NHS - any organisations with similar outlook etc?

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In the past I worked for private company after private company, culminating in my last job for a horrible soulless private company and after I was fired (unfairly) I swore I'd never do it again. In private companies they're never up front about anything and will do anything to get more money. I didn't feel remotely cared about or supported. It was so hard to go there every day, it almost destroyed me. If I'd disclosed that I have Asperger's I hate to think how they would have handled it. Even private companies that make some effort to be fair to their employees still expect certain things I can't provide. I'm not trying to dodge work or expect an easy life, on the contrary. I have always been really hard on myself about this sort of thing and am just now coming round to the idea that I really need to let up and accept that I excel in some things and struggle in others.

In my voluntary work with the NHS I have found somewhere that's not driven by profit, treats people fairly and is very good at dealing with disabled employees. So I have been applying for jobs exclusively within the trust. I have been doing this for about 6 months now and have only had 4 interviews. I didn't get any of the jobs.

So I think it's time to widen my net but I have a problem - I don't know of any other organisations that work like the NHS and I am not willing to work for a private company. Does anybody have any suggestions?

The military always has civilian jobs (various support services - many of them administrative.) I found a couple of sites that might give you an idea of what's available:
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/Defen ... anCareers/
http://www.olivejobs.co.uk/jobs/search.jsf

I've experienced British government workers from the other side of the desk (when I was stationed at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, in Belgium, many administrative offices were staffed by British civilians) - and they seemed to be working in the type of environment you describe.

Some civilian defense jobs are focused on the actual military members & some are focused on their families. There are usually jobs in education & training, as well as office jobs.

Best of luck!

The problem with the military is that, as a member of the Armed Forces, you are expected to perform in a combat situation if required -- that's why they're called soldiers. I wouldn't get in the Army/Navy/RAF on the basis of my Asthma (you have to go three years without medication), let alone my Asperger's Syndrome.

I'm suggesting civilian jobs, not military. Civilian workers would never be asked to perform in a combat situation. (The US & UK certainly prohibit it.)

It would doubtless surprise the average person who has never spent any time around a military base, how many civilians are employed as support personnel. Many of these civilians are spouses & family members of the military personnel, but there are also many who have made a career working for their government without ever being a member of the armed forces, or even directly associated with a service member.

Civilian jobs on military bases are really no different from any other civilian government job (postal worker, etc.) - except that some civilian jobs with the military require a security clearance.

And while there are certainly civilians who accept postings to war zones (Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.), most of them remain on their country's home soil, or at foreign installations in allied countries (Belgium, Germany, etc.) Civilian employees get to choose whether to accept a posting in a foreign country.

As a DC resident, I live and breathe the federal government (though I don't work directly for them). Anyone who gets a job with the government is lucky: they have great benefits, they never fire you, and most employees really want to help other people. The application process is more work than most commercial sector firms, but doable if you have patience.

Not-for-profit firms, such as charities and advocacy groups, have a similar work culture. However, they often lack the financial resources of the government. I volunteer at the Washington Animal Rescue League (WARL), and their office workers can bring their animals to work.