fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2730 ]

[ SECRET POST #2730 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2730 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 045 secrets from Secret Submission Post #390.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
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TIL that you can't apply for being an au pair or a summer camp employee in the USA if you have ever been treated for a mental illness (including depression, anxiety, or an eating disorder).

This is going to be a bit of a rant.

As some of you know, I've been looking for a job for a while now, and expanding my horizons. Working abroad has always been something I was interested in, but didn't get to do when younger because reasons. And I'm just really at a point in life where I could use a positive change, even temporarily.

Which I how I ended up on these websites and found this tidbit of info.

I sort of knew this was true if you applied for thinks like FBI work - and I get it, there's people you don't want to give a gun to.

But, I feel like this is different.

So, okay, rationally I understand this. Rationally, I know that people are extremely protective about their kids and want to eliminate any risk whatsoever, no matter how minor that is.

But on a more basic level - it really, really pissed me off.

And, specifically, I was pissed off by the word "ever".

Obviously, you don't want an actively mentally ill person in your household. But damn, "ever" means that 10, 20 years down the line you still have this social stigma about you. And that it not matter how hard you tried, or tried to get your shit back together - on some level it doesn't matter, because hey you'll never be really safe to have around.

It just...bugs me. I understand it on an intellectual level, but it makes my blood boil on an emotional one. It's not even something I wanted that much (and I didn't qualify for the au pair thing because other reasons, too). Also, it made me realize I have no effing clue what's actually in my medical file. I should probably find out.

I'm,, not really looking for answers here, just...*sigh*.

Wait, really? This can't be true for all summer camp employees.

I think it's the specific au-pairs-summer-camp-employees-from abroad program.

Hmmm, I was unaware there would be people from other countries who would want to work the summer in the US as a summer camp employee or that there were even laws about it.

At this point I'm not sure if it's a law or people covering their asses.

Re: TIL you can't do certain jobs if you were ever treated for a mental illness.

forgottenjester - 2014-06-24 23:57 (UTC) - Expand

Re: TIL you can't do certain jobs if you were ever treated for a mental illness.

kallanda_lee - 2014-06-25 00:09 (UTC) - Expand

Re: TIL you can't do certain jobs if you were ever treated for a mental illness.

forgottenjester - 2014-06-25 00:26 (UTC) - Expand

Re: TIL you can't do certain jobs if you were ever treated for a mental illness.

(Anonymous) - 2014-06-25 15:57 (UTC) - Expand

Re: TIL you can't do certain jobs if you were ever treated for a mental illness.

(Anonymous) - 2014-06-25 15:55 (UTC) - Expand

When I was at girl scout camp we had counselors from Scotland, Ethiopia, Russia... I figured there was some kind of program for it.

Re: TIL you can't do certain jobs if you were ever treated for a mental illness.

forgottenjester - 2014-06-25 00:25 (UTC) - Expand

Re: TIL you can't do certain jobs if you were ever treated for a mental illness.

pantasma - 2014-06-25 06:04 (UTC) - Expand

I know a lot of the vendors on the Jersey shore hire summer employees from abroad, there's programs based around it. There are some programs that are not so good that get written up about in the newspapers, which is how I even know about it.

Re: TIL you can't do certain jobs if you were ever treated for a mental illness.

forgottenjester - 2014-06-25 01:38 (UTC) - Expand

It's a huge thing, actually. People from a lot of countries use it as a kind of working vacation. I've worked at a few summer camps and there is always a huge population of people from outside the US. Last camp had Mexico, Jamaica, Australia, Scotland, Britain, Spain, and a few others but I'm blanking on specifics.

Re: TIL you can't do certain jobs if you were ever treated for a mental illness.

forgottenjester - 2014-06-25 01:39 (UTC) - Expand

Re: TIL you can't do certain jobs if you were ever treated for a mental illness.

(Anonymous) - 2014-06-25 01:45 (UTC) - Expand

Re: TIL you can't do certain jobs if you were ever treated for a mental illness.

forgottenjester - 2014-06-25 02:03 (UTC) - Expand

Must be, because I have a history of mental illness and have definitely worked at summer camps and in child care - but I'm American so that's got to be the difference?

Maybe just for the foreign ones who want to temporarily work in the US? Not sure. Or maybe it's just this specific agency. But, it just made me go WTF.

If it was that specific agency I can see them getting brought up on discrimination charges. Especially when normal school teachers have no such restrictions. Maybe it is the foreign thing. The US tends to be super weird with people born into other countries.

So you can be batshit insane just not batshit insane and foreign? ;)

Re: TIL you can't do certain jobs if you were ever treated for a mental illness.

forgottenjester - 2014-06-25 00:25 (UTC) - Expand

I'm sorry. This really does sound very frustrating.

I think part of it is that mental illness is something that a lot of people don't really understand and are afraid of it.

Yep. I can list all my physical limitations that stem from a life-altering accident until I'm blue in the face, and "nope, you're not sick enough. NEXT!"

But trot out the papers listing my depression and panic disorder? All of a sudden it's, "OMG, take this and go away!"

Really annoying.

I feel you. Most of my job experience is working day care centers. But guess what won't hire me know that I have a documented history of mental illness (treated and controlled), daycare centers!

Seriously? That's horrible.

(reply from suspended user)

Yeah, I'm not in acute need of a firearm. I also like that it specifies purchasing, not actually using one.

That's ridiculous. How is that even acceptable? It sounds really frustrating, I'm sorry.

I always wonder if these things break discrimination laws, but not holding my breath.

My opinion on this sort of depends on one question: are people with mental illnesses ever actually "cured?" Not happening again, no longer a problem, in remission? I'm pretty sure most people would say no, that it's about managing it and working medication or therapy or something to get by. If that's the case, I can understand the rational of not wanting people who may not be mentally stable near your kids. Of course, I think this also depends on the mental illness, and passing a blanket law to cover every mental illness is overkill.

There's a difference between having a history of instability and a history of controlled mental illness. If somebody has displayed decades of responsibility about their illness, with no violence or unreliability, why should it matter if they're ever cured? That kind of thinking requires judging a person for what they are, rather than anything they've actually done, with no chance for them to ever get out from under that judgment, which doesn't sound particularly rational to me.

Well, anyone can relapse. But the thing is, a perfectly healthy person can get a mental illness out of the blue, too. If relapse isn't more likely than a healthy person being compromised, then it's sort of bullshit.

Also it sort of assumes that you'd be a risk to those kids - while obviously a) not all mental diseases make you a risk to others and b) just because you have a problem doesn't mean you can't recognize there is or seek help even if it does pop up.

Tbf, part of the reason for "ever" is that it's not unheard of for some to have a relapse in stressful situations which...love it or hate it it *would* probably be stressful since you'd be in a new country and working with kids tends to be that anyways.

Also, as much as I hate pointing this out,the fact that you're coming over from abroad would mean that they'd end up being responsible for you. So anything that happens because of you is on their head, and mental illness can increase that risk. So that combined with the kids thing is probably a fair part of why they're not hiring you.

Which sucks, don't get me wrong. It massively sucks - and I say that as someone who, literally, can't do the one job I wanted to do/was expected to do by my family because of a mental illness. So I understand all too well what it's like.

Also, this is more of an aside but...have you thought about doing something like a "workcation" or maybe http://www.ciee.org/what/ <- programs like that? I mean, I get that you probably have but if you haven't, that might be another way to kind of do what you're looking for.

What exactly do you mean by "workation" - the thing is, in the end, I do want it to earn me more money than it costs me.

Which is the reason I'm not volunteering. Frankly I'd be willing to do it just for food and board, but if it cost you like thousands I can't justify that.

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