How bad is this job emetophobia wise? Need advice.

[schoolbusdriver]

I just got my CDL license and I applied to be a school bus driver as I heard they are "always looking" and getting hired is basically a surety so long as I can read and write in proper english lol.
This job will consist of driving kids aged from Kindergarten to Grade 12 (5-17 years old) Monday to Friday.
I will be the only person in charge of the bus, driving anywhere from 20-70 kids, ALONE O_O.

I've never been in a school bus my entire life, never worked with children and never really gave emetophobia a thought with this job.

Now I want true advice whether I should proceed with this job or not. How bad would driving a school bus be for my emetophobia? This is a stupid question but are kids mega v*ers? Does anyone work with kids? Does it happen a lot?

Im just worrying because if a kid does get s*, I'll be the only one to care for them and I'm responsible for cleaning the bus on the spot.

[Saitamaop]

its good for you then.

[mdgirl1977]

kids do v. nerves, motion sickness, etc. but I imagine it is a quick ride..not as risky as teaching. I was a TA for a 3rd grade class when I was in high school. I attended school for 1st period and then at the elementary school from 9 - 3. I was there the entire year. Never saw ONE kid v. Sure, some went to the nurse with a stomach ache or whatever...but never v. At least not in front of me. And we are talking 35 hours a week. Bus rides can't be more than, what, an hour each way total? Plus you are up front, window near you. You should be fine.

[Babydolll]

I actually interviewed for a bus monitor job once! The man who interviewed me asked if I would be okay with cleaning it up and I'm pretty sure he could see my face drop. That's probably why I didn't get the job. I did talk to a lady who was a bus driver for a special needs bus, and she said, in four years, the worst that ever happened was a nosebleed. If they've been contagious-s***, I don't think parents would send them to school.

[ChiGal]

Hmmm. Only you can answer those questions. Honestly kids do v* on buses - it's rare but it could happen for many different reasons. My son, who rarely v*'s (knock on wood lol), got sick on the bus once because he had a lot of congestion from a bad cold.

My question to you is if a kid on the off-chance does get ill on the bus while you are driving do you think you would be okay enough to keep calm and drive safely? That would be my main concern with someone who has emet and driving many young children to school. BTW I am not at all saying you could not handle it. But maybe it is something to consider. Good luck!

[KaydeeJayde]

Do not let emetophobia decide whether you apply for a job. If you want to go for it, then go for it.

[Dairyfreelife]

Do not let emetophobia decide whether you apply for a job. If you want to go for it, then go for it.

Agree, and yes, it may occasionally happen. Rode the bus often in school and I think it happened maybe once that I remember. And with Chigal, could you continue driving the bus safely is the biggest thing to ask yourself. If yes, take the job. If you have to clean it up, all school buses are equipped with safety equipment dealing with bodily fluids. You won't have to ever directly touch any vomit.

I let my emet keep me from doing the job I really wanted to do. I wanted to be a primary school teacher. Don't be me, don't do that. Go for this if you want and don't regret not doing because you were afraid of emet.

And don't be one of those mean bus drivers who screams at children. Little children get scared easily on a massive vehicle with lots of people and an adult they do not know. I've seen bus drivers scream at the whole bus for a few rowdy fifth graders and terrify the five and six-year-olds to the point they are scared to ride the bus. Yell at the rowdy children, but try and be friendly to the little ones. This autumn when the new school year starts with this job if you want it, those kindergarteners will often be riding a school bus for the first time just like you are driving children for the first time. Smile, cheery voice as you explain the rules briefly, tell them your name and such so they can be feel safer.

Good luck to you on this new job. It will be a challenge and really fun I bet.

[Afdpt]

I agree that you have to consider safety as the main factor. Yes, it is good to challenge yourself with tough situations but safety is first. If someone does v* and it starts a panic attack, you want to make sure you can remain calm with a clear head and safely finish your bus route.

[stopthissong]

I'm a teacher (well at least in training) and I teach high school kids. It's definitely something I think about as you said, kids do v*. I would think the risk of v* on the bus is there, but it would more or less be kids getting motion sickness, not like anything contagious. The ones that do get motion sick usually would have their ways of helping themselves with that. The teenagers can get by better on their own, but the little ones probably struggle a bit. However in my years as a students from K-12 I very rarely encountered peers v* on the buses. If they were unwell from school they probably would get picked up early by their parents. I hope this doesn't come between you and your job! It can be hard but at the end of the day we all need to earn money hey.