Jobs for a severely dyslexic DS?

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Trying to work out what to do with DS (16) as he comes to the end of school this summer (lower sixth). He's severely dyslexic with a poor working memory and will most likely not get his English GCSE this year although (fingers crossed) he will have maths and a couple of others.

Without sounding too despairing, he is a typical teen spending too long on his PC, lacking motivation and ambition. Looking at my friends' teens who similarly play a lot of PC games, they will be heading off to university next year and be looking forward to all this entails - independent living, gap years, etc. and so are slowly getting motivated to this end. My DS won't be going to university due to his poor academic record while his school friends will be working for family companies.

We don't have any contacts with friends or family who might be able to take him on (we work in IT and academia) and I'm at a loss as to what the next step could be for him. Every time I look at apprenticeship/job sites it asks for enthusiasm or timekeeping or attention to detail which is just not him. He is personable with good social skills so retail is one option but I can't think of others.

Has anyone been in a similar situation who could share what their DC ended up doing?

What about barbering? That does take attention to detail I suppose but there is excellent money to be made especially as men’s grooming is very big business now. His social skills would come in handy.

Does he have any ideas of what he’d like to do?

Barbering might be an option. I'll suggest it.

No, SandraDea, no ideas at all. This is why I'm trying to think of something. I'm envious of those teens who similarly don't know what they want to do but go off to university to study whatever they are good at and buy themselves some time. He needs to get cracking this summer once his exams are over. Mainly for his self-worth and mental health but also because I don't want him sitting in his bedroom playing games endlessly.

Is he at all sporty or into exercise?

Maybe some kind or volunteer / instructor type person?

Holiday rep? Would he consider travelling?

His school careers officer hasn't helped either. He has twice asked DS what he wants to do, he has replied he doesn't know and that was the end of the conversations...

I'm not having a go at the careers officer but just explaining it's another line we've tried which hasn't gone anywhere.

Does he like being outside?
Some sort of groundsman/nursery worker/gardening?

A friend of mine who is similarly dyslexic is a (very good, reasonably well paid) chef.

I keep encountering highly-skilled individuals with dyslexia who are motor mechanics, bricklayers, blacksmiths, craftworker and working in agriculture. Oh, and running activity courses, sailing and woodcraft.
His lack of motivation may well be linked to his lack of success in mainstream education, and he may take longer than you’d like to find his niche, but it’s worth trying a few different things to see if anything clicks with him.

I know a top chef who is severely dyslexic. I also know a few dyslexics who excel in the farming estate management world.

Problem a lot of school career guidance is that if the student doesn’t fit the usual tiny box of continuing in school/college, then uni, in a predictable path, they are clueless.
Add in any additional needs and they fail. Look outside the box.

Have you had a look at what post 16 courses your local college offer? If he's can find something that interests him he may be s bit more motivated.

A friend of mine her ds wasn't very academic and didn't pass maths or English but has been doing some sort of electronics engineering diploma. They also helped him with maths and English tutoring for resits.

Friends son, is training as a plasterer, another as a joiner. We joke that he will be better paid than most of us one day.

What does he want to do, however unrealistic?

Is he not going to college?

I'm dyslexic and my dad is fairly severely dyslexic. I have a degree (nursing) and I started another with the OU, which it's likely if I carry on will get a first or high 2.1. My dad has a masters. It's maybe taken us longer to do things and to learnt out styles but we got there. My dad uses a lot of software like dragon dictate to help him and I have used friends or proof readers to check my work (as I can at times I write the wrong word as to me it looks right).

Trades are good too.

My eldest has ASD and wants to be a YouTuber, which given his lack of social skills seems unlikely but maybe be sometime he can look into, I realise it's a bit like being a footballer and its unlikely but worth a try.

If you can afford it I would suggest booking in with a private careers adviser, one that will use a test like Morrisby and spend some time going through some options with him.

Our council had a "trades day" where they invited young people to meet all kinds of trades and they could apply for work experience. The council took on apprentices each year too. My dad is severely dyslexic and has always worked for himself of a decorator and plumber.

Another thought is being a chef, several high profile chefs are dyslexic.

He should be in education or training until 18. Tbh without level 2 English he may struggle to find even basic employment or apprenticeship although I think some do offer level 2. Could you look at a full time college course such as a btec which he could do with l2 functional skills alongside - IT, public service, health and social care, customer service for example. The range is quite wide at most further education colleges and use ongoing assessment as well as or instead of exams . Is he getting support for his sen to facilitate exams? You could speak to the learning support department at your local college to find put what they can put in place for him.

joinery? I know a lad who's very severely dyslexic years ago he did a YT in joinery he now specialises in hand crafted bespoke stuff, his stuff is lovely.

My DH is dyslexic. Maybe not severe, but he’s mid 30s and the support in education wasn’t as good when he was at school (and his parents weren’t supportive) and he has always worked in retail. It obviously doesn’t pay well but DH is in management now, because it’s the kind of job where experience counts and you can get internal promotions without qualifications.

I do know some severely dyslexic people in good graduate jobs though. The support is there in college and university, if he finds something he’s passionate about and is prepared to work for. I did a science degree, my dyslexic friend graduated with one of the best grades on the course. He took all the help he was offered (extra exam time, dictaphone, software to change colours on his laptop, coloured glasses, meetings with support staff) and on top of that went to the library every day to write up lecture notes from his dictaphone. He worked harder than everyone else and it paid off.

What about in the utilities? Overhead Linesmen can start as apprentices and once qualified and experienced can earn anything from £40k to £80k a year.

He'd need to like heights

These are all helpful suggestions, thank you. I did think of about him training as a chef and will suggest that.

HB2019 made me laugh as I know a couple of dyslexic men who are tree surgeons but even when he was a small boy DS has hated heights. 'No thank you' he would say at some high viewpoint!

I agree that it is worth looking to see what FE courses the local post 16 college offers. There are loads of courses for students who are dyslexic or not very academic. In my experience the local college is better at supporting students with dyslexia than school ever was.

You could be describing Ds. He has just finished level 2 in a trade in 2 terms with an average score of 97.5%

This is after going through school and getting between 5-14% in any exams that involved writing.

That's great news! How did you encourage him to try the course or was it something he wanted to do?

We went through huge lists of careers and jobs starting with working out whether he wanted to work indoors or out doors or in an office environment or whether he wanted to work for himself or someone else.

Did a lot of the career tests online.

I printed out huge lists of careers in areas he was interested in.

He has always done drama (worked a little bit when he was younger and always enjoyed it) so I found lists of jobs that were under drama type work.

He thought sport was an area he could work in so did the same again for sport.

Then looked at construction and I did the same sort of thing.

In the end I had a list of hundreds of jobs.

Some we dismissed straight away because he couldn’t see himself doing that sort of thing.
He then spent some time looking at some careers and crossing them off if he didn’t fancy them.
We then looked in more detail at what was left that he fancied and eventually got it down to 2 things.

He is learning the trade and on breaks he is doing other courses to be able to turn his hand to everything and he is getting back into acting as well.

He will struggle with that damned English GCSE even though he is taking functional English this time.

So acting might be the plan B. (Whoever thought someone would say that)

Could you exploit his interest in gaming? My nephews are autistic so challenged in a different way but being unmotivated due to struggling was a factor. They loved cartoons and became interested in making them. Both now have careers in marketing / filming. They don't do anything to do with cartoons. If you google 'working in the gaming industry' searches come up with niche stuff but also all the usual business stuff. Something might catch his eye if it's in the right field..... One of the most financially successful people I know in real life is a games tester!