I’m in the market for a new job, and something has come up that looks pretty ideal – varied role, potential for movement, good pay, nice mostly offroad commute. The recruiter has just mentioned that it’s a Brethren run company.

Now I don’t know much about them; I’m pretty sure our beliefs are different, but that’s probably true of a lot of employers.

I was just wondering if anyone has worked for a Brethren company, and how you found it – particularly if you’re a lefty atheist who abhors any ‘isms’ (which must be a few folk in here).

Very ethical, trustworthy and will treat everyone well – some rules in there but no dealbreakers.

If you have any problems it’s probably going to be your attitude rather than theirs which will be the cause.

If you just want a job to go to and do to the best of your ability and go home then you’ll have no issues. If you want to bring politics in or want socialising with colleagues then it won’t be for you.

That sounds like my ideal working environment, cheers!

They’re a funny lot. Their attitudes to women and youngsters is a bit much for me to tolerate.

Depends what kind they are. I worked for a closed church brethren company for a year, they are probably the best people I have ever worked for but some of that is they had no interest in me joining them. I’m told open church Brethren would have likely tried to preach & convert me but I have no experience of them.

Worked with a Brethren colleague in the past, nice guy and very much kept himself to himself wrt religion. Happy to answer questions but was never interested in trying to convert anyone, wouldn’t have any issue working with more of them. As said though some views can be problematic but tbh they were few and far between.

I used to work with a lady who came from a brethren company.

Be prepared to print out emails to read to members. And never, ever, swear.

No TV ,radios,red top newspapers,swearing and they are a wee bit different due to their religious beliefs and maybe “arranged marriages”. I’d imagine if your gay they will straighten you . Very sociable with their own kind and drink is a vice they allow and sex as they all seem to have loads of kids
I get on fine with them just turn the music down a bit if they are nearby

Thanks all – some things to think about, but probably worth an initial chat at least.

The attitudes towards women and children (that I’ve read about at least) did bother me slightly, but then I’ve worked in offices where people managed to be sexist arsholes without any religious guidance, so I dunno. To be fair I didn’t work in them long.

‘No TV, radios, red top newspapers…sex and drink.’ My giddy aunt, I must’ve joined in my sleep.

My giddy aunt

Not sure they are allowed either…

My dad did a stint working for a family firm. Very honest, fair, trustworthy and straightforward people.
No complaints from him and he was a bitter angry man most of the time.

It’s part of the religion to be quite enterprising and business-like. It’s quite a source of pride. Some of the working practices are a bit backwards and non-sensical, but on the plus side, they are honest and fair. locally to me, there are several brethren families who run successful small businesses. It’s not the place to be a ‘punk-ass’ anarchist, though.

No swearing!
That would be me **** then😁

The Bretheren local to me are the preachy everything you do is sin type.
I wouldn’t give them the steam off my pish.

Yeah, no swearing can **** right off.

About 8 years ago I worked on a new build neighbouring a large Brethren household, in fact the plot was a sold off piece of their land.

I got on extremely well with them and the bored granddad would come over to the site on a daily basis for a chat and ask how things were going. Used to talk about cycling quite a bit, they had a couple of classic tandems and he let me have a go on his old (and illegal) electric bike.

Their beliefs and lifestyle are very different, even when compared to people like Seventh Day Adventists, but I always find things like that interesting and I would ask a lot of questions which were happily answered.

I was genuinely saddened when after probably the best part of a year it came to goodbyes. So based on my experience I don’t think anyone should be put off with working with members of the Brethren. Obviously not all people are the same, but someone being a Brethren shouldn’t in itself be a reason to avoid working with them imo.

Grow up. Tolerance before money. Ffs.

What does Brethren mean in this context?

Look up Plymouth Brethren. They’re a a non denomination anglican church. beliefs are roughly that the Bible trumps everything. Some groups are  proselytising, some aren’t.

I contracted for one for 12 months (Plymouth Bretheren).

Most of them were actually pretty pleasant people, very straight laced (see above) but some of their views & what they have to do as part of their ‘community’ is pretty odd & despite their values, there is a big undercurrent unpleasantness which they do try & keep a lid on.

I definitely would not want to be a woman in that world. There is a reason why a large chunk of them are borderline alcoholics.

They were also sh*t at running a business, being a closed group, they had zero commercial experience & people were promoted based on family, rather than any skill or will to do a job. I certainly wouldn’t want to work in that kind of environment again.

part of their ‘community’ is pretty odd & despite their values, there is a big undercurrent unpleasantness which they do try & keep a lid on.

A uni friend was from a Brethren family – didn’t smoke, drink and all that – and divorced about 10 years ago. He started living with another woman a while after – that wasn’t the reason for the divorce. His family cut off all contact.

A few of us were chatting about uni days, about 3 or 4 years ago, and this friend was surprised that we remembered his religious background so clearly. He felt that it had barely been mentioned while we were students but it clearly set him apart from the crowd.

i used to live in Brackley in Northants and there’s a sizable community there. They tended to buy properties for cash, and extended them, and offer large sums of cash to neighbours to sell, and so on. they had a Close of what was regular semis ad detached that were massively extended. I understand that while their belief system encouraged them to have jobs; somehow it was bad to have a profession, so no doctors lawyers etc? I think women were encouraged not to go to work.

They were the proselytising sort, and would stand in the town square of a Saturday morning shouting at us that we were all sinners going to straight to hell. One time they turned up at the same time as the beer festival…there was quite the “full and frank exchange of views”

I lived near an exclusive brethren community growing up in NZ. Our head mistress was open brethren so many of the girls came to our school (girls only school). They were not allowed to mix with us, and the very second they turned 16 they were taken out of formal education. We helped to rescue a classmate, set her up with accommodation and helped her find a job, and navigate the real world. Retaliation from the community and her relatives was brutal, the police were involved on a couple of occasions when they tried to take her back.

Used to teach at a school that was popular with Brethren families. Couldn’t meet a nicer bunch of people. Always contributing to school life.

I did my butchery apprenticeship working for a Scottish Plymouth Brethren family.
Very clear on what you could talk about and no radio or newspaper , any woman working for them had to wear a head scarf while they were there .
Very good butcher and pleasant enough people to work for .

Most of them were actually pretty pleasant people

Until you fall foul of them. Then they’ll be piling the firewood around you.