Hello,
Currently looking for advice. My situation is a little complex, so I’m going to try to distil it as much as possible.
I’m a 28-year-old woman who’s desperate to leave the UK not just for my mental health, but also to protect myself from the practical ramifications of a deteriorating sociopolitical climate that directly puts my human rights at risk, and makes finding employment already impossible.
Hence, I have a lot of anxiety at the prospects of working for a UK employer or having a job that requires me to stay in the UK, due to how oppressive UK culture is toward an ambitious, globally minded woman. British culture fundamentally punishes women like me, and with everything getting worse, not to mention my own struggles with isolation and making no progress I had to take decisive action to move forward in life.
I’m also autistic, with ADHD and cPTSD, caused by a difficult childhood, exacerbated by neglect from services, and having a toxic job unsuitable for my sensory needs, due to being failed by services. I’m also had to flee my abusive family soon after university, hence why I took the toxic job.
Unfortunately, due to all the trauma relating to my childhood abuse + fleeing DV meant I couldn’t properly transition from education into the workplace, which I’m still struggling with now.
I tried making money online, but ended up falling for scams (luckily no money lost)l
Existing disability advice and “Support” (ie. The Equality Act, which the “reasonable adjustments, Access to Work) is unfit for purpose or doesn’t go far enough. Think along the lines of “reasonable adjustments” drivel, where employers can easily say anything, they don’t want to do is “unreasonable” (even when it is). Likewise, the Access to Work scheme, which is being deliberately run down by the government, plus limits help to the UK anyway. Hence, it isn’t viable.
So despite what help exists for disabled people, given my ambitions, I am on my own.
All of this is why I gave up my council tenancy in March to pursue the digital nomad lifestyle. My intention was to travel around the UK first to adjust and address teething problems while volunteering in hostels (and other things), though it turns out my teething problems were much more serious than I realised.
I had to leave my volunteer placements. This is due to a combination of ableism from hosts, alongside legitimate issues that would have made it difficult for me to hold down roles. These roles included volunteering at hostels making beds, cleaning toilets, farm work.
I also did housesitting, which was successful, in part because I was looking after myself in a quiet environment.
The main issue was untreated Cptsd tiggers I’ve since gotten support for, alongside difficulty managing the sensory and social demands of jobs.
The conclusion I’ve taken from all this is that, going forward:
- I know I’m a very process-oriented person and need to work in an environment where I won’t be disturbed and can be left to get on with things (also partly due to trauma). Ideally this would be a remote job, where I can fully control my environment
- If I do anything that’s not that (ie. Teaching, shop assistant), it needs to be short-term and my only focus. It also must be paid, or at least where I cannot easily get kicked out
- I’m unable to pursue freelancing now, like I wanted to, because I’m stuck in fight or flight mode due to the political climate, I’m struggling to self-direct consistently. Same with networking
- I will need a bit more structure in advance of a future move, I cannot just wing it like I planned to before, to find the right environment
My current tentative plan is to return to the last city I lived in, land some work experience so I can get a work reference for a Masters application. With the UK set to rejoin Erasmus in 2027, I’ll hopefully be able to apply for financial support for a master’s degree in Europe. So, I have an end date, so I can get out of here, and finally have a life worth living. Although I would still like to travel earlier as much as possible, I’ll play it by ear.
In terms of getting work experience, what should I do next? And where can I get specific advice that’s informed for both disabilities, moving abroad and mental health? Any other things I should know? Staying in the UK is not an option.
Thanks!
