Jobs for someone with SEN

[Fuzzyhippo]

I'm really struggling with the fact that I'm now in my mid 20s and never had a job. I applied for 70+ jobs before Christmas as found out I was pregnant but no one got back to me. I realised I needed to get my life together but the pregnancy didn't work out so I didn't bother. I left school at 12 due to becoming suicidal, started college at 14 and left at 17 with no qualifications as I fell pregnant. I struggle severely as I was diagnosed as a toddler with low functioning ASD, was non verbal and always struggled with basic skills. I can't be put under any pressure as I snap, especially with PDA. I tried getting my maths and English functioning skills last year but it was too difficult. I struggle with even the most basic of maths, I can't do my 2 times tables for example as my mind blanks out when it comes to numbers. I've tried to learn and try different techniques but nothing has worked. I'm struggling living on £100 a week on PIP with diesel and food prices. I really want to find a job but I feel I'm unemployable due to my struggles. I want to do something I enjoy but will help me to save up. Is there anywhere I could go that helps people with special needs get a job?? I want to work with animals or agriculture but all the ones I've found had ridiculous requirements (5 GCSES above C on minimum wage). I understand nearly every job requires GCSES, but for me it isn't an option so am I being unrealistic thinking I could get a job I would actually enjoy with no qualifications?

Your writing here is perfectly coherent with good grammar and punctuation.

If this is your normal writing style then I think you're much too hard on yourself.

If you've dictated this to a computer to type, you're still very capable in language terms.

If you're on PIP, do you also claim ESA, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Credit etc or UC?

Do you drive? If so, your skills in observation, decision making and being able to take the pressures of driving will be higher than you think they stress.

PDA is probably the biggest boundary here from what you've described.

Qualifications are not the be all and end all, but to work for someone you'll need to be able to take instruction, carry out allotted tasks, understand and abide by rules such as health and safety, timekeeping etc - is that achievable?

Working with animals and especially in agriculture is a type of work that's been highly professionalised over the years, hence the qualifications required.

Could you visit or contact an agricultural college to discuss your options?

Have you been able to do things like volunteer roles in the past?

Level 1/2 courses are accessible without gcses. You can retry FS alongside. What are your interests? Driving might be a useful skill. Did you tick the disability box on the applications you made, some organisations will guarantee interviews if you fit the basic criteria although lack of gcse/level 2 may be a problem.

Should've mentioned that I do drive, yes. I do have some level one certificates in animal care, dog behaviour, gamekeeping and agricultural management, but nothing that means much to employers. When I applied for apprenticeships I always ticked the disability confident box. I got an unpaid one week trial at a hair salon which turned out to be a scam, they get apprentices there for a week or two to make the tea, clean up etc. With the promise of a placement, only to never get back to them again once the trial is over. I also applied for one at a stable yard as a groom hand which I have experience in as I have owned horses, but the lady only wanted me to ride which wasn't on the job description and she said I wasn't good enough for them. I lost every bit of confidence after that. I've spoken to others who never got their GCSES and are now in very respectable jobs, so there must be something out there for me that won't require them

Dogwalking, kennel/cattery work, animal sanctuary, wildlife trust, conservation organisation? Maybe start as a volunteer. Are there any voluntary action hubs or agencies which help those with additional needs find placements? Can you claim ESA?

I've applied as a dog walker, livestock sanctuary and a racing kennel but all have very high requirements or DBS checks. All the volunteering placements I've found are a minimum of 20 miles away, which would cost a ridiculous amount in fuel which I just couldn't afford. I'm not entitled to ESA as have never been employed, I believe you need to have been in a work placement in the past to be eligible. Looked into UC too, but even with the limited work capability and a sick note, I was told to come into the job centre weekly which just I couldn't cope with

With respect, why is attending the Job Centre once a week such a trial?

Can you see how that then tends to suggest that attending a workplace is problematic?

Do you have DCs?
If not pet sitting could be an option through an agency.

Because like I say, I couldn't cope. I have weeks where I'm unable to leave my room and being forced to go to the job centre to prevent being sanctioned won't do my mental health much good at all..

No children. I'll look into it, but my mum works for a cattery agency, and she's had a really hard time with them so it's put me off agencies to be honest

Why are dbs checks an issue?

Because I've been 'off the grid' for so long and I can't prove what I've been doing since I left school.

How would you be able to work?

Whilst there are laws in place to protect you, if you're unable to leave your room, can't see how you could work?

What do you mean by "offgrid". You only need addresses and some id.

You could set up your own pet sitting business, the kind where you go to people’s houses while they’re away, to feed their cats. No outlay except insurance, I suppose, and if you drive you could fit lots in a day. Not sure how it would work if you can’t leave your room though.

Because I've quite honestly had enough of people calling me a freeloader and living off of other people. I need an employer who will understand that some days I may need a rest but obviously that's not possible. Maybe being self employed is the only option for me because I'm tired of other people getting somewhere in life and I'm still stuck in the same rut..

Would you be able to commit to regular days/hours if breaks were planned in? Very few employers can operate on a do whatever, whenever basis. Maybe start small?

Ok so you found out around Christmas that you were pregnant and you have 1 child already if I've understood your OP correctly.

So have you had that child, or are you still pregnant?

UC rules say that you need to start preparing to return to work when your child is 2 if you are a lone parent so you could claim UC and there would be no expectation that you seek work initially.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-and-your-family-quick-guide/universal-credit-further-information-for-families

You also say that you get PIP, have you been assessed as being capable for work?

www.gov.uk/health-conditions-disability-universal-credit

Speak to the job centre. Even if you don't sign on, ask them for help with interviews, cv writing, careers advice. Look on the local offer or ask the LA and see if there are charities who support autistic adults. Speak to the Carers Trust, they should be able to support you or direct you towards places who can help.

Not being able to go out when you don't feel up to it will severely limit the type of work you can do. There may be work from home options available for you. Do you have any particular hobbies or specialist interests? They are often a good place to start and gain experience and qualifications in that area.

There's no employment I can think of where that level of adjustment would be realistic. Some self employment work might be OK, but not if you have deadlines or people relying on your output. Are you in any way able to make things that could sell online via Etsy or Ebay etc?

You definitely need to come to an agreement with the UC people about how to manage this long term - if you've got PIP, your UC application will be a doddle by comparison IME. Do you have anyone who can assist you by advocating for you especially with a view to managing the weekly visits. You have lifelong conditions, and asking for reasonable adjustments for what qualifies as a disability is something the UC people should have experience in.

Have you looked on MN at the Earn £10 a Day threads? That might work for you.

It does sound like self-employment might be the best route. However, you'd have to do it carefully because even then, if you've committed to looking after a pet so someone can go on holiday, you can't just decide not to do it because you don't feel good. You wouldn't get any work.

Could you use your level 1 qualification to get onto a level 2 course?

Thale pregnancy at Christmas didn't go to term and the pregnancy at 17 ended up with my son being adopted out so I currently have no children in my care. Even if I get the limited work capability on UC I'll still have to attend the job centre weekly and have to upload sick notes regularly which I feel is too much for me to deal with at the moment

Could you do remote working of some description?

@Fuzzyhippo without wanting to sound negative. A short meeting with a job coach once a week and uploading an document will be significantly easier than holding down even a part time job.

Have you actually had a work capability assessment for the purposes of universal credit?

If you are assessed to "have limited capability for work and work related activity - you cannot work now and you’re not expected to prepare for work in the future" then you wouldn't even need to do the weekly activities.

In the nicest possible way, if you can’t cope with attending the job centre once a week how are you going to cope with attending paid employment regularly? I don’t think any employers will employe and retain an employee who isn’t able to attend work. It doesn’t sound like you would be fit to work for somebody else, legally employers do have to make reasonable adjustments for employees with disabilities but that wouldn’t typically extend to not expecting the employee to be able to attend work consistently.

Self-employment does sound like a better option for you as then you have more autonomy over your hours and are better able to take time off as needed, although bear in mind if you are fulfilling a service for other people reliability is still important. Considering your qualifications pet sitting or dog walking do sound like flexible options which you could do and you could potentially set your own hours and manage your own workload.

in terms of a dbs check you don’t need to prove what you’ve been doing since school, I don’t know where you have got that from. You usually just need to provide valid ID (usually a few different pieces such as a passport, driving license, bank statement, birth certificate etc) and a history of where you have lived for your details to be checked against the relevant database. It’s not like a CV where you have to provide work history or anything like that so for jobs such as pet-sitting or dog-walking if you need a dbs check you should be able to obtain one, assuming you don’t have any history of breaking the law.

Even if you don’t feel able to attend the job centre regularly it might also be worth contacting them to find out if they have any courses available for helping people back into work or can put you in touch with any charities.

If you have weeks when you can't leave your room, how do you think you can hold a job down?