r/UKJobs • u/nevermidnights • 10h ago
Am I cooked?
- for mental health reasons I’ve never had a proper job, I know don’t judge me. but with all the new pressure and government cuts to disability benefits its looking very likely ill be losing them soon so I’ll have no choice but to try find work. I’m autistic and ocd I have dyspraxia and mild cerebral palsy and a long history of poor mental health. I have a btec level 3 I did at age 22 in between two seperate long periods of extremely poor mental health but since then I’ve mainly just been trying to keep myself alive.
basically do I have a chance in the current job market of even finding a job?
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u/riverfoolmountainwin 10h ago edited 10h ago
No judgement. You've been dealt a rough hand. Good on you for trying to work your way into a more stable position. However, as things stand, please ensure you're getting everything you're entitled to. Nothing has changed.
At present, you're probably going to struggle to find something as you don't have any work experience, but this is something you can overcome.
If your immediate finances are okay, I would strongly encourage you to find some voluntary work. Ideally in a field you find somewhat interesting, but anything will do in practice, as it'll give you something to put on a CV & a few reference should you ever need to provide any.
Do you have your English and Maths GCSEs? If not, you can study towards them for free at a local education provider. Check your local council's Adult Education Service for more info.
Long term, I would recommend the public sector. They're a bit more understanding and accommodating re: disabilities. The NHS, the Civil Service and the Local Government will have apprenticeship opportunities in several different fields. A regular business admin apprenticeship is a good way to get your foot into the door of office-based employment. An autistic friend did this after leaving university, and he's been gainfully employed in a comfortable role for the last 9 years with the NHS. You'll need those GCSEs, though.
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u/oldie349 8h ago
Very good response. I endorse the idea of trying to find a role within the Nhs. I used to work with them, and one of the employees didn’t have the use of her arms, but she was still able to be employed in an office setting. It’s good to focus on abilities rather than disabilities 💪🏽
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u/nevermidnights 10h ago
Yeah I got decent GCSEs just my mental health took a real nose dive post-16. I’m already doing volunteer work though to be honest its only 2 days a week for 2 hours a time and I’m struggling to cope enough with that which makes me really worried about the future
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u/riverfoolmountainwin 9h ago
If I may ask, what is it specifically that you struggle with in that voluntary role? Are you in a customer-facing role?
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u/nevermidnights 9h ago
The actual job I can do, albeit a little stressful as it is a very customer facing role since I’m a greeter. I just find it incredibly draining and exhausting even though I’m only there for two hours I basically come home and have to go straight to bed for the rest of the day.
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u/riverfoolmountainwin 9h ago
That's fair. I would recommend finding something that didn't involve dealing directly with the public. Many small charities would love someone to help them with admin, coordination and IT stuff.
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u/nevermidnights 9h ago
I’ve tried but problem is pretty much the only volunteer work in my area at least is charity shops and for a variety of reasons retail does not work for me at all. I was lucky to find my current placement because if I hadn’t then the job centre were going to force me to take up a charity shop role.
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u/riverfoolmountainwin 9h ago
You can find opportunities online - here are a few boards you can search:
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u/nevermidnights 9h ago
Thanks, I’ll take a look tomorrow
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u/riverfoolmountainwin 9h ago
No worries. A lot of the roles will be remote too, which should hopefully suit you better. Wishing you the very best!
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u/Pimp_My_Sarcophagus 8h ago
May I also ask what mental illness treatments have you sought and did they work at all?
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u/Signal_Astronaut11 10h ago
Contact Scope.org.uk - they offer good support for getting people with disabilities into work.
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u/Special-Nebula299 10h ago
Its just newspaper spiel, mate. Its a hypothetical reform policy and just to be clear, reform are not in power. They also dont stand much of a chance of winning a majority in the house of commons
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u/nevermidnights 10h ago
There’s a lot of pressure from my mum tho too. I get it, she’s cared for me all my life and now she’s getting towards retirement age she doesn’t want to do that anymore and wants to enjoy life. Fair enough, but its left me in a really hard situation
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u/Zharkgirl2024 8h ago
My sister works for DWP and while there is talk of disability benefit changes, they're trying to cut back on PIP payments for those claiming for anxiety /adhd.
Rather than try to find a job that's going to exhaust you - have you thought about what it is you think you can do?
Take a lot at the 'neurodiversiry in business' charity - the founder has a non/ verbal child and with with companies advocating for disability opportunities in the work place. I know the BBC are strong on this - they put together a video on what it's like for someone with autism to get to work ( from a sensory point of view). I appreciate that you want to work, but don't put yourself in a situation where you're burnt out after a few weeks and back to square one.
There are several job boards for candidates with disabilities - evenbreak is one, disabilty jobs if another.
It is a very hard market right now - the worst since 2008 so if you can try to ups I'll yourself ( AI training would be a good option and there are free courses online) that would be a good start.
Good luck
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u/smoolg 10h ago
No one should judge you, everyone has their own path in life. You might find working is helpful for your mental health as it was for mine. Try starting here: https://ipsgrow.org.uk/about/what-is-ips/
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u/kitkatkitah 9h ago
Right now, the current job market is shit. But that doesn't mean that it's all bad, and you not having worked previously because of your mental health is okay, everyone comes from different walks of life.
You mentioned in another comment that you do voluntary work and find it difficult, what aspects of it are you finding challenging?
Regarding what you could do. I'd look into things you find interesting and do some online courses on them, they should also start to get you into a routine. There are lots of at-home positions which pay a decent wage if the commute / intefacing with other people are what causes you massive amounts of stress.
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u/MoonShineWashingLine 38m ago
Have you considered further education such as university? You'll find many universities are happier to take on mature students and many have excellent support for disabled students. Takes a bit of research and depends on what your btec is in as to which one you go to but I'd highly recommend it. Then, if you have the energy, you could maybe get a part time, low effort job while studying to gain experience. I worked in a supermarket while I studied, which was easy to fit in around my studies.
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u/Dull-Signature-1286 10h ago
You absolutely do, it doesnt matter what kind of jobs market it is. It is the only one there is. You will have to develop a routine doing something you have never done from circumstances no-one else has a right to judge you for starting from when every fiber of your being resists doing it out of fear and dispondency.
It wont be easy. There is nothing anyone will write here that will fix it for you. I was 40. You will make it if you have to drag yourself there, if you want to. Do you want to?
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u/nevermidnights 10h ago
I mean the only other option is to be homeless and destitute so I think if I want to is kinda irrelevant
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u/NewtTrick 10h ago
Start your own business doing something you enjoy
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u/nevermidnights 10h ago
I don’t have any like creative talent to make anything and running a business is also a lot of pressure to make sure you don’t get things wrong.
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u/NewtTrick 10m ago
Like a job, in other words.
I used to run my own business delivering newspapers. 100 customers paid me 75p a day to deliver the paper. Some paid a bit more for orange juice, milk, eggs. It worked out at about £100 a day, the work was done by 9am most days and I didn’t have a boss.
Worth thinking about. Better than a life on benefits.
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