The Jobcentre

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I'm really getting sick of this place. They keep trying to get me to apply for jobs that I'd be terrible at. It's hell looking for employment when you have Aspergers... I haven't told them I have AS, is it worth telling them so they give me some more suitable jobs to apply for?

Wow! It sounds like you're saying that in England employers have a clue about AS and appropriate types of work for us. On this side of the pond they are clueless.

I'm not sure about your country but here it helps (Unless you get a derp, which is likely.)
Then they might start using their brains and look for jobs you'd be good at.

I told my local jobcentre about my AS and it has been somewhat helpful, though I'm on ESA. I assume you're on JSA if you're looking for work? I think the pressure on me has eased a bit since I told them and I was given an appointment with the disability advisor, which was useful. I attended a couple of interviews recently (I'm looking to do permitted work whilst on ESA) and the disability advisor was able to contact the employers on my behalf to ask for reasonable interview adjustments so that my AS wouldn't put me at a disadvantage. In that respect it was definitely worth telling them. If they know what you're going through then they might be in a better position to help you find suitable work.

Thanks, I think I will tell them. Would I automatically qualify for ESA because I have AS? Because there's some types of jobs that I really don't think I can handle. I worked as a customer service assistant at Asda for a while but the pressure of pretending to be all smiley and cheerful all the time - basically pretending to be someone I'm NOT - led me to start having anxiety attacks before, during and after each shift. I really don't want a repeat of that.

I don't think you can automatically qualify for it. You would need to apply for it and probably have a medical. I got it because I was unable to do any work due to depression, anxiety and OCD. I was only diagnosed with AS recently, while already claiming ESA. Try looking it up on the gov.uk website to see if you think you would be eligible. Also, I think you can still see the disability advisor if you are claiming JSA.

I didn't know about Aspergers back then, but I knew I was shy, introverted and got VERY anxious on the phone to the point one rejection would make my depressed for a week. That didn't stop them from pushing call centre/telemarketing jobs and when I said I couldn't do them they would say how you should consider yourself lucky to even have any type of job ion today's world. Why the heck would I waste my time interviewing for a job I can say with 100% certainty I cannot do. I don't have a bad attitude just a realistic one and know that because of my hearing difficulties and Aspergers I can never work those jobs of jobs EVER.

I wasted so much time applying for jobs I had NO chance or no ability to do just so those clowns could justify their jobs and how much "help" they gave.

I couldn't have put it better myself. They keep pushing me to apply for apprenticeships too, which would mean if I didn't really like it I wouldn't be able to quit for 12 months! Screw that.

One thing I'm worried about (and it sounds pretty silly when I read it back to myself) is if I tell them I'm an Aspie they'll instantly assume I'm an idiot. I HATE it when NTs do that! They already patronise me enough as it is at the Jobcentre just because I'm young and unqualified. You would have thought just by looking at my education they'd see I'm a smart person, but no. Ah, screw it, who cares what they think.

I'm in the same situation, I had to do something as the job search requirements was not realistic, especially with getting into contact with a high number of employers.

I told them as soon as I become aware of my diagnosis. I was given a Disability Advisor, that advisor reduced my job search requirements and recommended I sought out Disability Living Allowance. That form itself is quite daunting as the majority of them fail.

With persistence, I had to undergo a Tribunal to prove I had the disability bad enough it is affecting day to day life. At that stage, it does require a full awareness of many difficulties as well as documented evidence of doctor signed reports.

For most of this it is highly advised to seek the citizens advice bureau for help. I eventually qualified for lower rate care and mobility for the lack of independence and for balance issues that can cause significant risk.

I am looking into Employment and Support Allowence before this new Personal Indepenence Payment takes into effect, this particular benefit should allow me to seek Employment Support, as I'm told should relieve the stress and pressure on finding work by searching as your own pace.

All that does not sound fun, especially the tribunal. It's pretty appalling how much stuff they make us do just to prove that some jobs are harder for us than others. I'm wondering how much I'm going to have to provide them for evidence. The fact that I was diagnosed at 7 years old and I'm now 22 won't help. I've got loads of letters and documentation from doctors about my diagnosis and check ups throughout the years but they kind of... stopped happening after a while. I hope it doesn't affect my case.

Laddo, I can't tell you what to do as every case is different. All i know is that I am glad you are aware of having the condition. I got "let go" or "not called back" or "funding not available" for four years, which really really hurt. Only recently did I find out that "other people reapplied who were previously with us" meant "you talked too much and we are sorry we did not tell you that ourselves, but we couldn't be bothered to give you an official review so we breached privacy and told your friend instead. we were cowards and could not tell you ourselves". Not that they literally said it, but they told my friend and not me. I am glad she put her neck on the line for me and asked, or I never would have known.

It's up to you to figure out what would be suitable and go chasing it. If they are offering useful vocational training then I suggest you take up their offer. A dream job is unlikely to land in your lap, you will need to either find it or create it yourself.

They are doing their job by trying to get you into employment. I doubt if disclosure of your AS will make a bit of difference, even if the regulations say otherwise.

Good luck, I hope you can figure out what to aim for.

I'm currently trying to sort getting ESA, but they are nobs to me too. They want me to apply for jobs social based and number based, and penalise me for not going for them. Thats no good, but I'm in Nuneaton and there's either bar work or warehouse work, both of which are unsuitable.

FML

Yes, I would say if you are having problems there then you should tell them about your aspergers and then suggest to them jobs which would be better for you and the ones you need to avoid. The job centre are generally clueless though, so you will maybe need to speak to a few people if the first doesn't help you. I, for example, could never work on phones. So far none of those jobs have been suggested, but when they are I will be sure to tell them why I cannot do them. I once turned down a job at KFC due to being vegetarian so they cant really criticise you for not being able to do it. Hey, aspergers is a developmental disorder - there are certain things that we're just not meant to do. Good luck!

Thanks everyone for your help and advice. I started filling out an ESA form today and it's driving me insane. Why is the form 57 pages long?! There are so many stupid questions in it. I'm losing the will to live!

Many of the questions of both the ESA and DLA wouldn't even apply to you, they question everything but fill it in, with help or advice should get it eventually done. Just make sure that there is evidence for it.