Finding work with Aspergers / Autism

grapesicle

Just wanted to know if there is anyone else in the same situation - I am recently diagnosed but struggled with education after 16 as well as throughout my degree course - 5 years of education post-GCSE turned into 7 and now I'm 23 years old with some rather poor grades and not sure what to do with myself!

I already spend my time living with and caring for an elderly family member (I do shopping, cleaning, washing & sometimes driving chores for her since she struggles with age-related illness a lot) but am faced with the inevitable challenge of getting a job in something I can actually put up with.

I have had a couple of small jobs in the past but nothing typical (helping out with events and productions mostly) - it's terrifying faced with the prospect of a situation I'm not familiar with at all, having to socialise 'normally' with many completely new people and maybe having to wear clothes that bother me a lot sensory-wise.

I don't currently claim benefits and wouldn't know where to start with that if I had to, no idea if I'd even be entitled to anything in my current situation. I live with family who pay for the necessities for me between them, and I do what I can to earn any extra by selling on various selling websites or earning money online via money-making apps and the like.

So, is anyone else in a similar situation or close to someone like this? What jobs would typically be best for a female with Aspergers? What are the main difficulties I should expect?

Thanks for any help

Indie_Kid

My main problem when I was job hunting was other peoples attitudes.

jr1985

I too have AS and struggled in higher education. I done well academically but ultimately I couldn't cope with the demands and had to withdraw from my course twice.

I work part time in a supermarket. It can be very stressful being surrounded with people all day, which is why I know I couldn't cope with this job if it was full time. It's so mentally draining and people always wonder why I'm so tired when I only work a few hours a week.

Have you heard of specialisterne? They're a company which specialises in finding employment for people with AS in the IT industry. http://uk.specialisterne.com/

They were offering people with degrees in anything the chance to train in IT. Unfortunately, I never finished my degree so I couldn't join, but I'm planning on finishing it with the Open University.

TL;DR: avoid jobs involving the public and try contacting specialisterne.

grapesicle

jr1985 wrote: »

I too have AS and struggled in higher education. I done well academically but ultimately I couldn't cope with the demands and had to withdraw from my course twice.

I work part time in a supermarket. It can be very stressful being surrounded with people all day, which is why I know I couldn't cope with this job if it was full time. It's so mentally draining and people always wonder why I'm so tired when I only work a few hours a week.

Have you heard of specialisterne? They're a company which specialises in finding employment for people with AS in the IT industry.

They were offering people with degrees in anything the chance to train in IT. Unfortunately, I never finished my degree so I couldn't join, but I'm planning on finishing it with the Open University.

TL;DR: avoid jobs involving the public and try contacting specialisterne.

Sounds like a great opportunity, I'll have to check it out - thank you

I can imagine how exhausting that must be - it's so draining to put on a 'friendly face' and not have anywhere to get some peace and quiet! Great of you to put up with it, & I'm sure the money comes in very useful too.

kittykat17

How about call centre work? Are you able to talk to people on the phone? I know a couple of people in similar situations to you, they can't face working with the public / crowded places but managed to work in a call centre as they don't actually see who they're talking to. I recently started working part-time in a call centre and the company I work for are very good at helping people with disabilities. They got a special desk and chair for me and I know they've organised other things for people with additional needs. The pays pretty good and some companies give excellent benefits. I hope that you find what you're looking for - respect for your caring duties and wanting to work - too many people would just give in. Keep us posted on here to let us know how you get on. x

Indie_Kid

I can't work won't people either. Most don't understand when I talk. And then there's my sensory issues...

sh0597

Good luck. I'm not in too dissimilar a situation myself although I have ADHD not ASD. Hope you find something that suits you and try to keep your confidence up.

BucksLady

Hello grapeside, ny sister has AS and many additional problems. She is very fortunate in having a special musical talent and works from home as a Composer. I was wondering if you might have any talents which would enable you to work from home? My sister has two friends with AS who also are able to do this. One is an artist and the other a dressmaker.

jennilb

Hiya

My brother has autism and here's what we've learned about work:

- working in small organisations can be better than big ones. He worked in a family run dry cleaners - he wasn't customer facing and everyone knew how he preferred to interact with them.

- working in customer facing roles can work. But its mentally tiring. it helps if they are routinised (like checkout work) as there's fewer types of social situations to learn the 'rules' for.

- as with everyone, its great if you can do a job you love. He currently works in a stately home and he's really interested in the history of it, so he enjoys it more.

At uni we learned:

- pick a uni which has good support for disabled students. He went to Reading and they gave him two mentors (Phd students). One mentored his learning (he's also dyslexic), one mentored him socially.

- Even autistic people need a social life! Maybe not the same way, maybe not as much, but he gets depressed if he's on his own too much. solutions could be...

Find a group which does an activity you're interested in eg photography, transport.

If you're into that type of thing - join a church, synagogue etc.

- Talk to people you trust about your social (and work) interactions. They may help you to learn 'rules' to help you cope better. They may also be able to spot signs of people who are pretending to be your friend but are actually planning to bully you, steal from you etc.

TLDR: Try to do work you're interested in. Talk about it with people you trust, to help you plan coping strategies and to spot signs of abuse you might have missed.

I hope this helps
Jenni

skater_kat

you can register with your local job centre (even if you are not claiming benefits) and meet with the disability advisor. they may be able to refer you to specialist work schemes in your area.
also find out if there are any autism charities in your area as they may also have some ideas or other help for you
if you google 'access to work' this is scheme to assist disabled jobseekers and workers. you could be able to get a support worker to help you with all the social rules type stuff.

ultimatley it is quite hard for us to find appropriate work. for something not dealing with the public, perhaps look for factory work, warehouse, picking/packing, office cleaning, recycling/bin collectors, merchandising.
and the trick is also finding something part time to allow for the exhuastion factor.

do you have any special interest which you could turn into a self employed venture?

there are also a lot of work from home type businesses you could do