Ideas for jobs/volunteering positions for someone with Aspergers

grapesicle

Hello! Just looking for ideas on potential jobs or volunteering positions I could do. I'm 24 and was diagnosed with Aspergers several years ago - I had struggled at school but was always given extra help. At university the last two years in particular were particularly hard for me, but instead of giving me extra help when I asked, they refused to do so until I had an official diagnosis, which took over a year to obtain via the NHS, and of course by that time it was a little late!

I left university a year and a half ago now, with a Third in a Fashion degree after barely passing. I was living with and looking after my grandmother for the last two years of studying, but she passed away a few months after I graduated, which was very hard to deal with. Other family members and friends had not been so understanding, as I felt very sad for many months afterwards. My parents have been brilliant and don't mind paying bills and give me £70 a week for travel/food/etc which is fine with me - I know I'm extremely lucky and wouldn't know what I'd do without their help. But I'm worried about having an 'empty CV' for so long and also not having anything productive to do. I don't desperately need the money at this point.

I went to the Job Centre just over a year ago - not the most enjoyable experience of course, but my first advisor was very kind and understanding. I was sent to work in a local charity shop, but after a few hours there they 'no longer needed' me. I returned to the job centre and the new advisor I was given was quite rude, even doing exaggerated head movements to look me in the eye as I had trouble keeping eye contact with her. She talked to me quite rudely, treated me as an idiot and I cried in the car after leaving, never going back - you can keep your JSA, thanks! I applied to quite a few paid jobs for a couple of months after that but gave up after being rejected or hearing nothing back.

This summer I had applied to a couple of charity shops to do some volunteering but never heard back. A family friend used one of his contacts to get me a trial shift in a restaurant they managed, which I thought I did okay at but was asked not to return after my trial shift. I tried my best and although it was so scary, the diners were quite understanding and friendly.

I feel like I should be doing something at least, but have no idea where to start! I'm not sure what line of work I'd want to do, as I didn't enjoy my degree that much - just something where people are kind and understanding and don't treat me like an idiot simply because I have Aspergers. I try my hardest at everything, but get anxious easily and find it scary talking to people I don't know. If anyone is in a similar position or have friends or family who are, I'd really appreciate any suggestions! Thank you

nannytone_2

'aspergers' as a term isnt that helpful. I have mild aspergers and am very aware that my line of thinking is different, and that i dont have the same social cues as other people. But i am also blind, which makes a massive difference. Rather than saying you have aspergers you need to state the areas you struggle with in order to get specific help

grapesicle

Sure! Sorry, really should have been more specific as I only touched on it at the end. I get extremely anxious to the point of nausea with talking to new people or people I don't know well (which is the main issue when embarking on job searching as of course it always involves interactions with new people) and especially having to talk to someone I don't know on the phone, maintaining 'normal' eye contact and interpreting social cues and facial expressions. My organisation skills are poor - one reason I actually prefer being around my parents so much is that they can prompt me as I have a terrible sense of time because I get wrapped up in other things, though when I'm focused on one particular time in the day I need to do something (eg. appointments) I will probably turn up 3 hours early. Another thing I noticed in the restaurant job is that I can't seem to define a 'professional' persona - others will switch between both so easily (eg. waiting tables and being charming to customers, then returning to whisper to someone else what a pain the customer is) which could potentially be an issue - I can do my best to act professionally but don't think it comes across naturally or completely sincere, despite trying really hard!

Reading these back I understand why I'm really not that employable! However when given a task I do try my absolute hardest to get it done as well as possible, I don't engage in gossip whilst working (eg. when others will be discussing how 'wasted' they were last night, or how much they hate the boss) and always try to be as friendly as possible even though it's scary for me.

I hope that summarises strengths & weaknesses as effectively as possible!

nannytone_2

i do understand what you're saying
although my organisational skills are good to the extreme! we're all different, with different skills and weaknesses.

i worked for DIAL ( a disability charity) for several years. this was after a period of volunteering.
its so easy to accept the status quo ... your parents organise things for you, so you allow them to take control of that aspect of your life.
you may find that you fare better than you realise if you are pushed to take control over the day to day trivia of your life.

my aspergers didn't stop me working, my blindness did ... although it does limit suitability for many roles.
but you will never find out unless you're willing to try!

id suggest you try disability charities for volunteering opportunities, as they already have insight into a wide range of issues.

good luck!

grapesicle

nannytone wrote: »

i do understand what you're saying
although my organisational skills are good to the extreme! we're all different, with different skills and weaknesses.

i worked for DIAL ( a disability charity) for several years. this was after a period of volunteering.
its so easy to accept the status quo ... your parents organise things for you, so you allow them to take control of that aspect of your life.
you may find that you fare better than you realise if you are pushed to take control over the day to day trivia of your life.

my aspergers didn't stop me working, my blindness did ... although it does limit suitability for many roles.
but you will never find out unless you're willing to try!

id suggest you try disability charities for volunteering opportunities, as they already have insight into a wide range of issues.

good luck!

Thank you, that's really helpful! I'll be sure to look at local charities in the area that specialise in disabilities, even a day or two a week doing something would be a good start. Interesting to know too that a permanent job can come from volunteering - that must have been wonderful. It's funny how different people on the spectrum can have skills that differ so vastly! I do tend to focus on one aspect of my day so intensely that other chores/errands I had to do get completely forgotten about.

nannytone_2

i bet you;
ll surprise yourself at what you can achieve!

GlasweJen

If you're female the girl guides are always looking for leaders and will train you up with a mentor to oversee you and make sure you're comfortable.

Charities always need IT people if you have those sort of skills.

The jobs you've tried are very customer orientated, you might want to try for jobs that aren't as intense in terms of people?

WeAreGhosts

I'm presuming you've found the Do It site while you've been searching?

A lot of the volunteering roles on there in my area tend to be financial or being a 'buddy', which I probably wouldn't cope with.

But there are some 'shake a charity bucket' type roles. This could be good to try for a short while to get you used to meeting strangers., It's particularly good because you only meet them for a very short period and they don't expect anything from you (like customers would in a restaurant) but the idea of 'meeting' people could get less stressful ...maybe?

teddysmum

If you like animals, many rescues are desperate for people to exercise dogs for them.


You could do this alone and make a doggie friend or choose to walk with a small group of regulars, who would befriend you, besides having something in common.

Feyfangirl

Hiya I have Asperger's too and Dyspraxia and totally understand how you feel I have been where you are, if you like animals and children, there are ways you can volunteer... pm me if you wanna chat as may be able to give you some tips and template email letter I used when applying to places Good luck to ya!