This section will tell you more about what sort of options you have open to you if you choose not to stay on at sixth form or and go and look for a job. It may be that you are unable to do either. If you have long term problems from your ABI it may mean that you find it hard to work. No-one is going to judge you for it.
Leaving school can be very exciting and for the first time in your life you can feel like an adult! Maybe you were bored of school and were fed up of doing coursework and exams. Maybe you just want to go and get a job and have money to spend! That can be very rewarding although as an adult you will find you have bills to pay too.
Leaving school can be stressful too. If you liked having the structure of lessons and knowing where you had to be and what you had to do, you might find it hard having freedom. The down side of this can be sometimes you have no idea what you want to do with your time. It can be even harder when you try and think of a job you want to do. There are literally thousands of different types of jobs. Knowing which to choose can be very difficult.
Some people are very lucky and have very clear ideas from an early age about the sorts of jobs they want to do. This can change a lot though and by the time you hit 16 there can be hundreds of jobs you wanted to do and changed you mind about.
Your ABI may have affected you ability to do certain jobs you had your heart set on. Reading our section on expectations again might help.
Whatever your , it is really good idea to come up with some sort of plan that will give you a direction in life from this point on. Talk about this with your family or a teacher or careers advisor. Planning things after school can be tough for anyone and having supporters around you can only help.
Where to go for advice and help
Looking for jobs can be worrying and you can sometimes feel that no-one is going to give you a job because of your ABI. You can still get a job even with an ABI. If you can show an employer you can do the job, they legally have to consider your application. Some employers are really good at promoting equal opportunities and some supermarkets have schemes running and employ lots of people with health problems.
Here are some things to help. Looking for work can be tough and it changes all the time so here are some people you should contact for specialist advice:
You could try speaking to Learndirect. They are an organisation that help adults think about what they need to do to get that job they want. Learndirect will be able to put you in touch with other organisations that can help you look for a job taking into consideration you ABI. Have a look on their website: www.learndirect.co.uk
There are also people you can talk to about looking for jobs. It is always a good idea to make an appointment with a Careers Advisor. They can give you advice on what sorts of jobs are available to you and how you can go about getting a job.
Having an ABI can make things difficult for you so you should also get some help from the Citizens Advice Bureau. They have offices all over the country or can come to see you in person. They can give you advice on looking for jobs in your area. You can find your local office here:
It is also worth looking at the job centre. You might want to go with someone though as this can sometimes be a scary place. You can find a local office from here: www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk