Support with job hunting

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I'm on the work programme, which quite frankly is a load of rubbish. Firstly, they send me on course where no-one can be bothered to carry out reasonable adjustments and then make it out to be my fault. (as if it's my fault that no-one can be bothered to communicate with each other )

I feel as though I'm getting no support. I was with Remploy for a while and did nothing but job hunting with them and was told to go for unsuitable jobs.

I am also physically disabled too and am not allowed to drive because of this - everyone seems to want a driving licence.

Is there really any support out there?

If you are able to walk and are near a bus or train line, just tell them that the employment has to be near a bus or train line. If you can't walk well or are not near a bus or train line, do you have someone who can provide transportation? Or can you ride a bike? Without transportation to get to and from work, employers are not going to take you as a serious work candidate, and will probably resent the waste of their time giving you an interview. So, first take care of your transportation problem.

As for the program you have been participating in, and any others you might later participate in, get all the details of such courses in writing before you start, including who is responsible for what.

Good luck with your job hunting.

When I was at the job centre and said this is a problem for me, (we do have buses; but the service is terrible and the buses never turn up on time) he said that everyone else has this issue. Most other people drive - I don't. I also live near a main road, which is difficult for me to cross - especially when it's dark.



No. Both parents work nights.



No. I had to give up many years ago because I couldn't stay on the thing.

Thanks

I've asked for help so many times and have been given none at all.

you should make it just as hard for them. Set up a whole bunch of requirements just like they have for employment and tell them the truth when they question you "why do you have so many requirements?" ask them the same thing

They moaned at me for this.

Wad at my work programme's provider yesterday and she said I should go for an NVQ in customer service. There is no way that's going to happen.

Yeah, most job-hunting services don't seem to "get it" when it comes to Aspergers. I imagine you've been through all the "what's the right job for me" questionnaires and all that. It's tough, because not only are Aspies different from NTs, we're also different from each other. And your physical disability makes it even tougher.

However... be aware that even in this thread, you're coming across as what 70s pop psychology used to call the "yes, but" game. Whatever suggestions people make, you've already got a reason why it won't work. I understand that you probably have heard all these suggestions before, but maybe try to consider some of these things from more of a "what could I try next?"

You say your parents work nights... well, that MIGHT mean that they would be available to get you to and from a day job, even a part time one... I have no idea what your relationship with them is, but have you asked? You can't stay on a bicycle... they do make adult-sized tricycles, and while they're not the coolest way to get around, if that might make it work for you, don't be embarrassed to check it out. if you could find a job close to where you live, maybe you could even take a taxi... or at least do that on days when it's important that you be there on time and you can't trust the busses.

If bus service is irregular and terrible, then employers probably know that... so instead of using that as an "I can't do this..." think about how you might be able to convince an employer that while transportation is an issue for you, YOU will make extra effort... if there's a bus that's supposed to get to the job right at 8 am when you start work, tell them that you'll be on the bus that's supposed to get there at 7:30, and that you'll work with your supervisor to make sure the job gets their eight (or four or whatever) hours a day from you, even if it takes some extra time out of your life. "I know that this aspect of having me work for you may be a problem, but I will make that MY problem, not yours." There will be areas where you will require some accommodations, but this would show a potential employer that YOU are also willing to make accommodations for them.

I do totally disagree with the suggestion that you make things hard for the people in your programme. How about trying to think of some ways that you can make it easier for them? If they're sending you on interviews that are the wrong job for you, can you help them understand what it is you would LIKE to do, would be GOOD at? Since transportation seems to be a big issue for you, maybe just ask them to help you develop a list of the 20 closest places to your house where you MIGHT be able to work, and see if they can help you set up some "informational interviews". Maybe it's just a burger joint or something, but just go in and explain that you're trying to figure out what you should be doing... it might not turn into a job, but it might help you discover something you can be good at and would want to do. If nothing else, it might be more productive than going for an interview far away at a job you know you don't want...

Have you been through those exercises about listing things you've done in the past that made you feel good, that made you feel like you succeeded at something, even if it wasn't the most important thing? Come up with a list of 20 things and then sit with somebody at your programme and have a discussion about, "here are things I can do, things that made me feel good, things I'd like to do..." and see if they can help you come up with some job types that might fit.

I was thrashing around for a long time - I was a software engineer for many years, but I've been out of the field long enough that I don't expect I could go back without serious education. A year and a half ago, I had an interview for a job in the online education field - mainly, I'd be the person who takes the class design and gets it onto the computer - and it just clicked... "hey, this is something I would like to do." So for the past year I've been taking classes, now I have a Certificate and I've discovered how my abilities with computers, with music, video, arts, writing... practically everything I've done in the past can somehow be used.

So now I have my certificate and I'm applying for jobs and actually being called for interviews... and although my wife still has to push me to fill out applications and to prepare for the interviews and not just sabotage myself every time... I am now aiming for something that I really would like to do with my time (not just "a job") and that makes a big difference.

Umm, I realize that I may be totally off base with most of this, and all I know about you is what I'm reading here, and if I was a real-world friend of yours, I probably wouldn't have said any of this... so feel free to ignore me entirely, but if you do respond, try to stay away from the "yes, but" answers

The bottom line is - back in the day, the government would have gave you some sort of assistance where you wouldn't have had to get a job.
But when the public relief system failed, they put all those multiple generation public assistance recipients on Social Security and they drained the system to the point of where there is now no money for the people who deserves it and cannot get it.
Most times the people with the OVR and other agencies are of no use because it is hard to explain to people who has a job how hard it is to find a job when you do not have a job and when you have a gap in your employment history - especially if the reason why you have a gap is due to medical issues or a on the job accident.

I look for a job on a daily basis, yet I cannot find any work.
There is people out there that can quit one job in the morning and can find another in the afternoon - especially if you have machining and CNC experience.

Without the CNC - they usually will not hire you or they will hire you but not pay you a liveable wage...
Most schools are pretty much worthless because they only teach the basic's and when you go to get a job, you are not much better off then if you just were hired as a laborer and worked into the position.

Update (and a rant)

Had to see my adviser this morning. She's still trying to get me into jobs I can't do. She's telling me I have to work weekends. Apparently, needing a life (I race at weekends and weekends are the only time I can really see other relatives) isn't a good enough excuse. Neither is lack of transport. I've been told I should just run there and back.

I really give up. I want to work; but I am not being forced into doing stuff I can't do. As mentioned in my other thread, I had a bit of a meltdown at volunteering yesterday. I don't want that to happen when I'm working.

My physical disabilities are making working difficult and I'm sure they don't care about this. Despite having a legal obligation (over here, we have the Equalities Act. It states that unless it can be justified, (most of the time that's a safety issue) you can't discriminate against certain groups of people, including disabled people) to accommodate my disabilities, this doesn't seem to matter to them.

I did get referred to another provider at the end of last year. They're meant to deal with disabled people. They did nothing to help me at all.