This Big Issue roundup links to useful resources for young offenders and people with criminal records. Overcome employment barriers with help and support.
You can learn from past mistakes and negative experiences. Having a criminal record does not automatically mean you can’t get a rewarding job, but employment laws and checks on your criminal records can make things confusing and form a barrier to taking your next career steps with confidence.
The Big Issue: How to get a job with a criminal record
The Big Issue have created a guide on how to get a job when you have a criminal record. It’s not just for young offenders and young ex-offenders. However, you will find some tips and resources to help you as a young person, and you will not be judged.
The Big Issue’s guide covers useful tips like:
- Do you need to tell an employer about your criminal record?
- When and how to tell a potential employer about any past convictions
- The difference between spent and unspent convictions.
Working Chance
Working Chance offers help and advice to women with convictions. As a young woman with a criminal record you can develop the confidence, skills and self-belief needed to find jobs and build careers.
Working Chance works with employers like Pret A Manger and Redemption Roasters to help female-identifying ex offenders. They can help you find work placements that can lead to long term employment.
Unlock
Unlock is a charity that offers lots of information and support for all people with criminal convictions, including young offenders.
Unlock runs a helpline, open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm, on 01634 247350.
Ways to overcome employment barriers as a young offender
If you’ve made some mistakes in life or done things you wish you could take back, you still have a lot to offer the world – and yourself. And there is help out there for you too. Our bite-sized guide here at Youth Employment UK can help you look at your potential in a new light.
We also offer free online courses for those aged 14 to 24, on everything from how to plan the career you want, to developing leadership, teamwork and creativity, offering certificates of achievement that can be added to your CV.
This includes a new, free virtual work experience programme, flagging placements that you can complete online at businesses such as Spotify.
We also offer careers education resources for youth services, and a careers hub with advice on how you can get into a wide range of jobs.
