So, let’s talk about working with a chronic illness…

We all know that managing a chronic illness is a full-time job in itself. Not everybody with a long-term condition is able to work, and nobody should ever be forced into a job to the detriment of their health and wellbeing. However, we also know that hundreds of thousands of talented disabled individuals want to work, and they’re just looking for the right opportunity to do so. So, where do we find these mythical flexible, work-from-home opportunities that are manageable alongside our health conditions?

If you’re new here, my name is Pippa and I’m a disabled writer, speaker, and communication consultant. I started my career employed in the charity sector, but slowly and carefully made the transition to self-employment. There are four core pillars to my work – writing and publishing, public speaking and presenting, content creation as a disabled influencer, and communication consultancy. These days, I work flexible, reduced hours to accommodate my chronic illness, and you can usually find me incessantly guzzling tea while making *all* the to-do-lists. You can find out more about my background here, and read about my personal career journey so far (including employment and self-employment!) in this post.

It’s no secret that there simply aren’t enough flexible opportunities out there for the amount of skilled people with chronic illnesses who are seeking work, and many employers are yet to realise they’re missing out on a huge wealth of talent. In the meantime, however, I hope the following resources help you to explore the opportunities that are currently out there and think about what might be possible for you.

If you find this post helpful, you may also like my YouTube videos and vlogs – especially this playlist dedicated to inclusive education and employment. You can also find me on Instagram here, and shop my books here!

This blog post is no longer routinely updated, but the following established opportunities are divided into schemes, mentoring, work-from-home job searching tips, resources for organisations, and a brief introduction to freelance opportunities. Let’s jump right in…

Schemes:

• BBC Extend: a talent recruitment hub for disabled people, providing industry opportunities in journalism, production, technology and business.
• EmployAbility: a dedciated portal of events and vacancies for disabled students and graduates.
• Change100: Leonard Cheshire’s database of paid 3-month internship opportunities with top UK employers. I will say that I had a not-so-positive experience with this one back in 2016, where my application was rejected on the grounds that I wasn’t well enough to work full-time. However, I’ve heard from others that improvements have been made since then.
• 4Talent: Channel 4’s collection of apprenticeships, training schemes, mentoring and work experience in the media industry. Whilst not exclusively for disabled people, their Support & Advice page highlights their desire to employ more disabled people, and outlines the steps they’re taking to make sure people’s needs are met.
• Astriid: experts by experience in long-term health conditions at work – for transparency, I’m part of this team. As well as training employers about long-term health conditions, we create bespoke resources for candidates seeking work.
• Reed in Partnership: this programme, by The Reed Foundation has been recognised as a particularly supportive scheme for applicants with disabilities. You can search for specific jobs on their site, and they’ll take care of any reasonable adjustments you need to thrive. Many of these positions are managerial/executive, with corresponding salaries.
• Access to Work: this government scheme provides practical and financial support for disabled people in work, where reasonable adjustments cannot be covered by an employer. If you’re applying, I strongly advice seeking support and advice from an advocate to help you navigate the process.

Mentoring:

• Scope’s Support to Work programme: a support plan up to 20-weeks in length providing employment guidance and assistance for disabled people.
• King’s Trust: a dedicated charity helping people aged 16-30 to access education, employment and training, including business mentoring schemes. You can read about my personal journey with The Prince’s Trust Enterprise programme here!
• Bright Futures UK: workshops, mentoring and tutoring designed for young individuals who are forced to take time out from education due to medical circumstances – both mental health and physical health.

Find Work From Home Opportunities:

• Guardian Jobs: filter searches right down by selecting ‘work from home’ and ‘part-time hours’ options.
• indeed.co.uk: similar to above, but with more miscellaneous opportunities.
• EvenBreak: these job advertisements aimed at connecting inclusive employers with talented disabled candidates. They also provide online information and resources, and run campaigns highlighting the benefits of employing disabled people.
• FlexJobs: a site full of opportunities designed to better work around people’s unique circumstances, including remote and part-time roles.
• PeoplePerHour: A platform that allows people to share one-time jobs for freelancers to apply for. The bonus here is that most jobs listed require less commitment than contracted full-time/part-time work, and you can pursue as many or as few as you feel up to. Lots of social media and digital tasks on this one!
• Approach specific charities: if you live with a specific chronic illness or disability, charities dedicated to the cause are often looking to recruit workers with valuable lived experience. There’s no harm in popping over a friendly email *with your CV*, expressing an interest in future opportunities. This method has worked rather well for me in the past!

Freelance writing:

• Start A Blog: If you want to get into freelance writing, starting a blog or online platform is an ideal first step. Put yourself and your work out there, and make sure your contact details are as visible as possible.
• Disabled Writers: This organisation is committed to introducing more diversity to the journalism industry. Create a profile to add to their database, and you may be contacted by those who commission written work. Many opportunities are USA-based, but I’ve had UK copywriting agency offers come from here in the past.
• The Bloglancer: a brilliant site full of useful tips and advice for monetising and earning a living through your blog.
• Find your people: use social media to build a community – not only an audience that engages with your work, but also people in your chosen field who you admire and look up to. There is so much you can learn from observing the way others go about things.

For Organisations:

• Astriid: if you’re a business looking to become more inclusive and recruit talent with long-term health conditions, get in touch with Astriid. We provide bespoke training, run by experts by experience, to help you become an employer of choice for this growing community.
• Business Disability Forum: they provide pragmatic support and advice, facilitate training, and offer specialist networking opportunities to make it happen.
• Endometriosis UK Friendly Employer Scheme: employers can sign up for this scheme to show their commitment to supporting employees with the condition. By signing-up, organisations receive free training and resources, and also have their name displayed on the charity’s online list of signatories.

That’s all for now! This blog post is no longer routinely updated, but I’m thrilled to bits to know that it’s provided comfort and practical support for readers over these last few years.

If you found this post helpful, you may also like my YouTube videos and vlogs – especially this playlist dedicated to inclusive education and employment. You can also say hello on Instagram, and shop my books here!

As I mentioned at the start, life with an energy limiting condition is tough, and managing chronic illness is a full-time job in itself. If you are unable to work because of your condition, or have had to step back from work, I hope you know that this has absolutely no bearing on your worth as a human being, and you have all my empathy. If, however, you do wish to pursue employment, I wish you all the luck in the world. I know it can be tough to find things that suit both your skillset and your condition management, but it can be so worthwhile. Put yourself out there, and you never know what could happen…

Thanks again for reading! If you know of any tips or opportunities worth sharing, I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!

Related Posts:

• University And Chronic Illness: A Survival Guide
• Employing Disabled People Isn’t An Act Of Charity
• For The ‘In-Betweeners’: The Invisible Challenges Of Moderate Chronic Illness
• Tips For Job Hunting As A Disabled Graduate
• Volunteering From Home – Flexible, Inclusive Opportunities For All