# Age limit to working as a barista in UK?



## jivko2 (Dec 27, 2018)

Hi there,

I intend to begin a career as a barista, here in the UK. But I am 42 years old. My questions is is my age a disadvantage? I mean do employers prefer younger people for the job? Will I be able to get a barista job at all at this age? Thanks on beforehand for any advice!


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## cozzie21 (Mar 28, 2016)

I'm no expert but have you thought about growing a moustache and using an abundance of waxes and roll the ends? You might need a pair of flip flops too but this advice is for artisanal coffee shops.

If you are looking for a job in Starbucks or Costa, your age will bring a level of diversity to the workforce which the corporations love!


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

jivko2 said:


> Hi there,
> 
> I intend to begin a career as a barista, here in the UK. But I am 42 years old. My questions is is my age a disadvantage? I mean do employers prefer younger people for the job? Will I be able to get a barista job at all at this age? Thanks on beforehand for any advice!


I think there is likely to be a bias toward younger people simply as they are the most common thing to see in a good cafe. You bring a lot of advantages as an older person however, not least that you are much less likely to quit a couple of months after starting.


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## espressotechno (Apr 11, 2011)

You'll also need a beard & a topknot.....


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## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

I think age discrimination laws are up and running in the UK . . .


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## PPapa (Oct 24, 2015)

MildredM said:


> I think age discrimination laws are up and running in the UK . . .


Is it enforced, though? Employees very rarely let people know the candidate wasn't successful and almost never tell why.


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## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

PPapa said:


> Is it enforced, though? Employees very rarely let people know the candidate wasn't successful and almost never tell why.


Proving an issue may be impossible, yes. But I'd like to think a decent would-be employer would be open minded with regard to age. In an ideal world and all that . . .


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## igm45 (Mar 5, 2017)

I think it age is being given more bias than an employer would.

You are an employer, you have two interviewees:

1) 18 y.o with no interest in coffee and is likely to move on within the year.

2) a 42 year old that is passionate about the product. Likely to not only stay but develop both their skill set and your offerings.

I don't think the choice is all that difficult....


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## Cjogo (Aug 11, 2017)

Playing devil's advocate - please remember that all businesses are there to make money. This is done by keeping costs low and prices competitive. Please also remember that the target audience/customer is usually not into coffee per se but into a WiFi connection or conversation. So the lowest cost wins.

Do you have the necessary qualifications? Have you done any barista training?

Hopefully you can develop a counter argument as to why you should be employed over another.


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

I'd rather employ someone wanting to work at 42 than anyone of another age not want to work.


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## Rogue_Coffee (Mar 23, 2015)

If you have are personable, passionate about something and willing to do any of the jobs in the café, you'd be welcome at my place.


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## Stanic (Dec 12, 2015)

There shouldn't be any age discrimination but reality can be difficult

Here in Poland they don't bother with such details, I regularly see announcements specifying age and/or even gender for positions such as room cleaning, waiting stuff and other hospitality services..crazy


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## jivko2 (Dec 27, 2018)

cozzie21 thank you very much! I had an abundance of laugh!


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## jivko2 (Dec 27, 2018)

Thank you all for the great comments!


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## Aidy (Jul 8, 2015)

igm45 said:


> I think it age is being given more bias than an employer would.
> 
> You are an employer, you have two interviewees:
> 
> ...


Way too much of a generalisation there.

I mean, could equally be:

1) 18, eager to get a good start, willing to learn and do anything

2) 42, obvious mid-life crisis, will be gone in a couple of months when he/she realises a coffee shop is not all the glamour they thought it'd be


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## Wolvesnev (Nov 11, 2018)

Under the Equality Act 06, Age is defined as a protected characteristic, against which it is illegal to discriminate against (along with others such as sex, maternity/paternity, gender reassignment, disability etc.)

As has been said earlier, the difficulty is proving you haven't been successful in a job application due to one of these characteristics. However the fact remains, an employer is not able to discriminate against you because of your age.


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

I think the discrimination laws here are understood but as good as irrelevant. Discrimination based on sex, age and race are all illegal but happen regardless. The discrimination laws are only relevant when you have a chance of proving them, gaining employment in a coffee shop is simply not one of those areas.


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

Aidy said:


> Way too much of a generalisation there.
> 
> I mean, could equally be:
> 
> ...


This is also very true. I see quite a few younguns that are incredibly eager to learn and I have to say, a large portion of my team is around 18 years of age and they are some of the best people I've ever worked with.


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## igm45 (Mar 5, 2017)

Aidy said:


> Way too much of a generalisation there.
> 
> I mean, could equally be:
> 
> ...


Yes I do agree and take your point.

The point I was trying to make is that attitude/personality is likely to make more of a difference than age alone.

Personally I take the stance that age isn't a barrier and any environment that sees it as one is somewhere I would want to avoid working in anyway.


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## Rogue_Coffee (Mar 23, 2015)

There is something to be said for fitting in with the current team too. You need to show that you bring something positive to the team and will improve the place. But I would rather bring someone in who will be a stable and upbeat presence to the place. Like everything, it depends on the person.


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