Job-hunting (UK). But as who!?

[Jamina]

Hello lovelies. I'm very new here so thank you to anyone who jumps in on this thread.

I'm in the midst of preparing for a career change. I'm moving from teaching, where transitioning socially is frankly a terrifying prospect, into programming, which is full of the best kinds of lunatic, and where a six foot tall woman with a flat chest and a baritone won't be nearly the oddest thing in the office. (EDIT- forgot to mention that I am actually doing proper training, a Masters. So hopefully this is a realistic goal.)

All the contacts I've made so far know me as Mina and most know I'm trans, at least those I've met in person, as I don't yet pass and don't really make a lot of effort. To qualify that last statement- I go as femme as I can / dare, but tend towards andro clothing, no shape wear, and no wig- my hair isn't brilliant but it isn't totally terrible any more since I've been growing it out for nearly 18 months now. I want HRT, I want transplants, but it's all gonna take time and money. But I don't think it'll matter too much day to day- everyone I've connected in the industry (mostly games so far) has been lovely and nobody has batted an eyelid, if anything they've gone out of their way to make me feel welcome and help me learn.

I've got another year to run on my course, part time, and I'd dearly love to get out of teaching and into a part time coding gig, on the level of a paid internship or part time junior dev post (heck, could even be full time, but that'd be hard!) I'm about to finish lectures for the year and I'm planning to start this job-hunt... but as who?

I'm feeling pretty ready to be Mina to a wider social group, but in order to job-hunt as Mina I would have to get into gear on a lot of the legal back-end; bank account, ID, etc etc. That was going to have to happen at some point; timetables tend to be crappy things, but it might be time now.

But am I just going to totally ->-bleeped-<- my chances of landing a job? Should I go in Bob mode and then try and transition in-role?

I'd really love to hear if anyone has been through a similar experience with job-hunting, especially if you are not stealth (don't pass reliably, or like me don't give a monkeys on principle.) UK perspective is, obviously, helpful, but people are people everywhere =)

[Kylo]

Honestly I'd reveal yourself properly after securing the job. I've been passed over for jobs I am fully qualified/experienced in when nobody around had the same quals because they sussed out what I "was" and one of the questions they asked me was how I thought I'd get along with the all-male team. It was more a question of would I fit in with them rather than would they get along with me, and I think that's why I didn't get that one. . . they figured I wasn't going to be a known quantity so they bailed.

Once you get a job there are at least a few regs in place that are supposed to help protect you from being fired, as lacking as they are. While in the interview phase, there is nothing to protect you.

[Kokoro]

It most likely comes down to how confident you are. Right now, in an interview setting, would you be more confident delivering yourself as a woman, or as a man? Go with whichever you feel you can do better. In an interview employers look for confidence as well as skill sets. If you cannot sell yourself, they won't be interested, trans or not.

I'd also give some consideration to the industry you're entering - programming, particular in gaming, is one of the more accepting industries in the UK right now. I'd love to go into something similar, but don't have the background or patience to program. If it's a large company, get in touch with the HR department before you attend an interview. They can usually make the interviewers aware and prep them with some training before you are interviewed. Not all companies do this though, so be aware of that.

I'm also at a similar crossroads. I'll be changing jobs in the next couple of months and should hopefully be starting hormones around the same time. The only skillset I have is that of truck driver. Perhaps one of the most least friendly places to be trans. However, I'm aware of the earning potential and that it will keep myself busy. I doubt very much it will be a job for life, but I want the ability to sustain myself financially and although I could chance it and try to find some entry level jobs where I could be openly trans from the start,  most of these are low paid and customer-facing which would make me less employable as the idea of dealing with a trans person could potentially scare off customers. (Sad, but true)

[Megan.]

Just FYI,  my employer has an HR system that can accept separate legal name and preferred name/title. This means that while your legal docs can still be in your birth name/gender, all of your email,  accounts,  badge, etc..  Can be setup under a different name.
Also many service retailers are really trans* friendly, Asda,  Tesco and M&S being at least three I know of who openly employ trans* people in customer facing roles.
When Lloyd's bank added trans* coverage to their healthcare plan,  a few of their customers complained; they dropped those customers! [emoji5]

Sent from my MI 5s using Tapatalk

[KathyLauren]

Do your job-hunting as Mina.  Meanwhile work on your legal documents.  If they get done before you land the job, problem solved. 

If your ID hasn't caught up with you by the time you get the job, the time to talk about the name is after you have shaken hands on the deal.  You will be handed over to HR to sign documents and get set up in the payroll system.  At that time, you can tell than that your legal name change is pending, but that at the moment your legal name is still Bob.  They will set you up with the appropriate names: Mima for inter-office email, Bob for income tax, etc.

[Jamina]

Thanks all. It's really helpful to hear these different perspectives and points of view.

Kathy, you make a good point about going for it and taking care of the details later- it would be a shame to pass up chances that might be waiting for me because I haven't taken care of every last thing.

Megan- it's really good to hear that some mainstream employers are getting with the program!

Kokoro- I honestly don't know whether I seem more confident in male mode or female mode. I have a lot of practise projecting confidence, because of the teaching thing. Inside, though, definitely happier in girl mode. And hey, I want to wish you luck with your job change too, and I hope you find allies in the new role, even if it's not what you want long term. It's always a tradeoff- that's what teaching has been for me...

Kylo- you make a really good point, and I'm sure there are jobs out there where my application will be quietly filed in a bin once my identity is clear. But I figure those aren't the places I want to work, and the more I think about it, the more I think that being out will be an excellent way of detecting places with macho bullsh*t cultures...

There's still some long talks to have with my partner before I do this, but I think I'm actually feeling pretty clear about it. That makes a first with anything to do with gender, lol. =)