Can she work while caring for ill parent?
Q: After several years overseas, I have to return to the United States indefinitely, probably for several months to a year, because of a parent’s terminal illness. (If I sound a little blasé, it’s because I’m making an effort to hold myself together, and my stress reaction is to go numb and be practical.)
After the sad event has passed, I plan to rejoin my husband in our current country of residence.
In the meantime, I will have to work while I am in the United States. I will be living with my family, two hours from the nearest big city, and do not have a local network.
It seems to me most U.S. employers want to hire someone who will stay at least a year. They may also be wary of hiring someone whose parent is dying because they anticipate problems with stress, caretaking, bereavement and final arrangements. I’d be willing to make a one-year commitment, assuming I get a job soon after arriving.
Do I commit to a year when I may not intend to stay? Do I reveal the family illness? What reason do I give for coming back so suddenly? I just don’t know what the right answers are, when telling the truth is likely to result in my not getting hired.
I’m willing to consider highturnover or temp work, but I’m afraid it won’t provide steady income.
A: Along with the stress of losing a parent, you’re facing lengthy separation from your spouse, social isolation, anxiety over stalled plans, maybe even reverse culture shock. Your parent’s illness is best left out of interviews. But your best bet to avoid those questions altogether is to aim for jobs where they’re less interested in your goals than in filling vacancies. That way, you should have no qualms about walking away when it’s time to focus on more important things.