'Hello I am new to the site. I was diagnosed last year and am 52 years of age. The diagnosis helped me to make sense of who I am. Currently not working.. Was made redudant last May when working for a more disability friendly larger organisation. Moved to a small primary school in an admin role but this did not work out so left after 5 months to avoid failing probation. Although I declared my dyspraxia and a minor visual impairment that I had they were not very friendly. In particular although I had an occupational health review suggeting that I have a work station assessment and saying that in the opinion of the reviewer implimentations made after such a review are likely to solve any problems, they moved to disciplinary action. I found it so stressful so I resigned. Because of this my confidence is now low and I am a bit wary of getting another job. However I think the best way is to be positive and try to build on what I am good at. I also would like to use the time to try and get a bit better at my household duties as over the years the strain of trying to cope with this , which having a full time job, led to problems with my health as well as strains on my marriage.
I look forward to communicating with others with similar issues to me and being able to help each other
Introduction
Moderator: Moderator Team
Re: Introduction
Welcome to the site. Don't worry about that school. I've done plenty of intereviews for place and afterwards been really upset that I made a balls of the interview until I realised that I was being deliberately interogated to throw me....and then I'd say to myself....I'd never like to work in this place anyway because they'd be horrible to me. Schools can be strange places. All you need is one bad egg to ruin the atmosphere in a school. I worked for a day...didn't go back obviously....in a school in Australia. They were so rude to me. They kept talking as if I wasn't sitting in front of me. implying that because I was subbing that I didn'[t know what I was doing, the teacher had deliberately left me work that I couldn't do because myself and the SNA couldn't find the books! She had typed out what I was supposed to do for the day so that she'd look good but then hid the books I'd say because the kids and the SNA had no idea where they were....One woman went balistic because I took her cup...how sad is that! Do what you were saying. Find out what your skills are and make a list and then see what job would interest you most, what you would like to get from the job, etc. I have a list that I can send you before you go for an interview that can help you to tie in your skills.
Re: Introduction
Thanks for your encouragement. I have really lost confidence in applying for jobs and this is very helpful
You are right about schools being a different kind of working environment - I found it very odd - people seemed to be back stabbing each other and not giving you feedback to your face. Part of my problem was that I had a jobshare partner who, although nice to my face, had apparently been reporting on me behind my back and a lot of what was reported was exaagerrated or taken out of context eg I once put a call through without alerting the person who it was for and once it was pointed out I did not do that again. However, it was reported as if this was an ongoing problem, I also found it strange that in an environment where they were very supportive to children and their families, they did not extend this courtesy to employees.
Anyway thanks again for your encouragement
Jen
You are right about schools being a different kind of working environment - I found it very odd - people seemed to be back stabbing each other and not giving you feedback to your face. Part of my problem was that I had a jobshare partner who, although nice to my face, had apparently been reporting on me behind my back and a lot of what was reported was exaagerrated or taken out of context eg I once put a call through without alerting the person who it was for and once it was pointed out I did not do that again. However, it was reported as if this was an ongoing problem, I also found it strange that in an environment where they were very supportive to children and their families, they did not extend this courtesy to employees.
Anyway thanks again for your encouragement
Jen
Re: Introduction
No problem at all. Don't worry about it. There are some schools out there that the atmosphere is good in, that people work with each other not against each other, that they are encouraging and that people help each out. Of course you have to be really careful because there are plenty of them that are not. Plenty of backstapping there or the talking down to you and even in a school that is reasonably good you always have some bitch trying to make you look bad to score points for themselves. In my situation the Department of Education are in no way interested in helping me with my Dyspraxia. The woman on the phone told me that she was for "staff". What the hell am I? They'll buy equipment for the kids but not for me.
Re: Introduction
Unfortunately that is so true. I feel so fortunate that in my school most of people are very good colleagues, but the school where I was before was like that, and I friend of mine has left two schools where that happened and he's working in another school where people stab each other back's too. There seems to be some teachers out there who are in the profession for the wrong reasons, which makes them very unhappy people and try to undermine the ones who are commited and like our job. If the school has a good supportive management team, they should make sure that this doesn't happen, but in many cases management don't seem to care much.Not sure either how you can recognise a school where staff and management are supportive. Ask any questions that you need and we might be able to help you. I have gone through a few interviews too and just gone through the nightmare of filling in an application form, which has taught me quite a few things.
Eva in London
Re: Introduction
i agree with what you say about people being in the wrong job though or people that should have left years ago but didn't. thankfully it doesn't really happen as much here because there were other opportunities for people like taking career breaks and going into politics and ruining the country 
Thankfully we don't have to fill in application forms. We send in the CV and are called for interview. Here you can very often tell by the way the interview is run. I tell new teachers to try subbing around. if they can get a temporary job in a school you can very quickly see what the work ethic is like, if the atmostphere is nice, etc. That might be a bit harder for you because I gather that you'd be going straight into a permanent type situation. My school is nice as well and I wouldn't want to leave but even then there can be plenty of shite to deal with. I found that very small schools were so laid back that I couldn't cope with it because Ididn't know what the rules were. I found the bigger schools better because there tended to be a better mixture of staff so there was always someone you got on with.
What other kind of places have you looked at for Admin jobs?
Thankfully we don't have to fill in application forms. We send in the CV and are called for interview. Here you can very often tell by the way the interview is run. I tell new teachers to try subbing around. if they can get a temporary job in a school you can very quickly see what the work ethic is like, if the atmostphere is nice, etc. That might be a bit harder for you because I gather that you'd be going straight into a permanent type situation. My school is nice as well and I wouldn't want to leave but even then there can be plenty of shite to deal with. I found that very small schools were so laid back that I couldn't cope with it because Ididn't know what the rules were. I found the bigger schools better because there tended to be a better mixture of staff so there was always someone you got on with.
What other kind of places have you looked at for Admin jobs?