Is anyone an OT or OT assistant?

[nappyaddict]

I am applying for a job for an OT assistant and need some help filling in the reasons why I am applying for the post.

So far I have written:

I have held 2 voluntary positions - 1 at a children's preschool and 1 with the Homestart charity where I work with vulnerable families and children under 5. I also enjoy organising events for local parent groups and parent groups for children with SN. Ideally I would like to work with children, but I am also interested in gaining experience working with adults, the elderley, those with disabilties, neurlogical disorders and mental health problems. Eventually I would like to study Occupational Therapy at degree level, but I would like some experience working in the field before I start applying to universities. I am happy to do any job based training or further qualifications that are on offer to improve my ability of doing the job as best as I can. My job as a waitress has shown me that I enjoy working hard, I work well as part of a team but I also have the initiative to work well on my own, I am patient, sociable and I am very much a people person.

I do not have a driving license yet but I hope to have passed my test by late spring/early summer and am confident with using public transport.

Is there anything else I should include or take out?

I have rewritten the last part of the first paragraph:

My job as a waitress has shown me that I enjoy working hard, I work well as part of a team but I also have the initiative to work well on my own and I am very self-driven. I am an easygoing person with a lot of patience and an agreeable personality. I am sociable and very much a people person and I am good at and enjoy communicating with a diverse group of people. I like to help and accomodate people wherever possible.

This is my application so far:

I have held 2 voluntary positions - 1 at a children's preschool and 1 with the Homestart charity where I work with vulnerable families and children under 5. This position in particular has taught me the importance of promoting safety and also of safeguarding and keeping confidentiality. I also enjoy organising events for local parent groups and parent groups for children with SN. My son is Autistic so I have also completed the National Autistic Society Earlybird course for autistic children so I have some knowledge and experience dealing with people with special needs.

So far I have mostly worked with children (although I have also successfully supported their parents as well), but now I am interested in gaining experience working with adults, the elderley, those with disabilties, neurlogical disorders and mental health problems. Eventually I would like to study Occupational Therapy at degree level, but I would like some experience working in the field before I start applying to universities. I would like to do as much job based training or further qualifications as possible to further my knowledge and to improve my ability of doing the job as best as I can.

My job as a waitress and voluntary positions have shown me that I enjoy working hard, I work well as part of a team but I also have the initiative to work well on my own and I am very self-driven. I am an easygoing person with a lot of patience and an agreeable personality. I am sociable and very much a people person and I am good at and enjoy communicating with a diverse group of people. I like to help and accomodate people wherever possible.

With my homestart family I like to listen to the parent's problems, then help them overcome them by discussing what they think is needed and will work for them. I like showing them the appropiate skills needed and then encouraging them to put them into practise. I prefer to present the parents with a variety of choices so as to promote independence and choose something they think will work best for them. I want them to learn to be able to live their to the full and to try not to let anything hold them back if possible, but that just because one thing works for one family, it doesn't mean it will necessarily work for them and they shouldn't let that dishearten them or put them off trying another idea or approach. I think this in particular can be transferred to the job of an occupational therapy assistant.

I do not have a driving license yet but I hope to have passed my test by late spring/early summer and am confident with using public transport.

Hi nappyaddict,

I'm a Paediatric OT.

Hope I'm not too late in replying. Your application sounds great. You have such a lot of fantastic skills and experience that it sounds like you would be a great asset to an OT team.

I think your application gets the message across that you understand that OT is not about "doing things to people" or "making them better", it's more about empowering people, facilitating them to identify ways around their difficulties and to try to lessen these dfficulties. I love the bit about something which works for one person not necessarily working for another. That's key to our profession. Humans, especially children, don't always fit into boxes or respond the same way to the same thing and I really believe than an open mind and a flexible approach are essential characteristics for anyone thinking of working in OT. You'll be great!

I'm not sure if you've seen a Job Description/Person Spec for the post you're applying for. If you have these, it might be worth going through them and making sure that you've adressed all the "essential" skills/characteristics the job demands. This will make it much easier for empolyers to shortlist your application.

Get back to me if you need any more info.
Good luck - keeping everything crossed for you!

NMM