Celeste, 24, spent two months applying for more than 100 jobs in Edinburgh after graduating from the University of Edinburgh last year, mostly waitressing roles, only to face rejection or silence. She says the stress contributed to her developing ME/chronic fatigue syndrome, leaving her housebound and unable to care for herself.
“It was a really desperate time,” she says. “I was paying rent all of that time, and it was one of the most stressful times of my life.”
Health decline and diagnosis wait
Celeste had worked part-time in cafes since age 14 and eventually took a full-time role she describes as “very high pressure with terrible hours”. She was already unwell before starting, and her condition worsened until she left to move back in with her parents in Dorset.
She had a health assessment for ME/CFS in August this year, but says a formal diagnosis could take three to six months. Once confirmed, she can access more support, including a course to “teach me how to manage my energy” and connections with employers “who understand ME and already employ people like me”.
Her application for personal independence payment (Pip) has been rejected, and she has appealed, though a decision could take up to a year and a half. She relies on her parents for support. On a typical day, she says: “I don’t really go out very much. My mum sometimes takes me to a forest nearby. She pushes me around in a wheelchair, and I can draw for about 20 minutes, and then get too tired and have to stop. It’s mainly just resting.”
She hopes the formal diagnosis will lead to a path back to employment, but is still figuring out how to work given her condition. “I’m still trying to figure out how,” she says. “There must be something I could do.”
‘The job market is a lottery’
Lenny, 26, from Birmingham, describes himself as a Neet – not in education, employment or training – but one who has experienced work. He worked two years as a customer assistant at a DIY store before leaving for mental health reasons, and has been unemployed for three years.
“Years ago, you could go into a shop and hand in your CV,” he says. “Not that they would necessarily give you a job, but still it was a bit more personal. Now everything’s online and you end up waiting for them to get back digitally.”
After finishing college in 2019 with BTec level 2 in business studies and music, he decided against further education. He did not pass English or Maths GCSE, retaking them twice before seeking employment. From 2023 to 2025 he was on universal credit, then started doing odd gardening jobs with some family financial support.
Over the past three years, he has applied for “maybe 30 or 40 jobs” in fields including warehouse work, delivery driving and retail. He is also looking at agencies, though he notes drawbacks: “I find sometimes you apply to them and then they’ll send you on an induction. Then you get to the induction and there’s no work available, and it’s like: ‘We’ll call you if there’s work. So sometimes it can be hit or miss.”
He adds: “The job market is a lottery. How many jobs can you apply for without feeling miserable about your prospects? Maybe the lucky number is 100, 200, or 300? Well, as big as those numbers sound, you still don’t get a job. It’s ridiculous.”
Despair despite strong qualifications
Frances, 25, from London, graduated in English and completed a master’s at the Courtauld Institute of Art. She hopes to work in outreach and learning roles in museums, galleries and charities, but is also applying for jobs in coffee shops and hospitality.
“I have just started receiving universal credit. I feel unbelievable guilt given my academic and general life chances, but I can’t even seem to get seasonal work as a retail assistant or bar worker,” she says. Her inability to find work despite her qualifications has left her “despairing and depressed”.
She has been volunteering for two years, including at the National Trust and as a tour guide, and has worked multiple shift jobs at university. Since spring, she has submitted 77 applications, receiving two interviews, neither successful. One employer did not inform her of the outcome despite a three-hour interview with tasks; she had to contact them.
Living with her parents, she acknowledges she is “lucky” as they helped with university costs, leaving her student loan at £50,000. She says she “just wants a job”. “I am not looking to earn loads of money,” she says. “I just want to work, I want to give back and contribute to society. I’m scared about my future.”
Repeated rejections take a toll
Nathan, 25, graduated with a magazine journalism degree from the University of Gloucestershire in 2023 and hoped to work in media. Instead, he moved back in with his parents near Preston and has found only three weeks of paid work cleaning university halls.
He continues writing voluntarily for a vintage car magazine, but paid employment in media, retail, teaching support and other fields has remained elusive. For much of this year, he has pursued a career as an armed forces officer, drawn by family history – his grandpa was a Royal Engineer and his uncle was in the air force – plus the career’s stability and salary.
However, he was declared permanently medically unfit because he was recently prescribed a topical steroid for eczema. While the automatic ban on recruits with eczema was lifted in 2024, those who have required treatment can still be rejected on medical grounds. If he does not need the cream again by April 2028, he can resume his application.
Nathan, who is autistic, describes the cycle of application and refusal as a series of “body blows”. He has experienced anxiety attacks and started seeing a therapist. “It feels like the longer you are out of work, the harder it is,” he says. “I include all the volunteer work I do on my CV … but it’s not a job. I’ve been thinking of trying to find some more formal volunteer work in a charity shop.” He adds: “If anything, I want to do it to help boost my mood. I spend a lot of time on my own and although I normally do enjoy my own company, I still need to be seeing people and getting out of the house.”
All names have been changed.
