About me.
My name is Natalie and I work as a Catering Assistant for Newydd Catering. I am a single mom and love spending time with my children. I have some very good friends and will spend my spare time with them; they are my support circle. I love animals and have cats.
Before the supported employment service…
I had previously worked but it was about 8 years ago so I was quite anxious about going back into paid employment. I wanted to work, to help build a better life for my children, to give me some extra money to spend on them, but also to show them that I could work and still be a great mom.
I have a few good friends who are very supportive, so I am not lonely, but I felt like I wanted to work and feel that I had achieved something.
Where my journey started.
I had applied for a job and attended an interview. I was given the job but was a bit anxious how my learning differences would affect me, and I had not worked for about 8 years. I was speaking to a friend who had used HFT to help them find work, he gave me Sarah’s (EPC) number, and I gave her a ring. I met with Sarah and she arranged a meeting for me to meet with Sam (job coach at HFT). Sarah went with me to see Citizen Advice to discuss my benefits.
The support I received.
Sarah my EPC helped me, she arranged to meet up and discuss what I needed. She went with me to meet Citizen Advice and arranged for me to meet up with Sam.
I already had the job offer, but they were not giving me any shifts as I was on a relief contract. Sam spoke to HR and explained my situation, as I was still not getting any shifts, we even began looking for other work opportunities. Sam then contacted them one last time to fight for them to give me the opportunity to show what I could do and the next week I had my first phone call to do a shift.
I rang Sam to tell her the good news, but I was also very nervous and anxious about going, Sam rang me and supported me throughout the day. She believed in me which really shone through. After my first shift they asked me to work every day (Monday to Friday) for three weeks straight.
Finding the right job for me.
I have really enjoyed my job, my confidence that I can do it is through the roof and it is the right job for me. I have had a couple of hiccups, a cook that wasn’t very nice to me and issues with my first paycheck. I rang Sam to let her know, but I had the confidence to deal with these myself and they are now resolved.
I was getting a little overwhelmed with working 5 days a week, especially with the travelling involved, they have now offered me a permanent contract working 2 hours each day (Monday to Friday) in a local school which my daughter attends. The other staff are very supportive, and I have already been asked to attend social events outside of work with them.
How getting a job has made me feel.
I feel better in myself, my mental health improved, I requested to reduce my hours for my health, and they have done this. I feel proud and that I am being a good role model for my children. I have had no support from family, but my friends have said that they have seen a difference in me, I smile more, I am happy, and not as tearful as I was before.
How things are going now.
Things are going very well; I am settled in my role but have also told my employer that I am happy to go to new places and do extra shifts if needed. It was a slow start, and I did wonder if I would ever get a shift, I think they were worried about my disabilities, but Sam argued for me to be given a chance, and I have now proved to them that I can do this and do it well.
I spoke to my manager about completing my NVQ level 1 and we have agreed to look at this in about 6 months.
If someone is thinking about getting help to find work, I would say…
It is definitely worth doing, my job coach has had my back, and she was persistent which is why they ended up giving me a shift. It can be difficult to do this on your own, the help and support you get is definitely worth it.