Starting Again
Years of caregiving are not years of doing nothing
People coming back after a caregiving break often underrate themselves before anyone else has a chance to. This session, led by people who returned after breaks of their own, works through the practical parts — what to refresh, which roles to aim at, how to talk about availability — and the confidence problem that tends to sit underneath them.
Explore this page6 sections
The skills usually survive the break. The confidence often does not.
A break to look after a child, an ageing parent or an ill partner is one of the most common reasons for a gap, and one of the least discussed. People who take one often come back doubting skills they used for years, and apply for roles well below what they did before, or do not apply at all.
Some of that doubt is reasonable. Tools change, teams change, and a few months of catching up is normal. Much of it is not. The work of this session is telling the two apart.
Caregiving breaks are taken by men and by women, and the session is open to anyone returning from one.
What a return involves
26 topics across 6 areas. Six parts, from taking stock to the first month back.
Taking StockWhat you did before, written down accurately.4
- Roles held and what you were responsible for
- What you were good at, with examples
- What you would not want to do again
- What you did during the break that bears on work
Choosing the TargetThe same role, an adjacent one, or a deliberate step.5
- Returning to the same kind of role
- Moving sideways to something more flexible
- A deliberate step down, chosen for reasons you can state
- Contract or part-time work as a bridge
- Why the first thing offered is not always the safe choice
What to RefreshNot everything. The two or three things the target role needs.4
- Tools and software your kind of role now uses
- Changes in your field's rules or practice
- Ways of working: remote, hybrid, collaboration tools
- A recent piece of work you can show
A short course you finish is worth more than a long one you abandon.
Flexibility and AvailabilityThe conversation people put off until it is too late.5
Hiding a fixed constraint until after joining usually costs more than stating it once there is mutual interest. Say what you need plainly, and find out early whether the role can offer it.
- What you actually need: hours, days, location, travel
- What is negotiable and what is not
- When to raise it in a hiring process
- How to ask without apologising
- What to do if an employer cannot accommodate it
The HouseholdA return changes everyone's week.4
- Who takes over what you were doing
- Back-up arrangements for illness and school holidays
- The first month back, which is often the hardest
- Agreeing it before the offer, not after
ConfidencePractical rather than motivational.4
- Small wins first: a short project, a course, a conversation
- Talking to people who came back
- Separating real gaps from imagined ones
- Describing your past work aloud until it sounds like yours
Common mistakes
- Applying well below your previous level by default
- Trying to refresh everything at once
- Apologising for the break
- Hiding flexibility needs until after joining
- Waiting to feel ready before applying
What participants leave with
- A target role and one alternative
- A refresh plan of two or three items
- A sentence about the break
- A list of what they need from an employer
- Names of people to talk to next
How the session runs
Two or three people who returned after a caregiving break describe how they did it: what they refreshed, what they said, what they asked for and what went wrong. The rest of the session is a small group working through each participant's situation, with time for questions. Sessions can run in the evening, at weekends or during school hours, in person or online.
What your students leave with
- A realistic target role, chosen rather than settled for
- A short list of what to refresh first
- Language for the break that is neither apologetic nor evasive
- A clear view of the flexibility you need, and how to ask for it
- A plan for the household changes a return requires
- Contact with people who came back after a similar break
Scheduled sessions
Nothing scheduled yet
Sessions are arranged with a college once a date is agreed. Ask us and we will find the right person for it.
A student rather than a college? See what is coming up, or ask your placement team to host this.
The break was a decision. So is the return.
Tell us who your students are and what stage they are at. Sessions are free for participants.