How to Crack the Class Ceiling

Amol Rajan investigates how young people from working class backgrounds can secure jobs in Britain's elite professions. With industries like banking and the law traditionally dominated by the middle classes, are there any tips or tricks that will help candidates from less privileged backgrounds secure their dream jobs? He meets people who've found their own ways to hack the class system, from a school etiquette class to a university soft skills workshop, and follows the progress of young people trying to get into the civil service, law and the City. Chris feels his Hull accent will hold him back, Paige is worried she doesn't look and sound like a typical barrister, and Adnan wonders whether to talk about his working class background in finance interviews. Will any of the advice help these young people, or are they fighting against an impossibly rigged system?

Amol Rajan investigates how Britain's elite could create a fairer system for young people from working-class backgrounds trying to secure jobs in Britain's most prestigious professions.

He follows Seth, who wants to get into the media but thinks they don't want white working-class candidates like him, and Adnan, who's struggling to land a graduate job in the City of London. What are employers and the government doing to create a level playing field for Britain's working-class young people?

Amol meets leaders of top financial and media firms. Are they really trying to take action on class equality, or are they 'classwashing' – pretending to welcome working class candidates as a PR exercise? He meets the minister for equalities and someone from the top team of former prime minister Boris Johnson, asking whether a government dominated by the privately educated understands the concerns of working-class people.