Another interview, another thanks but no thanks…

[ChocoChocoLatte]

And I cannot help but believe it’s because I’m open and honest about being a cancer patient.

I am not going for jobs above my station, skills or expertise.

I purposefully go for jobs with flexibility so I don’t let anyone down - ever.

I am bright, engaging and have a lot to bring to an employer.

Ive already lost my business (thank you cancer/covid double whammy) and am working incredibly hard to retrain as something more suitable for my situation, so want to work part time to find my studies & work around my treatment yet can’t get a job with any kind of decent pay. I need to find work to fund the course or I can’t complete it.

And now the gov are now threatening the Motability scheme and to tax my husbands pension ffs.

I hate the financial insecurity of the whole shit show so please, if you’re reading this, get critical illness cover with your life insurance. We won’t be in this mess if we weren’t and, shamefully, I cannot help being jealous of those with the funds to live their best lives while they can after a diagnosis.

Sorry for moan but I’ve nowhere else to vent.

I didn’t expect to be in a worse financial situation in my 50s than I ever have been.

bstard bstard cancer can f*ck right off

If it's any consolation - critical illness cover will do everything they possibly can to avoid paying out - even saying you should have declared that verruca you had aged 8. So you've saved thousands not paying for it.

Cancer is shit isn't it 😪I hope yours is curable x

Have you considered working for the NHS in one of the data /admin roles? I have a chronic condition and they are great with time off for appointments I never have to use AL or make time up

This is a myth.
im an underwriter for critical and life insurance.
this is not the case at all and i wish people would stop saying this narrative as it puts people off of getting CIC and leaving the people like OP without cover. About 90% of claims are successfully paid with critical illness. The rest is non disclosure from the policy holder and after a misrepresentation investigation is made (listening to calls and working with compliance) to deem if its customer error or agent / insurers error.

if its customer error, it wont pay out. They'll usually get all premiums paid back. If it's a misrepresentation error from the insurer or broker, the insurer or broker will match the claim.

@zipadeedodahits not, sadly. But at least am still here & able and so fucking willing, for now.

Don't spread misinformation like this, it's not comforting to anyone who doesn't have it but needed it and puts people who may one day need it off getting cover. My family would be destitute without it and they payed out with little difficulty.

I'm so sorry OP, cancer is evil and it has so much more of a far reaching impact than you ever expect until you live it. I can't offer any advice because the only advice I can think of is just not disclosing it to prospective employers. But I really hope you get something 💐

@roundaboutflo3I have a few small pots of income thanks to some self employed work I still do (sadly no chance to increase it just yet) and am employed one day a week elsewhere. Ironically I just need one/two more days somewhere……..

I now earn the same hourly rate as my kids ffs.

I’m not an overly proud person. I work hard and even when I was CEO of our multi award winning / successful business (that now belongs to someone else) I didn’t mind mopping / cleaning etc etc

My team were everything to me so I always mucked in.

But I have a massive list of transferable skills. Am excellent CV tailored to every carefully considered vacancy. I interview well. Etc

i just need to stop declaring my bloody diagnosis as even if it comes down to equal situation between me and the other candidate, nobody is ever going to choose the cancer kid. And nobody will ever admit it…

You must be doing something right to get the interviews. Have you asked for feedback?

@HeyGuysItsNicoleI was a fool and it was an oversight on my part when I went from being employed by a large institution with employee cover to being self employed. I did everything right in terms of the business property and my employees - I just fell to the bottom of the list and forgot to consider myself. As usual. But then who believes they’ll get a diagnosis so young in life with no medical history. I certainly didn’t.

And now I can barely breath at night worrying about our kids and what this has done to them.

@ManeattractionI’ve asked the several few times. One even told me there was no significant feedback available. I mean wtf does that mean??

Another told me I didn’t have experience in something even though I’d clearly detailed it throughout my application & interview BUT to please keep on watching their vacancy services.

Today’s just stated it how extremely impressed they were with me and that I lost out by the tiniest of margins….. I can’t even bring myself to ask. It was a 3 person panel for a 4hr per wk job…..

I had cancer earlier this year (cancer free now but on chemo) I didn’t even know I had CIC!!!

I’ve paid off my mortgage and had major works done to the house. Before I realised I had it we were about to lose our house and were getting food from the food bank!

i literally tell everyone to get CIC now!

@houseofismsthats great news for you .

Am sadly stuck in the robbing Peter to pay Paul with no signs of a way out.

Glad to hear you’re cancer free, mine is incurable.

Another vote for critical illness cover and Income Protection here. The payout rate with a number of the large insurers is over 98%.

I really didn’t start a thread to be reminded I should have had critical illness cover but thanks all for reminding me I didn’t 🙄

Are you able to get some financial support from some of the cancer charities or would this mean you couldn’t fund your studies that way? I do think the job market is tough at the moment. I hope you find something. Money should be the last thing you have to worry about.

@iamnotalemonI don’t think I’d have the nerve to approach a cancer charity for help with my fees. I feel there are so many people in need, my retraining/ vanity project should be the last thing they worry about.

I should have just gone on a Caribbean cruise 😂

Sorry OP I didn't mean to cause offence. I was merely just correcting the PP who was spreading information.

FWIW I don't have CIC either and I also have incurable cancer - and I do it for a living so sending solidarity.

Solidarity OP.
2 incurable cancers here, no CIC or insurance. Just received my form to claim ESA, i already claim PiP.

I was a teacher in a former life, then primary BC hit. God it hit me like a brick! Then metastic BC and finally a completely different cancer. I’m bitter and fucking angry! My brain is fine, but my body, my body wants me dead!

It’s very stressful. I hope you can sort something good out OP. Hugs.

@Enigma54I haven’t investigated ESA - what are the perimeters for that?

@ChocoChocoLatte well, I’ve applied for New Style ESA. That means you need 2/3 years of NI contributions under your belt. You apply online and are required to submit a fit note. Then, you receive a call from a call handling centre to take few details and arrange a phone appointment with a local job centre. They send out a claimant commitment letter ( which you keep hold of). Eventually, you will be sent a form
( ESA50) asking you to detail your condition and how it affects your life. Following this, there are one of two groups which they can put you in. The work group, which means you are required to look for some work and ESA is paid for 365 days only. Or, the support group, where you are not required to look for work and payment of ESA is ongoing.

While they are assessing your claim
( this can take 13 weeks) you will be paid £90 ( ish) a week. Unless you are placed in the support group, payment remains at £90. Otherwise it’s £140 a week.

I hope this helps OP.

@Enigma54thank you. I no longer have the mental capacity to deal with processes & forms so will need DH to help. Bloody menopause / chemo brain fog……

@ChocoChocoLatte I know. If you can get an appointment with a local citizens advice bureau, the advisors can help
you fill out the form. Or, if you are anywhere near a Maggies centre, the benefits advisors are often very helpful with form filling ( if DH gets stuck on any questions). Mine arrived today.

OP, I hate t say this, but I fear your age will count against you more than your cancer. I know that firms are not allowed to discriminate, but unfortunately, they do.

What about temp / agency work OP?

and gently, (and again I say this as someone with an incurable cancer) if you're struggling to fill in forms and things now, are you well enough to work part time? part time admin roles or data entry roles are quite easy to pick up but aside from that, other common part time roles would be waitressing or bar work, could you realistically do something like that when you're struggling with forms and things if you're having to get DH to help you? I understand the limitations of what cancer and treatment brings and it's horrible coming to terms with the fact sometimes you need to slow down.

@HeyGuysItsNicole I agree. I had to think today what gear I was In when driving! The brain fog caused by chemo ( and menopause) is real!

Yeah maybe. I never believed I’d be scrabbling at nearly 50 having built everything we did.

thanks all