Claire Easter – Administrator

“I like working and getting things done. Work has been good for my brain”

It’s no myth. Work really can be good for your health. That’s what 22 year old Claire Easter of South Shields discovered after battling with various illnesses for most of her young life.

Claire has asthma, eczema, IEG syndrome (an immunodeficiency disorder) various allergies and a range of other conditions. Claire had forced absences from school because of her poor health but to her credit, left school with nine GCSE qualifications. Since then, she has invested time and energy to develop her skills and knowledge and her efforts have paid off.

However, in spite of her multiple health problems, since January 2008, Claire has been working successfully as an administrator for South Shields based company Northern Care Ltd.

Employer’s story

As an expanding training company, Northern Care Ltd needed to develop its IT systems but lacked staff with the right expertise.

Although Claire had never worked in an administrative role before, Operations Director Ian Dickinson could see that she had potential and offered her a placement at the company. Ian views placement opportunities as part of the selection process. He says, “It’s like an extended interview because it gives us the chance to assess the skills of potential employees and check out whether they fit in with the company.”

A real asset

Ian’s confidence in Claire’s abilities was not misplaced. Her IT skills have turned out to be a real asset to the company. Ian says: “We used to have all our leaflets printed externally but now Claire uses software to produce our marketing literature which saves money. It also means that we’re in a position to offer more customised literature.”

Claire has also implemented computerised systems for tracking the progress of trainees who register on courses offered by the company.

Employee's story

Claire was forced to leave college because of her poor health. “Physically, I just couldn’t cope with the course” she says. Claire registered for incapacity benefit but felt uncomfortable about benefit payments. She explains: “I’d been ill all my life and I just felt like I was getting paid for being ill. I didn’t like that.” She adds: “I was also bored being stuck at home. I knew I wasn’t physically able to work but I also knew that I wasn’t stupid.”

In the summer of 2007, Claire reached something of a turning point in her life. She decided that she was far too young to be incapacitated by her health problems. She wanted to work and she had the self-belief and determination to find employment. But it wasn’t quite as easy as that – first she had to overcome her feelings of low confidence. “I didn’t feel anybody would want me as an employee because of my health problems” she says.

The Shaw Trust

It took Claire about a month to summon up the courage to approach the Shaw Trust, an organisation that helps people with disabilities or health problems to find work. After working with an adviser to identify the kind of employment that would match her interests and skills, she went on a six week placement at Northern Care Ltd. The six weeks eventually became permanent employment.

Claire is convinced that work has improved her health and feels much better because she is working. “I’ve got so much more energy now,” she says “and I feel much happier because I’m using my brain.”

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