On the Job Training

I have an interview coming up. Actually, I have several interviews coming up, trying to find an appropriate kindergarten placement for Pudding, but for once I mean interview in the traditional sense- for a job.

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A job. It looks strange as I type it. I haven't worked in six and a half years, and time has made a that three-letter word look incredibly daunting. I don't have work clothes. I've forgotten more office skills than I ever developed. I was stay-at-home before I even became a mother.

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As a stay-at-home-mother of special needs children with several years experience, I find it hard to imagine another identity. If I'm uncomfortable with the shift, my children are vocally despairing. But feelings of inadequacy and fear of change prove to be no match in the face of a bank account straining after years of therapies on a single income. To work I go!

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Of course, I haven't exactly been idle these last few years, and in terms of self-development and transferable skills, with a hopeful outlook my CV looks positively marketable.

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How can I be discouraged by an interview panel, when I've faced the eligibility board for special education services not once, but twice?

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Will I ever have to face a meeting in the world of work with anything like the pressure of an IEP meeting? Setting goals and meeting deadlines? I'm well practiced.

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You need someone with excellent communication skills? Look no further than the caregiver of someone with special needs, particularly when language difficulties are an inherent feature of the condition.

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If a presentation doesn't go over well in words, I'll just skip on to pictures. Imagine social stories merging with powerpoint- I'll find a way to get my point across with any audience.

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I can work under pressure, think outside the box...be flexible, organized...a team player. If there was something to learn over the last few years, I've mastered it. We all have. Even if every day still feels like we have so much to learn.

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This position is actually going to be about playing a strong advocacy role and strengthening community. Reading the job description, it felt like it had been written for me.

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But there is one more thing that makes this job perfect for me. I'm the sole applicant. A job that nobody else wants? I'm your woman. You're just going to have to pay me in more than hugs and kisses this time. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Spectrummy Mummy is the mother of Pudding (5) and Cubby (3) currently living in South Africa, and sharing her adventures on her blog, Facebook and Twitter.