It's harder to find a good job in the UK than ever before—but some people have even more challenges to overcome. If you are neurodivergent, or you've moved to the UK from overseas, there's a good chance you already know just how biased the system is. Increasing inequality, low pay, and stubborn workplaces are all making the situation worse.
It's not your fault, and while I think the system of work needs a complete overhaul with redistribution of wealth for public services, lower taxes for working people, higher pay for workers, and UBI to name a few, while we’re in this system as it is today, there are steps that you can take to find yourself better, more fulfilling work. I'm developing a low-cost course on how to do just that, and this article sets the scene for why it's so badly needed.
Let us start with what neurodivergent candidates and immigrants are likely to have in common when it comes to work:
Obstacles To Level Access
Too many hiring systems are set up around a narrow vision of the "ideal" worker—confident, articulate, gregarious, and well-versed in UK working norms. For neurodivergent candidates, this often means being at a disadvantage by speaking plainly, needing extra time to process information, or needing adjustment. For immigrants, prejudice can be in the form of whether your accent is accepted, how foreign credentials are treated, or how easily employers assume you "fit in." These biases are typically insidious, and they add up.
And then there's underemployment and deskilling. That foreign-trained engineer might be relegated to stock shelving in a supermarket or working in a warehouse. That numbers whiz, analytical neurodivergent person, might be overlooked for inability to handle phone calls or what are colloquially termed "interviews." Both are typically reduced to jobs far below their capabilities, just to survive. This is not just bad for the individual—it's a waste of fabulous talent and promise.
Workplace settings contribute little to help. Neurodivergent workers and migrants are disproportionately found in poorly paid, insecure employment—cleaning, care work, hospitality and warehouses. These jobs often entail zero-hours agreements, low job protection, and little possibility of career progression. For someone requiring the management of sensory overload, social anxiety, or language impairments, these environments can be exhausting and non-viable.
Worst of all, both groups are more likely to be isolated and exploited. Whether it's making less money than others, not being given breaks, or not being invited to communicate, these kinds of experiences are all too common. And if you don't have a strong support system—or you've been socialised to "just be happy" to have a job—it can be hard to complain or ask for more.
But the reality is: you deserve better. Your thinking patterns, communication styles, and work habits aren't bad—they're different. And different can be strength.
There are means of functioning within this system and even using your differences to your own benefit. From writing CVs that pass AI filtering successfully, to scoping out employers who will value asynchronous working (communicating via email, chat etc) and humble thinking, there are ways of being heard without needing to "sell yourself" at maximum volume.
I'm working on designing a course that will help people like you whether neurodivergent, newly arrived or living in the UK from another country, or simply tired of being overlooked—to find more helpful ways of job hunting. It'll be full of practical tools, emotional support, and sustainable strategies.
You don't need to hustle until you're burning out. You just need to use the right tools—and the right guidance. More of both of these soon.
Very best wishes, la reverdere ;)
LJ x
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