative videos, and your unique, and endearing, straightforward, presentation style. You are clearly an intelligent lady, and so it somewhat surprises me that it has taken you so long to realise that we don’t live in a _complete_ meritocracy, but only a partial one. My background is - very much - _lower_ working-class. What became apparent, early on, to me, was that, by far, the most powerful social tool is, indeed, language. Being able to articulate your point in writing and speech will make _anyone_ more influential, encourage people to take you more seriously, and increase your life-chances. And so, thank you for your fantastic help in this area :-)

You’ve made my day every time I am watching you. I like your genuine style. Cheer up!❤

Move to America! It is still the Land of Opportunity! All you have to do is be willing to work hard, use your brain, and network. And people will think your accent is cool!

A fascinating subject, I can relate to and appreciate all your observations. The UK class system is certainly alive and well. I would say I was upper working class (comprehensive school education, lived in rented accommodation) as a child,. however maybe I have made it to lower middle class as I am now a home owner and have a university education, but that is the ceiling. I have noticed I do feel uncomfortable around proper middle class people as I do not have the same background, interests, job titles or confidence. Something that I also find is my class is perceived differently in different regions, in the north I am treated far more as if I have always been middle class than I am at home, because my southern sounding accent is seen as posh in the north (I think).

I have always found people take you at your own valuation of yourself. As a rule humans the world over have a tendency towards self censoring and stifling their innate personalities when entering new circles and circumstances. Self confidence will always get you further in life than self doubt. Double down on who you inherently are and the right people will find and gravitate into your life. Be they above or below you in “social standing”. That’s the best part of expressing who you truly are to the world, you then know that the people that are drawn to you are the ones that like the authentic you, not a meek watered down version of you that you present to the world. Life is a wonderful thing when surrounded by people that resonate with your soul 😃🙌

I agree on everything you say, it's the same in my country, but you are missing a key point. I'm going to be a bit abrupt, but let me tell you guys: you will never really belong to a different social class from the one you were born into, not fully at least. But, and this is the point I was referring to, your children will. If you reach a higher social class on time, your children will be born into it, and will slowly learn the codes, mannerisms, beliefs and all through their friends. So the efforts don't go to waste, it's just that the "prize" is not for you, it's for your children or your grandchildren. People are not used to think generationaly, but they should. A lot of the things you do or don't do will impact your descendance, in ways that you don't even imagine.

In the US, it's almost equivalent, though something of a taboo: it's old-money Ivy League VS everybody else. All past presidents, even Obama, are basically old money.

This is something new for me. I've never heard about these kind of classes.

Jade, I am an American citizen, truly fascinated by you and your talents. If you feel like the UK has nothing more to offer, come over here! I came to this country 19 years ago with $10k from a poor country and I now I am an extremely wealthy person, working in a medical field. Write me!

London within the M25 is very different to the rest of England/UK. There is a certain type of London middle class that is more about skills and money than class. In the Home Counties though the class system is extremely rigid. I'm living in Devon. There is a lot of poverty here. There are some rich people, but there is no social cohesion at all, its almost like they hide in mini mansions in the nice parts of Devon. The rich even go to a small handful of expensive gastropubs/boutique hotels, they are hardly known to the general public. You hardly ever/never see these secretive wealthy in everyday places like supermarkets, costa. There's no way an ordinary person from working or lower middle class is going to make it into this secret wealthy world in rural English counties or cities outside London.

Never thought Great Britain could have degenerated this badly.. Still you greatly inspired me to speak like a Brit. Wishing you all the best, Jade.

I like to interact with common people every now and then.

Even if you reached upper class you would ask yourself "Now what?" People are people everywhere.

Jade, I've been living in England for more than 11 years now. My English was almost inexistent, you are the teacher who helped me to understand how to learn the language. It was a process which took me few years, in the same time I listened and watched documentaries and independent thinkers about British society. It's obvious this is not a meritocracy, it's only wild capitalism where if one works hard, honest and keeps its integrity, one won't make any progress in society. It's all about being born with a silver spoon in the mouth. You can be a wonderful English teacher in a sunny country in colorful SE Asia for example. They will welcome you with open arms and bow in front of your knowledge. What for to stay here where is damaging for mental health? Just saying...

I 100% agree. I left the UK in 1986. Learn languages and travel everybody 🤔👍. Working class people are those who have to wait for their pay at the end of the month and often go overdrawn at the bank.

Social mobility is almost impossible everywhere and has always had.

I married into a higher class, our differences make us laugh and we tease each other. I do scrub up well and I’m the poshest working class girl you’re likely to meet, Im not playing at this, I’m amusing myself. I’m as comfortable having dinner at Claridges as I am having a drink in the local working men’s club. The difference between me and the ‘posh’ folk is that I will have a conversation with the waitress. My head belongs with the working class, and I care deeply about others and their struggles. Our son identifies more with the working class but with all the trappings of the Upper Middle Class including Nepotism. My son also told his girlfriend that I’m from a Council Estate, she doesn’t believe him 🤣😂

Thank you dear Jade❤ You are always so sincere and your ideas are highly appreciated Love your accent ❤❤❤

Very interesting and relevant topic! I think social mobility has decreased dramatically in the last few years as things have become socially stagnant. Try to think of social mobility less in terms of climbing a ladder and more like playing a game of crazy golf!

As a working class guy from poor family who owned a shop in a really rough part of Salford for many years... Yes, you can move up. My wife is also a true cockney... So doubly... Yes, you can move up. The thing is... Class really isn't what many people think anymore. Class is for snobs who just want to be "Better". It isn't about jobs. It REALLY isn't about how much money you have... It really isn't about who your parents are. My aunt is a high end dentist. She is a land owner and at one point was considering buying a title (Yes, you can buy them) So that just shows you that class really isn't a thing. But then... Who cares what some brass arse swaggard thinks, says or does? Fuck 'em.

Your right in what you say here; if I have understood this years ago I would have emigrated. In London, yes money is a significant factor but also politics; even if you not particularly political. If you're not a liberal/left wing guardian reader and have your own opinions, you’ll find it very hard to mix a dinner parties and not get pounced on by somebody if you say something that doesn’t conform to their received opinions.

Haven't watched you in a while Jade! Last time I did you were in Turkey (I am Greek, so I don't forget 🙂). Looking better than ever! The British class system is complex and tribal. It is also unfair but impossible to beat. The Lord Alan Sugars of this world exist to remind us that money can buy status, but acquired high status and inherited high status are two things. I agree with what you say. That being said, status and social mobility is over-rated. Never pursue status. Pursue wisdom. And if you most pursue somthing external, pursue health. Money is a better pursuit than status - and if you are lucky enough to get some, never spend it on trying to look higher status. Spend it on building reserves. Be who you are and do what you love doing. Thick skin and a smile of serenity is more attractive than feeble high status. If you are working class, be a working class hero - a star amongst your own. Never bow to higher classes, never imitate, never envy. You will be looked down upon by who own and by those if "higher social rank". Be wise and strong instead - like the Brits of the war generation.