To ask if anyone has gone back to work after a long break?

[Discopanda]

When DD1 (now 3) was nearly a year old I decided not to go back to the office after mat leave and work freelance from home instead. DD2 is due soon but this I'm thinking of finding a job outside of home maybe at the end of the year, just part time which means I would have been outside of a typical work environment for almost 4 years. Has anyone had experience of going back to work after such a long break?

[TheFirstOfHerName]

I went back part-time after eight years of being a SAHM, but to a completely different and unrelated career. It has been fine (six years later I am still working for the same company).

[feckitall]

I went back to work after nearly 20 years of SAHM and carer for DGP/DH...do NOT leave it anywhere like that ...please take my advice...I have regretted it as I can't get progression at work and am not taken seriously when there are young colleagues to be promoted instead.. even when they are feckin useless I have taken every work based course offered and am studying for a degree ...I am humoured at best..

[FrancesHouseman]

I went back after 5 years, although like First it was to a different career. It wasn't hard at all to get back into the swing of work and it took about 3 months, start to finish, to apply, be interviewed, DBS checked and start the job.

[HindsightisaMarvellousThing]

I've just gone back to work part time after 7 years out of an office. I'd have struggled with the office routine and work more but I'd done lots of voluntary organisational work, charity work and some invigilating in a local school recently too. I dread to think how hard I'd have found it if I hadn't kept up some skills during the break.

[Donthate]

I went back after 4 years. Pt term time. It is great. Do it OP you can always go back to freelance if you hate it.

[Ragwort]

Agree with feck - I returned to work after 15 years as a SAHM (my choice - fab time) but the job I do now is nothing like the one I left, I earn barely more than NMW - the job itself is enjoyable and I have lots of autonomy which at my age means a lot but with hindsight I would never have left it this long.

[Barefootgirl]

I walked out of a fairly high-powered job with ridiculous amounts of international travel and had four years 'off', looking after my DD with autism who struggled hugely with school. At the end of the four years, I went back to work in adult education, having done my PTLLS initial teaching qualification while I was away. I had one interview and got the job; I have been there two and a half years, absolutely love it, and my only regret is that I didn't go into it sooner.

It's a mistake to think you can just strut back into a similar role if you have done nothing related at all during the intervening years, but you might well be able to do something different.

[mejon]

I've just gone back p/t (weekends only) after 10 years as a SAHM as DC2 is about to start school. It's not related in any way to the job I left and the pay is less than I was getting as an office temp 12 years ago but it means I have tge school holidays covered and I'm around if the DCs are off sick/whatever.

[comingintomyown]

Off for 13 years with a couple of years doing something midway so 4 years doesn't sound like much especially if you be been working anyway.

I started at the bottom ish and four years on still doing something average but apart from the PC updates office works seems much as it did a decade ago !

[lertgush]

I went part-time/freelance when my first child was born, then gave up completely 4 years later when my third was born.

When he was 3 I got a job that paid more than any of the jobs I'd had previously. It was at the height of the recession too.

I then worked for 5 years and am now taking a break again.

[Eigg]

I went back after 6 years out. Went back into a very similar role but that was because the reputation I worked very hard to build up pre-DCs stood me in good stead and I was prepared to go back full time.

It was scary going back but I was very quickly back into the swing of things. Juggling everything is a balancing act often though.

[lertgush]

BTW while I'm currently not officially employed, I'm actually spending some of my time keeping my skills up to date - using Lynda.com, doing some evening courses and doing some freelance advisory work.

Ironically my skills are now more up-to-date than they were in my last job, as we were limited to coding websites for outdated browsers there, and given no time for training.

OP - can you do something similar to make sure your skills don't become outdated?

[pennefab]

Off for nearly 16 yrs (with some part-time gigs & freelance work). Wish I had kept up a bit more.

Sometimes difficult to realize how different current generation is vis-a-vis tech, work ethic, etc.

Always a juggle with family & job. But grateful for job and boss who allows me a degree of flexibility.

In short - I'd return sooner rather than later ...