Has anyone from their studies gone on to paid roles in community services/disability/mental health roles?

Hey! @HelloKitty1981

That sounds very exciting and I am so glad that you're interested in working within the sector! I think the best way would be to ask around and email any companies that you are interested in and just put some feelers out to see what you can get!

Do you have any places in mind that you might want to start looking into? It's so great to build up your experience with as many different places as you can if you wanted only short term commitments while you study.

All the best,
Amber22

@amber22 Thank you.

@HelloKitty1981 Great question.

I know of a few. I'll tag the Peer Guides to cast a wide net.

My journey involved getting a Cert IV in Peer work on the job with NSW Health.

I was hired as a Peer because of my lived experience and a stated willingness to obtain qualifications within a year which I did.

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Do support work! Lots of room for growth and you change peoples lives!

@Bon_courage I also went for the one position on offer in my area that was offered by NSW Health, was entry level and the Peer Coodinator said I was just bumped off getting any interview simply due to the number of my qualified applicants with many years experience all going for the entry level position, here in the Hunter.

She told me to not give up and to keep trying to get my foot back in the door. Ironically I used to work for NSW Health for 13 years so I have lots of lived experience as an employee in the system, so I know there is still too much stigma in the industry.

We only have 32 peer workers in our LDH to cover such a huge area, opportunities are as rare as hen's teeth, hence you have people way over qualified going for entry level jobs.

Given where worked was a major trauma hospital and had its own mental health units and its further expanding again, I still can't see there will be funding for more peer workers but plenty for clinicians.

I see more jobs advertised for peer work in places like Sydney and Melbourne by various companies, than I do in my own backyard and I live less than 2 hours from Sydney.

Hence my frustration, and how the pay scale is for those with uni degrees and those without working the same job.

@HelloKitty1981

Hey!

I'm about to finish my cert IV in Mental Health Peer Work but I just got a job with a new Way Back service in my local area. It will be providing support to people after they have been in hospital with mental health concerns. We will support them as they transition back home and into the community.

I'm so excited to start and was even more excited that I could brag about my own experience in a psychiatric ward as part of job interview. There aren't many careers where you can use your lowest points in life to help you do your job but I'm so in love with the fact that I can not only use these moments but also speak openly about them and not have to hide these parts of myself.

@LilMapleLeaf Wow congratulations, the job sounds amazing! Something I could see myself also doing. I really want to use my lived experiences to not only support myself financially again but to have a career in mental health long term.

@Jasper_123

I have my Cert 3 in Individual Support (Disability). I can't do active overnights due to my meds and I have found many jobs expect you to do a.i.n duties and feel if I have to do that I would have gone into nursing or aged care instead. I worked in both SIL and SDA and was offered jobs at both but its not where I see myself being happy to work in.

I love working with the people especially those with intellectual disabilities and brain injuries.

I am a carer for my own adult autistic son and handle all his ndis issues, centrelink, tafe, etc

I haven't really gone from studies into paid roles, but I've gone from volunteering to paid work here at SANE. I was a community guide for a while before working for SANE when the job came up. @HelloKitty1981 @LilMapleLeaf @Jasper_123

It's been the best thing ever.

SANE has been so supportive of my needs. I too, have to be mindful of what I'm doing overnight because of medication. So no, I can't be driving or doing anything like that at night.

@tyme, @Jasper_123 I am a night owl by nature but I couldnt do an active overnight supervision shift then do hand over and still be ok to drive home depending on the distance. Some shifts are 8 or 12 hours and depending on the company and whether it is a SIL or SDA, you could be looking after up to 4 or more people on your own, some or all with complex physical health issues and or including lack of mobility issues.

Some people really need those who have a nursing background rather than support staff. While others need mental health support workers rather than just support workers. These are the things that give me the icks about the ndis and companies.