The never-ending job search

TwiJack said:

As a university, you cannot change political decisions, however you can lobby and make up your own back-up plans if things change. My concerns were dismissed.

I agree - I found it best not to try to make changes to the big picture stuff but rather the accept it as inevitable (like the weather) and find ways to prepare for it (eg umbrella or sun screen).

Trying to fix the big stuff is way out of our pay grade and will only lead to frustration at best.

That has just been my experience.

TwiJack said:

I changed direction and landed a - unfortunately fixed-term - job with a research company contracted to explore children's use of outdoor play facilities.

This is good as it will give you experience and credentials in a field that is getting steadily worse with time.

In your shoes I would be networking with the others in the company and getting yourself known so you are more likely to get remembererd when a new project kicks off - this is the best way I know to stay in work.

Have you considered self publishing? It may be worth considering looking at the trends in areas like childrens play areas and extrapolate their decline in use so you could start to become a bit of an authority in this area.

TwiJack said:

those reality TV soaps and the lot annoy me hugely.

Same here, but they are useful as homework to practice reading body language without having to actually be with someone.

I used to watch Big Brother long, long ago to practice this which suited my wife down to the ground.

I have done this at work when I could see the hot topic would be a fall in international income because of political decisions. As a university, you cannot change political decisions, however you can lobby and make up your own back-up plans if things change. My concerns were dismissed.

My specialism lies in cultural anthropology and sociology, which means that whether I will be seen as a specialist in a "hot" policy area very much depend on the political colour of the government in charge. As an example: 20 years ago, a Dutch cinematographer was murdered in a terrorist attack. A week later, somebody set fire to an Islamic primary school in my home town. The city council realised they needed to do something to de-escalate tensions in the community. As an anthropologist focusing on ethnic diversity and integration, I would have been the ideal candidate to explore moods in the community and then suggest what should (not) be done to de-escalate. However, this approach is still seen as "too soft". So, they ferried in a management business consultant.

Anyway, I changed direction and landed a - unfortunately fixed-term - job with a research company contracted to explore children's use of outdoor play facilities. The thought behind it was that play - exercise - is needed to tackle childhood obesity but you also need to take planning and traffic into account. After all, a playground is of no use when children have to cross a dangerous dual carriage way to get there.

I'll have a look at the regent studies link but what reality shows did you have in mind? I could what some game shows, but those reality TV soaps and the lot annoy me hugely.

TwiJack said:

Ideally I would be looking at policy-based research.

If I were in your shoes I would look at what you think are going to be the hot topic issues appearing in the next 1-3 years and start researching these with the view to start self publishing your research papers.

Once you start to get some visibility as a specialist in an area that is becoming "hot" then the chances of you being picked up increase hugely.

I would also take time to research companies working in these areas, find the specialists aligning to your hoped for roles and start making connections in LinkedIn etc - start networking and talking about your specialist area.

Find the discussion forums that these people hang out and join to contribute bits of info so you start to get seen as the person who knows about that particular subject and with luck you will get a reference from one of them when a position comes up.

TwiJack said:

I find it very difficult to read human body language.

When you consider the volume of information you have studied and assimilated over the years, I would suggest you treat this subject like something you need to study for an exam.

There are loads of sites with straightforward guides - for example:

https://www.regentstudies.com/2024/09/17/understand-body-language/

Once you have memorised these guides (not terribly different to horses in some ways) then watch some TV shows - especially reality ones - and try to spot the cues. Study it, master it and when you come to use it in person you already know all the info and its application so you just need to practice.

After a few dozen meetings you will have mastered the subject so long as your anxiety can take it.

This is largely a case of reprogramming your brain to use its higher functions to over-ride instinct.

As Bunny says, CBT in its default form is not well suited to autists and it take a properly crafted, autism aligned CBT course to work for us.

You are better off (in my opinion) to get a therapist directly who has lots of experience with helping autists and they should know plenty of techniques to help you.

TwiJack said:

Quite often you hear that neurodivergent people have no empathy. I think that's wrong.

I would recommend reading the Double Empathy article fron NAS - it may be what you are thinking of here:

https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/professional-practice/double-empathy

TwiJack said:

I have done several rounds of CBT, talked with occupational health, mentoring services, career service, and this is where I am now. I don't know if another round of therapy could help here.

Autistic people can struggle to benefit from “traditional” CBT.

If you’re considering more therapy, you might find it helpful to borrow or buy this book. It includes discussion of various types of therapy and counselling, together with advice on choosing the right therapist or counsellor - all from an autistic person's viewpoint. Several of us here have found it very helpful, myself included:

The Autistic Survival Guide to Therapy

Thanks for your response.

Ideally I would be looking at policy-based research. During my studies I looked into children's use of public space so to get an idea of how planning policies and childhood health policies could/should be adapted. Academic research is interesting too but the competition at universities is fierce and I don't like the uncertainty that comes with fixed-term work. On top of that, during my studies I was discouraged from publishing articles and this is exactly what you need now for academic work. It's the typical Catch-22: you need a track record of publications to get a research job, and you only get a track record of publications if you have a research job or two...

I find it very difficult to read human body language. I have no problem with reading equine body language, but with people I have to ask several times for people to be straightforward because I cannot read between the lines. Unfortunately, "being straightforward" is often being interpreted as "being blunt" and people don't want to do that.

Social interactions are therefore difficult. I dread the team-building days because of the multitude of voices when we sit with little groups at different tables in the same room. And no matter how much I want it, I cannot "switch off the autism" as a colleague suggested.

At the same time, I think my strengths are in this holistic view: I see patterns and links where neurotypical people don't see anything. Quick example: after the 2016 Brexit referendum and the ensuing toughening up of immigration policies, I repeatedly asked at university what their plans were if their financial income from international students would come down. My thoughts behind it was that the uncertainty of Brexit and the increasing immigration restrictions would make the UK less attractive to international students. It was all dismissed as "we cross that bridge when we get there". Well, we are at that bridge now, and instead of a bridge, there's a 8-digit deficit and "nobody could see this coming".

Quite often you hear that neurodivergent people have no empathy. I think that's wrong. I have buckets full of empathy, but it comes out differently: I can watch movies where the most horrible things happen to people, but the moment a horse is hurt (even though I know it's acting) I cannot watch it. It's why I never saw War Horse: I know what happened to most of the horses after WW1 (spoiler alert: they didn't back home). I tried horse-related jobs too but unless you land a job at a top yard it's very difficult to make ends meet with it.

Once - in an equine job - I did not disclose my autism. Long story short: lots of misunderstandings and I didn't make it through the probationary period. This is why I started to disclose my autism at the application stage (can only imagine what an interview would look like), so that I couldn't be blamed later for something I failed to mention before.

I have done several rounds of CBT, talked with occupational health, mentoring services, career service, and this is where I am now. I don't know if another round of therapy could help here.

Dear TwiJack,

Thank you for reaching out to this community. I too am applying for as jobs as I can find over the past 3 years (since I graduated in 2022) and can understand how irritating it feels to never get interviews.

Job sites I use for grad schemes/internships/jobs in marketing, administration, research, and communication: Indeed, Glassdoor, CharityJob, Reed, CV Library, and milkround.

Agencies I use for Teaching Assistant courses/apprenticeships/roles: Zen Educate, Teaching Personnel, Riley Personnel, Step into Teaching, Future Education, CV Library, Gov.uk Apprenticeships.

Once you register and upload your CV to these agencies, you will get calls, emails, and texts from people who will help you complete the onboarding checks (e.g., sending in your passport, drivers license, degree certificates etc.), and discuss the types of teaching roles you may be looking for (e.g., Uni professors/research assistant). They will also signpost you to different universities/schools for different paid roles depending on your goals and research interests.

If you are looking to work specifically in England, Scotland and Wales, please refer to Gov.uk and the Civil Service Job Search. They have different opportunities in research, administration etc.

Autistic friendly sites I use to search for paid internships, job application support (e.g., CV/cover letter writing, interview prep etc.) and general lifestyle advice (e.g., socialising, making friends etc.):

Ambitious About Autism – if you create an account, you can get access to the paid internship opportunities, and book meetings with a 1:1 career mentor to discuss your needs and goals.

enna global – if you register and upload your CV, you can get access to the job board, and book meetings with a career specialist to discuss your needs and goals.

 Evenbreak – Evenbreak matches disabled job seekers with employers to build a diverse workforce.

 United Response – this charity also has opportunities to create and publish website content on your research interests for which you can get paid for.

You can also visit the Finding Employment Module in the NAS website. This module is designed to help autistic job seekers entering the job market understand their strengths and what next steps they could take towards gaining meaningful employment or work.

Thank you again for reaching out and please let me know if you have any more questions.

TwiJack said:

I graduated with a Master's in Cultural Anthropology (2004)

TwiJack said:

I took up on an offer to pursue a PhD in Sociological Studies (part-time), graduating in 2013.

Welcome to the site.

These achievements are impressive in their own right but what sort of jobs do they relate to?

I can see them having application in research at universities in their own fields but I don't know what sort of companies outside of these arenas would use such specialisations.

If you could give us some info around these it would help.

Also, what autistic traits limit what you can do in the jobs? For example do you struggle in social interaction, experience demand avoidance, struggle to understand emotions etc - these could help us shape the suggestions further.

I have found that people who do not disclose their autism at interview stage have better chances of being hired (this is only my personal experience) but most do struggle with the pressures of a neurotypical working environment, with social interaction and resistance to change being the most common pressures for them.

Would you consider doing this? You can disclose the autism after probation is over and then request and reasonable adjustments.

TwiJack said:

should I just accept that the Disability Confident Scheme doesn't work for people like me, and stick with my current job until the inevitable mental breakdown?

As an alternative how about working on the causes of the mental breakdowns? A good therapist is a great tool to use for this and can teach you effective coping strategies to reduce the stressers leading to the breakdowns. This isn't a simple of sure fire solution but the skills you learn can be used the rest of your life to ease stress.