>no one wants to give me work as a engineer because they think I'm too senior. I read this as "we're afraid that if we offer him a mid-level role as an enginee

>no one wants to give me work as a engineer because they think I'm too senior. I read this as "we're afraid that if we offer him a mid-level role as an engineer, he'll get bored and leave to start another company". Considering your background, I can see how that would be a common concern so maybe in the next interview it might be worth blatantly stating that you really are committed to a full-time engineering role for the next few years.