I have trouble finding work

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I have Aspergers, live in London uk,. Been unemployed for over 5 yrs now ( yeah, long time, I know). I used to work for sainsburys supermarket on the checkouts. Then got dismissed in an argument about the stores uniform policy. In those 5 yrs, I've applied for over 2000 jobs with at least half as many companies, I've been placed on various work-programmes by the jobcentre. I've gone to dozens upon dozens of interviews, pre-screenings etc and endured hundreds of hours of psychometric testing ( where an employer gets a group of jobseekers together to do various tasks within a time limit and stuff like that) I am going to interviews but have never had an offer of work. The jobs I apply for are only minimum wage, like cleaning, housekeeping checkout operator, coffee shop assistant, waitress etc, as these are the only jobs I can do without re-training yet I feel as if I'm being left out on the scrapheap. When I don't get the job and I ask the employer why, they tend to fob me off with things like " We didn't think you had the right skills etc....for the job" I don't tell employers about my Aspergers but it's on my medical records so could potential employers be discriminating against me?

I'm sorry you're going through this.

I'm in NYC, USA.

My wife's son lives in Bromley, Southeast London. He used to live in Shooter's Hill and Sidcup.

If you don't mind me asking: what qualifications were you able to obtain once you finished school?

Perhaps you should look for jobs more suited to you, in addition to what the Jobcentre is "doing" for you.

I think employers are writing you off because you aren't disclosing your Asperger's and they're just concluding you're rude or not very bright or something (they can't know what is in your medical records unless you tell them). Next time you apply for a job print out the 'Tips for interviewing people with autism and Asperger syndrome' factsheet that is on the National Autistic Society website (google National Autistic Society employer factsheets, Wrong Planet won't let me link to it) and include it with your application form. Then when you get a job print out the 'Managing someone with autism (including Asperger syndrome)' factsheet and give it to your boss. I agree with the previous poster that you should also maybe consider applying for jobs that don't require such a high level of social skills (that's not to say you should necessarily forget about the service-type jobs you've been applying for, just that a fast-paced service environment is probably not for you - only you know how much interaction you can cope with). Maybe something like warehousing would be better? (Disclaimer: I've never actually worked in a warehouse).

The way that you have persevered in looking for a job in spite of all those setbacks is amazing. Good luck.

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" - Albert Einstein

Thanks for the advice, people. Actually I have just finished a course called Skills For Work which I was put on by the Jobcentre. I have gained BTEC qualifications in Customer Service and Work Skills and I have another job interview coming soon.