My story starts back on the 3^rd June 2008. This is when I registered as a client with Shaw Trust, which is a national charity that aims to get disadvantaged people back into employment. To begin with I must have seemed a nervous shy individual, a trait that often happens when you have not worked for sometime and have experienced mental health issues.

When meeting with a Shaw Trust advisor, a Development Plan was produced and I recorded my aims on the project, which was “To meet nice people because this support is very important to me”

My advisor suggested starting with a volunteer placement at Demelza warehouse in Sittingbourne. I had concerns about working in a warehouse environment because of bad experiences and bullying I had suffered in the past. My advisor suggested that I accompany him for a no obligation visit. Upon arriving at Demelza the manager greeted my advisor and I and offered us both a cup of tea and also gave a tour, I reluctantly agreed to attend a trial session as a volunteer but only on the Bric A Brac section where it is the most quiet.  I commenced employment as a volunteer on the 9^th June 2008.

To my surprise I found that I really enjoyed my first session and maintained attending every Monday up until gaining paid employment.  It was very rewarding to feel the change in myself and I could feel my confidence grow the more I attended the placement. My advisor often informed me of how the manager held me in very high regard.

The next stage was for me to improve my Literacy and also IT skills so my advisor referred me to Shaw Trust Learndirect which I attended on a Tuesday morning at the HLC in Sheerness.

There was a paid job that came up towards the later end of 2008 for a project co-ordinator working for the Together centre after again meeting with my advisor I decided that I would like to apply for that position, providing I could still have Shaw Trust support. I completed my application form and submitted it to the Together Head Office in London. I was awarded an interview but the location of the interview was Old Street London, the idea of going to London was very scary and the last time I had gone to London was many years ago and I started to worry that I may have a panic attack. The advisor put my mind at ease by offering to support me by going with me on the train and also providing interview support. The interview was a daunting prospect for me as I had not had a formal job interview for 8 years, I was pleased when my advisor and I did some interview training sessions before attending. On the day I was very proud of being able to travel to London and not suffer any form of real anxiety. As I recall, at the interview there were a panel with 2 managers and a service user and the questions that the service user asked were more difficult then the questions from the management team. Unfortunately I was unsuccessful for that post however the feedback received about my interview was positive. My local Together centres in Swale were also supportive of my application and offered words of encouragement.

I started my NVQ in horticulture at Abbey Physic gardens in Faversham which I was attending on a Friday.

My Shaw trust advisor asked if I would be interested in doing some advocacy work and accompanied me to an interview for a volunteer position at Swale and Medway Advocacy in Chatham. I was successful in this and started as a volunteer advocate working at Medway Hospital on a Wednesday afternoon. At this stage I was attending Demelza, Faversham Umbrella, Swale & Medway Advocacy and also doing various training courses. It was around October/November 2009 that Shaw Trust advertised for a Job Coach to work out of the Swale area which I applied for. On the interview day I recall feeling very nervous. The other candidates that were being interviewed seemed very confident which increased my anxiety prior to my interview. My advisor took a few minutes and sat with me to ease my nerves before I entered the interview. I had done some further interview training sessions leading up to this interview and they proved to be beneficial as I obtained the post of Job Coach working for the Shaw Trust. I started to work on 23^rd November.

One of the most stressful things post employment was the benefit system and I did require some further support from my advisor around benefit entitlements. With the Shaw Trust knowledge, I was able to apply for Housing Benefit one month run on, Working Tax Credit, Return to Work Credit, Job Start Grant and the Linking Rule.

What I have found is that the initial support when you first enter employment is the most challenging and important and Shaw Trust advisors will endeavour to do as much as possible to ease the transition back into paid employment and for you to sustain your work.

I love working as the Swale Job Coach and really enjoy supporting clients on their journey back into paid employment.

I now feel that I am part of the wider society and being at work is good for your well being and personal development. My message to people reading this is that with support you can get to where you want and find a job that you enjoy doing and it really will make a difference to your life.

Visit the Shaw Trust website.

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