Could you qualify for a returnship?
If you’ve been out of the workforce for years, how do you get back into a decent, well-paid role? Many don’t. Two thirds of women returning from career breaks end up in lower-skilled or lower paid roles. The solution is a returnship – an internship for those returning to work. Offered by at least 30 large employers, they are paid on-the-job schemes lasting three to six months, to build skills and confidence so you can return to a similar career or a new one. You might learn new skills, but these are not training schemes – you need relevant experience, to have been out of the workforce for at least two years and have worked at a reasonably senior level. Julianne Miles, of Women Returners, has these tips:
1 Check out womenreturners.com. IF THERE ARE NO FORMAL SCHEMES OFFERED BY FIRMS YOU ARE INTERESTED IN JOINING, ASK IF THEY WILL ENABLE YOU TO WORK ON A PROJECT-BY-PROJECT BASIS OR ON A TEMP BASIS TO PROVE YOURSELF.
2 It is important to be paid – YOU ARE NOT DOING THEM A FAVOUR BUT ARE OFFERING YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE. REMEMBER TO VALUE YOURSELF (IF YOU DON’T, NO EMPLOYER WILL).
3 You do not have to go back to what you were doing before. USE YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE TO REINVENT YOURSELF OR CHANGE SECTORS.
‘I got a great job after an 11-year career gap’
LIZ CHRISTOPHER, 42, WAS A PROJECT MANAGER IN THE TECH SECTOR, BUT TOOK MORE THAN A DECADE OUT TO CARE FOR HER TWO CHILDREN AGED SEVEN AND 12.
“I CONTACTED RECRUITMENT FIRMS, BUT FOUND A LOT OF PREJUDICE AS I’D BEEN OUT OF THE WORKPLACE. SO I APPLIED FOR A SCHEME RUN BY O2, WHO HAD ONE FOR RETURNERS WITH A PASSION FOR TECHNOLOGY. MY SKILLS WERE A MATCH AND I STARTED AN 11-WEEK PROGRAMME TO GET UP TO SPEED ON DIGITAL TOOLS. YOU GET PAID A PRO-RATA WAGE AND WORK IN LOTS OF DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS.
“THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES
YOU WILL GET A JOB, BUT I WAS TAKEN ON AS A SOLUTION ARCHITECT. I LOVE MY JOB AND I CAN WORK FLEXIBLY
SO I CAN PICK UP THE KIDS.”
‘I retrained and switched career in my forties’
KATE GORELY, 47, TRAINED AS A MENTAL HEALTH NURSE, BUT STARTED CHILDMINDING WHEN SHE HAD A FAMILY UNTIL HER YOUNGEST WAS OLD ENOUGH TO GO TO SCHOOL.
“WOMENLIKEUS.ORG.UK ADVISED ME THAT I COULD DO SO
MUCH MORE THAN CHILDMINDING.
I DID VOLUNTARY
WORK, BUT NEEDED AN INCOME, SO I APPLIED FOR TEACHER TRAINING. NOW I LOVE EVERY DAY BEING DIFFERENT. BE BRAVE, VOLUNTEER, MAKE CONTACTS
AND TRY IT OUT.” >>