Getting a job

Lots of young people get jobs, and for lots of different reasons. Some find that having a job gives more structure and stability to their routine, improves their sleeping patterns, builds their confidence or gives them more financial independence.

Youth Employment UK is a not-for-profit organisation which aims to help young people in to work.  Their site has lots of information that may help you find a job including this section on How to write your first CV. 

The Prince's Trust also offers free support and training to help skills and confidence for young people aged 16 - 30.

While it can be a very empowering thing, if you’re not well enough it might feel like an additional source of stress in your life – a good employer takes mental ill-health just as seriously as they would physical ill-health, and doesn’t pressure you to come into work if you’re not feeling good.  The Mind website has a whole section on Mental Health at Work which you may find helpful.  

Dr. Sheila Redfern gives advice on how to notice and manage stress when waiting for exam results or to hear from a college or job application below.

What young people have told us:

'Do get a job if you are ready, however, do not pressure yourself into doing anything too much and step back when things get too much.' 

'Helped me understand that it's not that difficult.' 

There isn’t much academic research in the area of self-care for young people who are living with mental health issues. We are trying to find out more about what works for different people so we can better advise other young people what to try.

If you’ve tried this activity when you were struggling in relation to your mental health, please let us know if it helped you and how by clicking on the ‘Did this activity help you’ button.