Tourette’s and your career

Posted on 1 July 2026 • Career planning, CVs and applications, Disabilities and health conditions, Job search, job-hunting, Jobs, internships and work experience, Neurodiversity

Moving from university to employment as a neurodivergent student can feel daunting, especially for those with conditions like Tourette’s Syndrome (TS). TS is a neurodevelopmental condition that involves involuntary tics, which can affect daily life and influence career choices. Although it can present challenges, many people with TS — including musicians Lewis Capaldi, Billie Eilish and Wolfgang Mozart — demonstrate strong creativity, resilience, empathy and problem-solving skills.

Build your career confidence, by learning how to showcase these strengths. Even if you’re not a musician, follow the musical steps below to help with job hunting and to prepare for interview:

 

1. Play to your strengths

When writing your CV or job applications, remember to recognise your skills and demonstrate what you have to offer such as:

• Creative problem‑solving
• Adaptability under pressure
• Strong self‑awareness
• Focus and persistence

Then use our interactive tools – CV builder and CV360 to help you develop and review your CV that plays to your strengths.

 

2. Build up to blowing your own trumpet – the job interview

Preparation is key to job interview success. Interviews can be the most stressful part of the job search process, but going in rehearsed can make all the difference. Follow our interview tips and use the STAR technique to plan what to say in advance. Practising answers out loud can also help manage anxiety-triggered tics. Before the interview, use breathing techniques to calm yourself. In the interview itself, slow the pace or pause if you need to and say that you have TS, if you feel comfortable to do so. Read more about explaining a disability when applying for jobs. You can also find information and advice on how to explain a disability to an employer in CVs, applications and covering letters in Your Career Planning Guide.

 

3. Find harmony with an inclusive employer

Explore our wide range of vacancies and work experience opportunities to find an inclusive employer in an environment that’s right for you. Research employers that match your values and appreciate your strengths.

 

4. Sound out your rights

Understand your rights and get some hints and tips about discussing neurodiversity with an employer. Most employers aim to create inclusive workplaces, and in the UK they also have a legal duty to do so. Under the Equality Act 2010, employers must make reasonable adjustments for people with TS at work. These can include:

• Flexible or adjusted working hours
• Additional breaks to manage fatigue or tics
• Quiet or low-sensory workspaces

 

5. Talk (or sing) to us

Want to talk it over? Book a careers consultation where we can support you to explore your strengths and build strategies when things feel more challenging.

Whoever you are, whatever your goals, background, ethnicity, abilities and disabilities, identity and differences, Careers and Employability Services are here to help you to succeed with career confidence.

 

TS can co-occur with other conditions such as OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), ADHD (Attention-Deficit, Hyperactivity Disorder) and Autism. Read the other articles in our Neurodiversity and your career series.

 

 

Annabel Bennett is a Development Coordinator in the OU’s Careers and Employability Services. She supports careers-related activity both within the service and across the University, helping students to achieve their ambitions and fulfil their potential. Explore the rest of our blog for more articles from your careers team.