Work Experiences and Internship Opportunities for Neurodivergent People

by Laurie Edmans

One of the main reasons that GAIN was set up, is the fact that many neurodivergent people find it difficult to get the first step on the employment ladder.  This is particularly marked for, but by no means confined to, autistic people, amongst whom – depending on which data source is cited – as few as 1 in 5 are in permanent full time work, or 1 in 3 in work at all.  When the vast majority want to be and, especially if a good match can be made between a job and the special abilities and attributes of neurodivergent people, can excel. 

The other side of this coin is that employers need the talent, which is too often untapped or underappreciated, in neurodivergent people.   A recent report on the major challenges facing the insurance industry, right now, had talent attraction and retention as one of the top ten challenges – along with more obvious, and massively important, things like climate change and cybersecurity. 

As the report said, 

‘The insurance industry is facing a talent crunch, particularly in the context of rapidly evolving technologies and digital transformation. Attracting and retaining skilled professionals who can navigate this changing landscape is an ongoing challenge.’ 

The most obvious example is the oft-quoted match that is made between data scientists, etc and some autistic people.  But that rather stereotypical match is by no means the only one. The abilities and attributes which accompany any form of neurodiversity can match jobs of all types and levels – ‘from the post room to the board room.’ 

But one of the major challenges faced by neurodivergent people is how to even get the first toehold on the ladder.  Many interview processes could almost have been deliberately designed to make it difficult for neurodivergent people to show what they are capable of.  So, getting a start, via work experience or an internship can often be the key to making a breakthrough possible.  

Its not just a question of whether the employer concerned might become a permanent place of work – although initiatives such as the ‘Employ Autism’ programme run by Ambitious About Autism report that more than 50% of the interns placed with supporting employers do transition to permanent employment with the same employer – it is a matter of building the confidence of the neurodivergent person, as well as giving some evidence of desire and experience which should assist in finding the right role elsewhere.  

Where might these work experience and internship opportunities be found? At GAIN, we are aware of a number of organisations which aim to help.  We can’t vouch for them all, because we don’t have direct experience of them all.  But amongst those of which we have heard good reports are: 

• Signing up for the ‘Work Experience Opportunity Alert’ at Ambitious About Autism.  This offers regular alerts on all the internships coming up. They have opportunities in the financial sector as well as others. They are also soon to be launching a round of summer internships with the Civil Service. And they aim to give all applicants careers support. 

• The programme run by Transport for London: Steps into Work programme who are looking for people ‘Aged 16+, who have neurodevelopmental differences such as mild to moderate learning disabilities, ADHD or Autism’ 

• Diversita - Diversita is a family run business which provides mentorship and assistance for neurodiverse candidates, and also supports employers. 

• SourceAbled - Part of Rangam, providing support and opportunities for neurodiverse job seekers. 

• Enna - A jobs board and support for neurodiverse  candidates. 

And it is worth considering, if you are not doing so already, joining in the regular virtual ‘coffee mornings’ which GAIN holds for individual members, and raising the question there, because others might well have had similar experiences.    

Neurodiversity and the Life Career Rainbow

How Much do Our Paths Diverge? By Vic Mazonas

Psychologist Donald Super developed the idea of a career split into life-stages in the 1950s, and refined the idea further in the 1980s. 

His work incorporated a combination of life roles as well as ideas about the typical stages a person’s life will pass through, in something called the Life Career Rainbow. 

The stages of the Life Career Rainbow are: 

Growth 

Age 13 and under

A time of learning and discovering interests and skills. 

Exploration 

Ages 14-25

The start of employment, where people are less likely to have a defined career path in mind and more likely to jump between roles, exploring a wider range of professions. 

Establishment 

Ages 26-45

The period during which people generally settle into a specific profession or career path, and begin “climbing the career ladder”.  This may include seeking our promotions and development opportunities. 

Maintenance 

Ages 46-65

In this phase people are less likely to change professions or career paths and will focus more on development to maintain the current role rather than seek out new opportunities. 

Disengagement 

66+

A time when many people pursue retirement or at least seek out roles with fewer hours, opening up more time for leisure 

In a world where annual lay-offs for the sake of shareholders are a norm, where zero-hours and temporary roles are common and where many people in their 30s are moving back in with parents due to stagnating wages and increased cost of living, far fewer people are enjoying the kind of stability implied by this outline. 

I expect that, even accounting for all of that, this path is even less familiar to many neurodivergent people. But how different, specifically, is something the data currently hints at, but does not explicitly reveal.

The ONS study Outcomes for Disabled People in the UK (2020) highlights the difficulty that many neurodivergent people face in finding work in the first place, with less than 22% of autistic individuals surveyed being in employment. 

The VEQ (Vulnerability Experiences Quotient) study (2019) measured a broad range of life experiences, with particular data showing the impact that bias against neurodivergent people has on our working life.  We've taken a snapshot of some of their data in the chart below.

At GAIN, our benchmark surveys for corporate members also shows that neurodivergent people experience higher rates of bullying and harassment in the workplace, and indicated a lack of knowledge among line managers as a significant factor in workplace experiences. 

Our individual member survey in 2023 dove deeper into this topic and found that 75% of GAIN members had experienced or witnessed bullying and exclusion in the workplace, with 86% of those saying they had left, or considered leaving, a workplace due to that behaviour.  Line managers were the second most commonly cited sources of mistreatment, and also the most important person in determining if adjustments were given.  Only 27.6% of neurodivergent respondents said they would feel somewhat or very safe reporting bullying in the workplace. 

Any one of the above issues individually is a disruption of career stability that could delay a person’s progress through their career.  Collectively, the impact could be very significant. 

Our corporate members are working with us to transform the industry. We want meaningful and stable lifetime career paths that work for neurodivergent people, that provide us the same opportunities for security and progression, and we’re already starting to see the impact of some of our work. While our individual member survey report did show the concerning data described above, it also showed that members of our community employed by a corporate member were more comfortable being open about their neurodivergence in the workplace, more likely to believe their workplace was becoming more inclusive, and had better experiences requesting workplace adjustments. 

However, if we want to make this change sustainable, we need to know how big the problem we’re solving is. 

We would like to invite you to participate in a short (25 question) survey about your career experiences.

This survey is anonymous, and asks questions about your history of promotions, dismissals, time spent unemployed, longest role and highest salary.  

You can access it using this link here, and it is also being promoted in our Career Club newsletter. 

Why I choose to disclose. Count me in – yes please!

by Nalini Solanki, Diversity Project Ambassador & Co-Chair, Neurodiversity Workstream and GAIN Individual Member

The word disability may have negative connotations for some, but I’ve come to realise that for me it’s just a word that implies different abilities.

For far too long I made excuses for myself, not wanting to be viewed as anyone less than, not realising that I was doing just that.

Having mastered the disguise of not being able to:

1. Get started.

2. Pay attention.

3. Needing to re-write instructions to idiot proof levels (is it wasting time?). Etc. etc.

I was in fact short - changing myself, especially for what I now realise are my ‘special strengths’:

• Intense focus, often for hours on stretch.

• Tenacity – there is ALWAYS a solution!

• Deep empathy and conviction – for example, going against the status quo with uncompromising belief in my customer insight and segment needs when managing a campaign, delivering c£1m in cost efficiencies to the campaign.

• Resilience – bouncing back rapidly, from every setback, because (see point b) there is ALWAYS a solution!

Maybe we could call it ‘different ability’ but by ticking the disability box, I let others know that we’re not on a level playing field.  I once would have seen ‘workplace adjustments’ and thought, “I don’t need any favours thank you very much,” but what I didn’t realise is that unless I make myself count, I can’t expect for anything to change. And change it must.

By ticking the box, a whole world of acceptance is opened up, access to support that can start to help transform the way we navigate a world designed for neurotypical brains.

Counting myself in means I expect to be measured for my performance in any workplace based on individual role requirements, my strengths, and weaknesses, not how far I deviate from ‘neurotypical norms,’ for one size fits all role descriptions.

By encouraging others to be counted, I’ve met incredible individuals across organisations I perhaps wouldn’t have met otherwise, wanting to understand what more they can do to support their neurodivergent employees, and to tap into their strengths. So, you see, counting yourself in benefits business too!

I’m happy to tick the box, whatever you call it. I can understand why many feel strongly about objecting to disclose their neurodivergence when this is captured under disability, it’s a very personal choice to disclose.

I can’t help feeling a little guilty, but that little tick does get me free seat bookings on most airlines.

Nalini Solanki, Diversity Project Ambassador & Co-Chair, Neurodiversity Workstream and GAIN Individual Member. Connect with Nalini via LinkedIn - Nalini Solanki | LinkedIn