I possibly have a meeting with an Autism specific employment company next week

[Mr Allen]

Based on a thread I was reading on Sheffield Forum last week, I sent local Autism specialists Autism Plus an email about their Autism specific employment service as I thought they could aid my quest for a paid job.

I am on the list for a "Learning Disability" specific course from the Social services, but I don't really wanna do that as I'm concerned it would lead into some crap "Disabled specific" non job for £2 a day to massage the unemployment stats, I haven't spent the last 25 years in voluntary work to end up doing that.

So anyway, does anyone in the UK have experience of Autism specific employment companies such as these?

Only thing that puts me off slightly is that I used to get 20 odd hours a week of care from Autism Plus when they traded under the name Thorne House Services for Autism up to around 11 years ago, from 2001 to 2007 when I had a big fall out with the company and their staff for reasons I can't go into.

Well based on email correspondence just now, the meeting is confirmed for 12.30 PM GMT next Monday.

 

[Mr Allen]

The meeting is now next Wednesday morning at 10 AM.

Dad's going with me, as although he's always said he doesn't want me to work, he understands my aching desire to, he will support me at the meeting.

 

[Gracey]

It would be helpful if you could share your experiences with the autism specific employment services Rich.

I need a job myself.
I've burnt so many bridges telling dodgy managers to go **** themselves (like working seven hours without a break is legal right? !! NOT - that was just the last one). I may need a bit of assistance finding and getting into work.

I hope all goes well next Wednesday.

 

[Mr Allen]

It would be helpful if you could share your experiences with the autism specific employment services Rich.

I need a job myself.
I've burnt so many bridges telling dodgy managers to go **** themselves (like working seven hours without a break is legal right? !! NOT - that was just the last one). I may need a bit of assistance finding and getting into work.

I hope all goes well next Wednesday.

Meeting's all booked, it just depends on the weather, whether we get there.

If the Snow's still bad by this time next week we won't be going anywhere.

 

[tducey]

Good stuff, here in Newfoundland where I live the society has a job seekers database, I dealt with a very nice person with the society from 2015-2017. She left the position in 2017 to finish her education but she was excellent to deal with and we maintain contact through Facebook. Hope you have the same success with them that I did with my specific counselor.

 

[Mr Allen]

It would be helpful if you could share your experiences with the autism specific employment services Rich.

I need a job myself.
I've burnt so many bridges telling dodgy managers to go **** themselves (like working seven hours without a break is legal right? !! NOT - that was just the last one). I may need a bit of assistance finding and getting into work.

I hope all goes well next Wednesday.

Autism Plus employment scheme.

Not sure where you live, this is based in Sheffield.

 

[Gracey]

Autism Plus employment scheme.

Not sure where you live, this is based in Sheffield.

Thanks ever so much for the link Rich.
Standing in my shoes I think you are really, really fortunate to qualify for funding to get the sort of individually tailored assistance you may need to help ease you into work.

I'm really pleased a company exists to offer help and support for those on the spectrum, a bit like having a fairy god mother.

I will look into this.
Thanks again for posting the link

 

[pjcnet]

Meeting's all booked, it just depends on the weather, whether we get there.

If the Snow's still bad by this time next week we won't be going anywhere.

Temperatures are supposed to be more average for the time of the year next week which means no snow in your area, thankfully, that's assuming the forecast isn't wrong of course.

Again well done for trying so hard to get employment, as I've said before I have a lot of respect for you for doing this and I definitely fully understand you not wanting a "disabled specific" non job, there's one in my area of the UK where I know people simply sort a mixture of different bolts all day, I have to question the point when a machine could do everyone's job for the entire day in probably seconds and it makes me wonder whether they simply just remix them all up again each day so they're actually resorting exactly the same bolts forever more. The people in this non job only got paid a few pound each day since the "job" is officially voluntary and this is just "generous" expenses, I think they get lunch included too. All this works around the national minimum wage in the UK. I see "jobs" like this as an insult, but I know some people seemed happy doing it and they even apparently had a small prize for the person who sorted the most bolts each day, or was it the person who made the biggest improvement? I can't remember, lol!

You have a good chance with this one since it's specialised as long as they offer "real" paid jobs that are genuinely useful, unfortunately I've never dealt with them specifically, but I would be surprised if they didn't at least have some genuine paid work available.

Best of luck!


PS: I wouldn't do such a s**t*y non job in the first place, but if I ever did find myself sorting bolts I'd secretly bring some invisible UV paint and mark all my bolts one day with it, then I'd use a UV lamp to see if they really did just recycle exactly the same bolts the next day to create pointless "work", I might even have to do this for longer than a day because they could have enough bolts for up to a week or maybe even longer without having to recycle them again, but with patience I'd completely expose them for their scam of a "job", then I'd most probably create a big scene announcing the scam to everyone once I had the evidence. They'd most certainly never invite me there ever again and they'd most likely need a new set of pretend "workers", lol!

 

[Mr Allen]

I have a meeting with the Socials next Friday about "preparation for work", however I don't really wanna do it, as I've done all the "prep" I need IMO, been doing voluntary for the last 20 odd years hence I have a near 3 page CV.

 

[Mr Allen]

Just got back from the meeting with Autism Plus, it went a LOT better than I was expecting, as I expected the history between me and the company in the past to put them off taking me on but it didn't as this was a separate entity entirely.

Hopefully it will lead to meaningful paid employment.

 

[pjcnet]

Just got back from the meeting with Autism Plus, it went a LOT better than I was expecting, as I expected the history between me and the company in the past to put them off taking me on but it didn't as this was a separate entity entirely.

Hopefully it will lead to meaningful paid employment.

That's excellent news and regarding your previous reply the "social" definitely can't rightfully say you haven't been doing everything you can to look for work, you're doing far more than the vast majority of people on benefits. Also working as a volunteer shows great willingness that supersedes most people in paid employment, plus you're putting back into society so it would be very wrong for anyone to begrudge you your benefit payment which is far less than if you were being paid for similar work, but if you can it's probably still best to take someone else with you.

 

[Gracey]

Just got back from the meeting with Autism Plus, it went a LOT better than I was expecting, as I expected the history between me and the company in the past to put them off taking me on but it didn't as this was a separate entity entirely.

Hopefully it will lead to meaningful paid employment.

Great to hear Rich
I'm pleased your meeting went better than you expected.

What's next?
Will you have to wait for them to contact you or do you have more dates for meetings with them lined up?
How does it work from here on in?

 

[Mr Allen]

Great to hear Rich
I'm pleased your meeting went better than you expected.

What's next?
Will you have to wait for them to contact you or do you have more dates for meetings with them lined up?
How does it work from here on in?

We have to possibly go next week to take a copy of my Passport *even though it's several years out of date it's still valid as ID apparently) and benefit letters to prove I get ESA and DLA.

Also, I'm attending a social group there on the 22nd of March, I don't really "do" social groups, but they said it would be good, they do gaming and stuff.

Work wise we'll have to see, I put my "dream" job as working in the video game industry, as either making or selling video games, but for making them I'd possibly have to try and get on that game design course down at Hallam Uni.

I looked into the "Post Graduate" game programming course at Hallam Uni yesterday after Googling their website, and the entry requirements state that you need a Degree in a computing subject (which my Brother has but I don't) and good exam grades (I have an A in GCSE English), so I'm not eligible for the course anyway.

However, I might ring City College up this week about their game design course, the guy was supposed to email me within a month of my visit in late January and that was about a month and half ago.