What has people’s experiences been when applying for new jobs since you have been dx with ms? Do you think it has affected your chances of getting a new job? Do you declare it or wait until health question comes up? Considering a change of career but I am reasonably secure in my current company, I need a change
It’s a cold world out there for job seekers with ailments. The sad fact is that sick people in the workplace tend to be a boring nuisance; employers have to put up with them once they’ve got them, but they aren’t usually in a hurry to hire new ones.
I know there’s the law and all that, but life in legal theory is not always the same as life in practice.
Of course, there are exceptions. People with particularly scarce and valuable skills will always tend to do OK, and some employers are more enlightened than others. And, of course, the old rule applies to people with MS as it does to everyone else: jobs are much easier to come by if you have one already. Which you have, and that is a good place to start. I expect that you have looked at ways of staying where you are, but doing something more to your taste? If you could try something different where you are, that might buy you some time and get you out of a rut while you explore your wider options.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
Alison
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Thanks for the advice, im not happy in my current role with or without ms. Does anyone have any experience in the job market since dx of ms?
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I worked as a Senior Lecturer at uni. Had dx after 9 years +continued for 16 years. Life +work with Ms is possible!
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Has anyone had any experience applying for a new job since dx? Did the ms hold you back or were your employers fine that you had ms or didn’t you tell them? Thanks for everyone’s thoughts, I do currently have a job but I really want to leave. But am I fighting a losing battle, I need something new in my life :- )
Has anyone applied for a new job since being diagnosed? 
Yes my experience was fine as symptoms weren’t visible. Got offers and vall backs and even swapped jobs, as soon as visible impairments happened (walking stick, wheelchair etc) the doors closed. Despite having very good interviews, being perfectly qualified the answer was always “no thanks”. I went from being very employable to someone nobody but my current employers (who were happy with my work) would touch with a barge pole. Visible symptoms brought my career to a grinding halt (I not able to work now anyway), as soon as I had trouble walking no one wanted to take me on and my internal progression stopped. There is a lot of invisible prejudice out there, not a great experience for me. 
Luckily my symptoms are not visible at present, im concerned if the question of health comes up.
Hi min
You have the security of a job so apply for other jobs you fancy. It’s the only way you will find out
Good luck xx
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I know that’s very true blossom, think I’m just scared.
I get that min. Life can be scary, So what do you do? There are no guarantees.
It’s your decision min. Stay where you feel secure or find a more fulfilling role…only you know the answer to that one
Try doing a positive and negative list of how life would change for you on a personal level, if you were in a job more suited to you.
X
You know, there is many different types of volunteering out there, you could do in your spare time. This could actually help help you decide before you leave your Job, what it is you want to do.
Couple of examples. Counselling, therapeutic massage. Training thrown in too
I’ve sent you a message Counselling has crossed my mind, just not sure if I’d be mentally strong enough to help others
Counselling is gruelling work at the end of a long training period, requires real tough-mindedness (as you suggest) and there’s no money in it. Works best in a household when the counsellor isn’t the main wage earner.
Having said which, most counsellors have had troubles of their own - people who have sailed through life don’t tend to be interested in it.
Alison
I do not wish to sound overly negative about Counselling but my story with that is I worked very hard whilst being ill but undiagnosed. I did very well, passed stage 3 and was all set to take my Diploma after a year out as I needed to get a student loan as it is very expensive to fully train.
During that break I was diagnosed and then suddenly I was ‘not encouraged’ to carry on and ignored despite attempts to contact my College. I could go somewhere else but my confidence was really knocked. I am upset because you would think that counselling tutors would be above ignoring someone rather than be honest about how demanding the final two years were going to be.
I hope you find something, I really do.
Sam x
http://www.volunteering.org.uk/
This is a very good site, for anyone interested in volunteering in England.
X
Hello, why not try for a new job, youve got nothing to loose as they do not need to contact your current employer, normally they can say the job is yours providing your references are ok. You do not need to tell then you have MS unless applying for army, fire service or a driver/machinery opperator. the health questions im not sure they are allowed to ask that. you can tell them once they offer you the job, (after written confirmation of references) then it cant be you are not right for the job and they cant discriminate.
Well M-m, you have had some good advice above.
Test the market by all means - just be sure that you are ready to move if you get a good offer.
Think about any pension you may have (like: is it transferable?) and make sure that you have a good reason for looking.
Now remember that the first screen on job applications is to find a reason to dump that application. The average application gets just 30 seconds of the HR person’s time. Anything that does not fit the job specification is a good reason for rejection.
So …
The job calls for 3 O levels - English, Maths, and a foreign language.
You say " I have O levels in English, Maths, and German". You do not mention the ones in French, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese - or the ones in Biology and Geography.
The job calls for a degree-level education.
You say “I have a degree in Economics (grade 2.1, U. of Taunton)”. You do not mention the MSc in Statistics, or the PhD in Nuclear Physics.
Anything over and above what the job calls for should stay in your CV. If you want to make your CV stand out, print it on 100 gramme paper. Do not use a fancy colour for the covering letter - nothing darker than very pale cream, but no reason why it should not be an expensive quality.
Keep everything short.
I once helped a friend with a 15 page CV (I kid you not, 15 pages!) He said that this was “what the Agencies wanted”.
At the very first run through, I got this down to 4 pages without losing anything vital,
We got his covering letter down to 1 page.
The interest in him picked up.
Above all, you want to fit the requirements exactly, on the covering letter, and come across as very organised.
Don’t give HR any reason to dump your application - you want to get to the next stage where someone with an interest is going about the short-listing.
And even if you don’t move on, it is good exercise. I updated my CV and it’s attachments (list of publications, list of conference presentations) regularly. You may decide that you are better off staying where you are, but if there is a change for the worse, it is better to have a CV done without rush, than one prepared in a panic.
Treat this as a fun exercise, and have fun.
Geoff
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Thank you for everyone’s advice