When it comes to going back to work after an extended break – whether this is because you’ve had children or just because of other circumstances, it’s not the easiest of decisions to make, and it’s only one that you can know for yourself if it’s the right one or not, so in this post, we’re going to share with you some of the things that you may want to consider when going back to work after a break.

You may feel guilty:

Mothers especially are often faced with this feeling when going back to work, so if you do have children and the reason for being out of work for an extended period was to stay home and raise your children, then even if they’re a bit older, you may still feel guilty about the fact that you’re not going to be there or 100% of the time. However there’s absolutely nothing to feel guilty about when you’re putting the interests of your family and ultimately your children first. There is no one allowed to say whether or not you should be working as a parent or whether you should be at home 100% of the time since it’s completely up to you and depends on your family circumstances and your children will be completely fine even if you’re not there during the day.

You may have to re-train:

One of the biggest things to consider when going back to work after a break, and is of course depending on how long you have been out of work that you may have to retrain or brush up on your qualifications and skills. If you’ve been out of work for a while and the industry has changed significantly, since some industries do move a lot quicker than others, it will depend on your job and also your initial qualifications and how far things have moved on since you were last there. Before making any decisions on whether to go back to work and whether you should brush up on your skills, it’s always a good idea to speak to your employer about this since they will be able to recommend you courses such an online learning course where you can have a look and see if this is something that you would be able to do part-time whilst working, and if it’s even necessary for you right now. You may not need to do a full degree, but you could also do things like an evening course that only takes a few weeks.

The company may have changed:

Depending on how long it is since you’ve been last at work, there are many things that could have changed quite dramatically since you were last there, and this doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to pick up on the changes and get yourself back up to speed, but it’s definitely worth taking into consideration that things are not going to be exactly as they were when you were last there, so again, speaking to your employer about this to prepare yourself in advance for any changes that may have occurred since you were last there and that you need to prepare yourself for in terms of learning new skills, learning new technology, or anything else that will help you do your job more effectively.

Your job may be different:

Just like the company that you work for may have changed in terms of natural evolution process that industries go through, the job may also have completely changed since you were last there, this can come about as a result of the industry changing overall or simply new technology that has perhaps eliminated a big part of your job and maybe created a different role for you, so this is definitely something that you should consider before going back to work to see if this is something that you still are interested in doing long-term.

You may realize you don’t want to have this career anymore:

One thing that may happen when you go back to work is that you realise that you’re just not the same person that you were when you started this career initially and that you’re just not suited to it anymore, and that’s perfectly fine – there’s no universal law that states that you have to stay in the same job or career for your entire life, so if you decide that you do not want to do this career anymore, and you’re just not suited to it, then it’s perfectly fine to let go as long as you’re honest about it and let people know upfront.

You may need childcare:

If you have children then it’s worth considering that depending on the ages of your children and if they’re in school yet or not that you may need child care for them during the week whilst you’re at work of course this will depend on your schedule and where are your children are in school if they’re in school then the child care that you may need will be less than if they were still very young and require round-the-clock care. However, it’s always worth speaking with your employer about this, since many companies are now focusing on making their company more family-friendly and introducing things like on-site childcare and childcare vouchers to support mothers and fathers to come back to work.

You not be better off financially:

Many people assume that by going back to work that they’re automatically going to be making more money than if they were staying at home. However, this isn’t always going to be the case especially when you have children since things like child care can cost a lot of money in some places and in many cases it can actually cost more for childcare each week than the money you  would be making from your salary, so in this case it doesn’t really make sense to go back to work early from a financial perspective, of course finances are not always the only reason that people go back to work – you could miss the social aspect of it, or you could simply just love your job and want to have something that’s stimulating for your brain. However it’s worth remembering that you may not always find it more beneficial financially to go back to work whilst your children are still in requirement of full-time childcare.