Getting back into work and education after treatment can depend on on your circumstances.

You may:

• Stop working for a while, until you feel ready to go back.
• Carry on working, perhaps with reduced hours or changes to your job.
• Want to change jobs or careers.
• You may have deferred a college or university course at diagnosis and wish to return or change courses completely.

You may enjoy work because of the sense of normality and routine. Or it may be essential for your finances. You may also have friends at work that are very important to you. Everyone is different and it is normal to have mixed feelings about working after treatment.

Looking for a new job or thinking about exploring further education?

After treatment, you might be exploring enrolling in further education or you may decide to return to the kind of work you did before. There are laws about what you have to tell a new employer about your health history. When you prepare for an interview, you might want to think about how you will answer any questions about your health.

BOOST is an East Midlands Service that supports young people with a cancer diagnosis to get back into work or further education, Boost employs careers specialists from around the East Midlands to provide tailored advice and careers guidance to young people treated for cancer. A BOOST referral incorporates the patient’s individual needs and any obstacles when trying to moving forward with their career or education. Patients are then contacted by a BOOST specialist and met with either face to face or virtually to discuss the patient’s aspirations and formulate a plan of action, on-going support is also provided if required.

• Identifying a new career path.
• Overcoming personal obstacles.
• Planning achievable steps to reach long term goals.
• Course Identification and Application.
• Local Job Searching.
• Interview Preparation.
• CV Writing.
• Tailored specialist post treatment careers advice.
• Financial Support.

BOOST referrals can be made at any point during or after treatment by your nurse or Teenage Cancer Trust Youth Support Coordinator – a referral will be made to your local BOOST Service so local courses or job opportunities can be provided.