A Life in the Day

Just the job

Mark
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To cite this document:
Mark, (2006),"Just the job", A Life in the Day, Vol. 10 Iss 1 pp. 30 - 30
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 e mp loy me nt

Mark works full-time in a council finance department dealing with public

enquiries, and enjoys his job. However, it wasn’t always so. A period of depression
had led to four year of unemployment, but the right kind of support has enabled
him to find not just a job he likes but, hopefully, a career.

Just the job

I had been out of work for four years suffering
from depression. I had always had a job in the
past and felt embarrassed that I didn’t have a job.
When you meet people they ask you what you
Downloaded by Universite Laval At 21:42 24 June 2016 (PT)
Taking little steps at a time without any pressure
helped me build some of that confidence back.
There were three jobs advertised on the
council website. I applied for two, got an

do and you can’t answer. I found that a difficult
situation to be in.
I contacted Status Employment at the
beginning of the year. It was my idea to get the
referral, and I had to get it going. With mental
health it seems once you’re ok you are not so
much of a priority any more, so you can get
caught in limbo. I heard about Status through
people in support groups when I was ill. I went
on the internet and found out about it that way.
They were very helpful and gave me advice
about looking for jobs, applications and practical
things like coming off benefits. They handled
this for me and it was one less thing to worry
about. I also got emotional support,
encouragement and a friendly voice to speak to.
Status has an assessment and gets to know
you over a long period of time before looking for
any job. They helped me go for the right job. It
is a job that suits me, suits my temperament, so
that really helped.
The major impact of my illness and the time
off was a huge loss of self-confidence. If it
hadn’t been for Status, I wouldn’t have applied.
interview for one, and ended up getting it. There
was no pressure at all. When I was preparing for
the interview I went in to do a practice interview
and had an anxiety attack. They said: ‘If you
don’t feel up to it, you don’t have to go.’ I could
step back. I was able to say no if I wanted.
Obviously now I am working and that speaks
for itself. What a difference it has made!
Obvious things like more money in my pocket.
This job is a new area and I really like learning
something new. I can handle things on my own,
and feel I know what I am doing.
The important thing is that the support is
continuous – an ongoing thing. I meet with my
employment consultant before or after work and
chat about how things are going.
It is nice to be busy in the day. When you have
depression it’s not helpful to have huge amounts
of free time. Being busy comforts you a huge
amount. I am now able to start thinking about the
future: not just about work this week, but where I
want to be 12 months down the line. It is a huge
difference to where I was even a couple of months
ago, not just having a job but a career.

Mark is a pseudonym. Status Employment is a supported employment agency that aims to help
people with disabilities find and retain paid employment. For more details visit www.status-
employment.co.uk
Information about other supported employment agencies nationwide is available from the British
Association of Supported Employment (see Network, page 31 in this issue)

30 A life in the day Volume 10 Issue 1 February 2006 © Pavilion