Let's talk about jobs

[Frank]

Pre-T, on T, well after T, how's jobs and careers for everyone? What do you do? How did the hiring process go? Are any of you in fields that require a physical? How's it working out so far? You get the point, details people, details.

[tvc15]

I never had a job until I was on T for about 11 months. At that point I had my gender marker on my license changed (but not with Social Security) and felt more comfortable presenting as a male my age. I had one interview with a restaurant pre-T while presenting as male and I was so nervous I botched it. Anyway, the restaurant I got hired at post-T was desperate for employees so they were going to take me no matter what. I'm stealth there; Social Security used to send "gender no-match letters" if your place of employment reported you as one sex and your SS records reported you as the other. They just got rid of that policy like, last year or the year before, so I didn't have to worry about that. But yeah; they do look at your license and scan it, so I really wanted mine to say M. As far as I know, nobody, not even the manager, knows I'm trans. I'm glad I did it this way. I imagine having work history under my old name could complicate things re: stealth. I did not need a physical, but I want to become an OTR trucker at some point and I know they require regular physicals. I'm pretty nervous about the whole concept, and not sure if I'm going to have to disclose.

I recently had top surgery so I did bind at work for some time. People there can get kind of physical so that rushed my decision to get surgery ASAP. One guy did find out I had "excess tissue" by touching me there. Through some crazy stroke of luck he didn't tell anyone else but he kept finding excuses to touch my chest. I offered no explanation and I have no idea what he thought about it. He stopped working there a long time ago though. If you want any more details about anything just ask.

[Frank]

I did not need a physical, but I want to become an OTR trucker at some point and I know they require regular physicals. I'm pretty nervous about the whole concept, and not sure if I'm going to have to disclose.

Any job field I'm interested in seems to require physicals. I'm willing to wait to get into it til after top surgery and healing but the bottom part...does anyone know if it's underwear on or off?

[tvc15]

I can't say for sure because different careers require different intensities of physicals. Hopefully someone here can pitch in with relevant info. I'm most worried about turning my head and coughing...

[lost.cowboy]

i started with my current company pre-T, but started T almost immediately. it was actually really bad timing but I couldn't pass the job opportunity.

My manager at the time and HR were incredibly supportive, i chose a date for the officlal 'switchover' before which I had a few days off for the team to get used to the idea and be given information. When I came back everything was all done (IT stuff, payroll, everything). People were great.

Now a year later, Im in a completely different department. i came stealth to this department and nobody i work with now knew me before. And actually the few people that I did know back then have moved on - so it really has worked out ideal for me

As above, any questions feel free to ask

[Devin87]

My teaching job I'm definitely not out at all, though I feel like if I came out they would be supportive (a benefit of living in a pretty liberal area).  They don't seem to mind me having a guys haircut and I wear mostly guys clothes, but not like shirts and ties-- usually sweaters or polo shirts-- things that are a little more unisex.  The interview went perfectly well, except when I got nervous and introduced myself by my birth name and had to explain the whole name change thing (I just said I always hated my birth name and they didn't seem to think too much of it past the initial confusion).  Basically-- I stay in "female" mode, but I don't have to act too female.  I can mostly just be myself except for sticking to gender-neutral clothing.

My summer job is wicked supportive.  This will be my sixth year there, so I've been there for a good long while and I've changed a lot since I started.  When I started I was in my backlash "feminine" (for me) stage and had hair half-way down my back and wore girl clothes.  Then two summers ago I shaved my head and started wearing guy clothes and last summer I changed my name to Devin.  I wasn't expecting the bosses to take it too well since they're pretty conservative, old-fashioned guys, but they really surprised me.  They even started calling me male pronouns without me asking, although they reverted to female pronouns after some other people were using the female pronouns and I was too chicken to correct them.  But again-- I'm able to be comfortable.  I can wear the clothes I like and have my hair how I like it and they don't treat me like a girl.  They do treat me vastly different now than they did a few years ago, but the differences are all positive changes probably reflecting my increased confidence more than anything else (I used to be a quiet little mouse everyone treated with kid gloves-- now they yell at me when I deserve it and pick on me when I'm in their good graces and I love it).  There was awkwardness at first with the head shaving stuff and then with the new name, but that didn't last too long.  Once everyone got used to it, it was like it never happened.  I'm hoping in another year or two we can start joking about it-- when they start teasing me about it, that's when I'll know the awkwardness is truly gone.

[Tossu-sama]

I started in the job I'm in today pre-T and I had been there for about two months before I got T prescriptions. My supervisor is aware of me being a trans and he's cool with it, although he's naturally pretty out of things.
One of my co-workers knows, too and honestly he doesn't seem to care. I was introduced as a guy to them so that's what I am.
Oh yeah, I'm a painter by education and profession. Surface treatment to be more accurate. Construction site stuff, y'know.

My work place is amazing in every level. My name hadn't changed officially when I started but they made sure I could keep my cover up by using my - back then - male name to be. Then again, my name changed after about two weeks of working there. But that was handled very discreetly as well.

I guess they'd be pretty confused if T changes kept coming like crazy but being on Testogel they're pretty subtle altogether.
But I'm pretty sure they'll be wondering where I am if I get lucky and have my top surgery done during my time there. Who wouldn't miss a tiny foul-tempered painter?

[Natkat]

LOL jobs are a difficult matter..

Living in EU who had economic crise alot of country are almost imposible to get jobs in unless your high educated or just lucky (and im neither)
its even harder if your a minority as transgender, its not like its something you can hide as we have ID cards who register our sex so most transfolks dont have jobs.

generally I havent worked alot, I been studing so far and my famely dont like me to work and study at the same time.
the work I have done have generally been for free or very lowpayed stuff or activism, but not something bigger.

currently I am trying to find out a way to study/work in another country with alittle better right for transpeople and I hope I will figure it out before summer.

[AdamMLP]

I've got a part time job at the moment in a pub that I unofficially started at 13 and officially started at 15. I'm not out at the moment, but I might have to leave when I do start transitioning. All of the locals and regulars will have seen me as female, some of them since I was a year old. The same situation with the staff. It's near impossible to pass in an apron anyway because it highlights your body shape.

I'm looking for a new job anyway, but not coming up with anything, so I might just have to grin and bare it

[Zerro]

I started my job pre T and the only reason my employer knew I was trans was because he knew my mum. My name had been legally changed a few months prior(though not with social security yet), but everything went fine. I was allowed to mark myself as male in the forms and system and basically started 'stealth', as no other employee really questioned my name or the male pronouns used in reference to me. I started T a few months into the job, and no one's really saying anything or bothering me about my vocal changes.

[DriftingCrow]

Frank, I think the level of detail in the exam would depend on the job. I had to get a physical twice, one was when I was getting my armed guard license in FL, and the physical was really easy they just check your arms to see if you're able to hold and shoot a pistol/rifle and to just generally make sure you're not on death's door; my other physical was for Wal-Mart which was mainly just peeing in a cup.

I am pre-T and not out at work. I def can't come out at work, with some employees I think it'd be fine, but with the main partners... nope. They're kind of conservative and aren't too supportive of LGBT rights; one of them is currently writing an article for the newspaper about how legalizing gay marriage will harm real estate law (who cares about real estate law?). I am only an intern, but I am really hoping they'll hire me FT after I graduate since their firm will look good on my resume. The legal field here is really tight and very competitive, so I am willing to not come out at work for a few years if it'll enable me to get the necessary amount of experience needed before moving onto another firm where I can be out or starting my own firm.

[John Smith]

I'm a teacher and have worked at the same place since before I even decided to transition.

[FTMDiaries]

I'm currently transitioning on the job.

I've been working for the same company for six years and I presented completely female for most of that time - even though it was tearing me up inside. Last year I finally decided to transition (after dithering over the subject for 21 years), so I started presenting as male and eventually came out to my boss. With his help I came out to all my colleagues over the recent Xmas break, and I started the new year fully immersed in my RLE. So far it's been great. Although to be honest I'd much prefer to make a clean start at a new company in my new identity, but that would be difficult whilst I'm in that awkward 'in-between' stage before starting T. So this is the best solution I could come up with for now. I plan to be completely stealth at my next job.

Here in the UK it would be extremely unusual for an employer to require a physical, so I've never been asked to do one. In fact, I'm not sure that requiring a physical would even be permissible with our Human Rights and Equality laws. I'd be horrified if anyone ever tried to invade my privacy like that. I'd rather not take the job, if I had that luxury.

[AdamMLP]

Here in the UK it would be extremely unusual for an employer to require a physical, so I've never been asked to do one. In fact, I'm not sure that requiring a physical would even be permissible with our Human Rights and Equality laws. I'd be horrified if anyone ever tried to invade my privacy like that. I'd rather not take the job, if I had that luxury.

Some employers here do require physicals, but there mainly for the bigger companies. Both my parents have had them recently, my mother as a chef in a staff restaurant of a big company, which I think was really just a sit down, talk about past medical problems and blood pressure check. My fathers was a little more intense possibly as an assistant/driver/whatever job tle they feel like giving him that day for a private ambulance company. I know he needed to prove that he could do certain physical tasks because he was doing exercises to strengthen his hands before the interview. I don't think he needed a medical for his main job as a responder/emergency alarm fitter. Jobs like police obviously require physicals.

[Frank]

Thanks for the answers everyone. (Although I was really hoping for more...c'mon hidey folks.  )

[Adio]

I'm in healthcare.  I'm not bedside but I have daily, direct patient interaction.  All disease self-management education.  I was on T for 2.5 years when I got the job and had changed my name and gender marker 2 years before hiring.  All of my documents have been changed, including Social Security.  I am 100% stealth at my job.

Hiring process had nothing to do with being trans but here goes anyway.  I put in an online application, received an email a month later (yes, an entire month), got a phone interview, got an in-person interview, then hired about a week or so after that.  No real negotiation of salary or other terms.  I was extremely happy with what was offered.

I did not have a physical but did have a drug test (negative).  I'm nervous about having one in the future, especially if I work for the government.  I'm not sure what I'll do in that case.

Everything is working out rather well.  I like most of the people I work with, some patients drive me crazy, but most are great.  I'm learning a lot and enjoy what I'm doing.  My co-workers know that I'm gay and are either indifferent or supportive.  I would never disclose that I have a trans history.  Just like I wouldn't disclose that I was diagnosed as bipolar or any other personal medical issue.  I plan on working here for at least 3 years until I move with my partner for his grad school out of state.

[ford]

Mmkay, job.

Well, I'm currently a full-time uni student, but I'm hoping to get a job. I already have an undergraduate degree, so I'm theoretically hireable in a lot of jobs. I put myself out there and got some nibbles (this was awhile ago...before I starting getting all serious business on my trans...issue). One of the jobs looks promising. I've interviewed and I'm supposed to hear in the next few weeks. However...they know me only as female, interviewed me as female, etc. I'm on the cusp of starting my physical transition, and honestly I'm not sure what to do. I figure if I get the job, I'll give it a few months and then surprise 'em, haha! It's a government job so they can't really fire me because of a transition (I'm pretty sure....?).

I would say I'm seriously anxious about this, but I haven't actually gotten the job, soooo....(fingers crossed!)

[FTMDiaries]

Some employers here do require physicals, but there mainly for the bigger companies. Both my parents have had them recently, my mother as a chef in a staff restaurant of a big company, which I think was really just a sit down, talk about past medical problems and blood pressure check. My fathers was a little more intense possibly as an assistant/driver/whatever job tle they feel like giving him that day for a private ambulance company. I know he needed to prove that he could do certain physical tasks because he was doing exercises to strengthen his hands before the interview. I don't think he needed a medical for his main job as a responder/emergency alarm fitter. Jobs like police obviously require physicals.

Interesting! I wonder whether this is more common in the public sector (or companies that have contracts with the public sector). I've always worked in the private sector, mainly in small companies.

The only medical tests I've had to do were questionnaires when applying for private health insurance, which is reasonable enough. But invasive medical tests like the ones they seem to do in the US are rare, at least in my field.

[GentlemanRDP]

Well, I'm only out at my job to one person, my highest manager, and that was because of a mistake on my injury report - they checked the male box, which legally isn't right, so I had to call her and ask if it would cause a problem, "This is awkward, but...on 'sex' they put 'male,' and well...I'm not a biological guy," She was like, "Ohhhhh...." But she understood, and I asked her not to tell anyone. She was very understanding about it all, which is awesome.

As far as the hiring process went, I got hired shortly after I stopped T after a year, I was already passing, so people just assumed that I was a guy. I was hired under different management, and they never asked when I gave them my license, even though the gender marker is still female, and I looked kind of girly on it...and even though the food handler's permit also mentions that my sex is female. No one ever asked. I get misgendered by customers, but my co-workers just stare at them and laugh. I'm nervous about getting another job, worried that I won't be so easily accepted if someone notices the marker on my license, not that most people do...but still.

As for future worries about a career, I'm still playing that by ear. I'm studying illustration, where I might end up in an agency, or possibly freelance (Where it really wouldn't matter) But I have plans to act, so...that in and of itself may cause some interesting dilemmas.