Seeking Employment
I resigned from my job as a teaching assistant over the summer because I was not coping with the physical demands that came with the job and felt like I was not being supported physically or mentally by the HR and management team.
I am scared to look for new employment because of how my MS symptoms affect me but I don’t think I would qualify for universal credit. I think I feel a bit scarred from my previous job and that I feel like when I disclosed my new diagnosis, it wasn't received very well and it felt like my employer didn’t really care and expected me to continue like nothing was wrong, even though it feels like my life is falling apart. I know it's not an employer's job to care in detail about my personal life but there was a clear complete lack of any emotion really, it was like I hadn’t even told them I had MS.
I am left with a feeling of no desire to work, I don’t see the point besides getting money. I am so afraid my next employer won’t care at all either. I have lost all confidence in my ability to work. I struggle to get out of bed every day because of poor mental health and my level of fatigue at the moment varies greatly over the day. Even writing this makes me feel stupid because it feels like it looks like I just can’t be bothered to work and everyone should pity me.
I am really struggling with what to do as the only thing making me happy at the moment is making things, but I can’t make a living from selling the crafts I make because 1. I have so much self-doubt that I am convinced no one will buy anything and 2. I just wouldn't make enough money to live off the profits even if I sold everything I had made.
I don’t know what to do and I don’t know where to go for support. I feel so alone and worthless and don’t know anyone in any similar situation. Although leaving my job felt great at the time because I had wanted to leave for months, I’m afraid to find a new job when having such a recent diagnosis (March 2024) and feel like I will just get fired if I have a relapse or they think Im being lazy when my fatigue and physical symptoms get bad.
@Maymoo seek help from a dea (disability employment advisor) at your local job centre. They with lots of things like paying taxis to work where you pay bus fare equivalent, job aids etc.
Hi @Maymoo - it sounds as if your mental health could do with some attention before job seeking. Your GP may be able to refer you for a few sessions of counselling, or your local MS society may have a counselling service they can refer you to, with people who are experienced in dealing with newly diagnosed MS-ers. There is a limited number of sessions you can access either way, but it's better than nothing! Applying for UC is also definitely something you should do - there may be a gap of time before you qualify having just left your job, but getting the process started would be important. They may assess you as LCW - having a limited capability for work - which again will give you some breathing space, and hopefully the advisors will have access to more resources that can help you find suitable work. Your local citizen's advice bureau or MS society may have someone who can help you fill the forms in? https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-if-you-have-a-disability-or-health-condition-quick-guide/universal-credit-if-you-have-a-disability-or-health-condition