People with stammers

[Bedsheets4knickers]

Hi , I have no idea where to post this . I need to get back into work after having children. I stammer and feel embarrassed by it . I've lost all confidence in myself in a work environment . I want my children to see me working. I need a low vocabulary job but do not know where to start. Can I ask if any of you stammer and what jobs do you do?? I'm not qualified in anything . I've always done retail. I would like to avoid going back into that as it consumes your Christmas . I would like to retrain . I've already messed up a beauty interview at college . Can anyone give any words of wisdom.. I'm only 34 I want to get back out there xx

Have you thought about speech therapy OP?

I have a friend who stammers who is quite high up in the military. It has affected his career progress, but he's extremely determined and is progressing well.

It comes & goes in intensity. Worse when nervous, vanishes after a beer!

Speech therapy might be a good first step. Confidence is the key (but not an easy fixer)

I tried it as a teenager . It was wishy washy . I could give it another try I'd be more in the right mindset .

At our annual sales conference last week - an enormous international company - our CEO delivered an impassioned speech.

He talked about his stammer - which I have never noticed - and how he used to try to avoid speaking in public at all times but then realised how much it was holding him back so he had to face it and learn some coping mechanisms.

His stammer isn't gone but he can manage it - it was really inspirational and although I don't know how he tackled it, I guess my point is that there may be ways to work around it and it doesn't have to hold you back x

I'd give speech therapy a go - it's come on a long way. Also maybe some confidence training, if for example, you stammer when you're nervous.

The sort of jobs you could go for would be things like data entry, or working on a production line, in a warehouse, a cleaner, a software developer, research, any back office job where you're not in contact with the public, gardner, tree surgeon. I'll post some more if I think of any.

I have a stammer and if you see my other thread on here you'll see I've just been offered a job. I mentioned it when I received the invite for interview so they were aware in advance. I have had speech therapy though and I do recommend it hugely.

Frankie out of interest what is the Jon you have got , congratulations x

I've worked with two people with stammers in the past.

One was a moderate stammer which was much worse on the phone, he was an accountant who did very well for himself in our company and later moved on and upwards to roles in other companies so it obviously didn't hold him back in interviews.

The other had a very significant stammer and was a key account manager for a large blue chip company who was our IT partner (we were a major account in Scotland at the time). His roles had him out meeting clients all the time. We had lots of workshops and long meetings with him but it wasn't an issue, he knew his industry so well I never saw it holding him back. I did have to have discrete words with my boss on more than one occasion for appearing impatient and rude by trying to finish his sentences for him (to be fair boss thought he was being helpful).

Go to speech therapy to help improve you confidence, but although some jobs might obviously not be right for you (telesales, emergency operator, for example), don't let it hold you back from trying anything else and don't think you need to hide away from the public in the back office if that's not what you want to do.