Re-entry into the profession

With the right strategy back to work

Re-entry after the family phase

Your child is becoming increasingly independent, after-school care is well organized and you are thinking about returning to your job? Wouldn't it be nice to supplement your income and tackle new professional tasks? On the other hand, you may also have concerns about whether the double burden will work. Or you may have doubts about how to get back on track professionally after your extended family-related leave. What will definitely help is a good plan and optimal preparation. With a positive attitude and targeted support services, your return to work is sure to work!

The opportunities on the labor market are better than ever

Motivated specialists are urgently sought after on the labor market in many industries. And finally, you have proven yourself to be extremely resilient during the family phase. After all, you need organizational talent, flexibility and a willingness to work around the clock to cope with "normal" everyday family life. With these skills, you can go into the job interview with confidence. Good employers appreciate commitment and willingness to perform. And as far as technical know-how is concerned: Even if a lot has changed in the meantime, with a little willingness to learn, technical knowledge can be quickly refreshed and missing skills can be newly acquired. Perhaps your future employer will provide appropriate offers for re-entry. In many cases, you will also find support from local authorities, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Federal Employment Agency.

TIPS FOR A WELL-PLANNED RETURN TO WORK

In preparing for your return to work, these four steps will help:

1. think about your initial situation

These questions help:

What about your qualifications after the family phase?
What knowledge and skills do you bring?
Is your partner behind the plans?
How can you organize everyday family life and childcare together, even under time pressure and in emergency situations?

2. clarify your professional ideas

These questions help:

Which professional qualifications are currently sought on the labor market?
Do you want to go back to your old employer? How big are the chances?
Do you want to go back to your old career field or reorient yourself?
Can you possibly consider self-employment?
Can a full-time job be compatible with the family or are you looking for a part-time job?
How important is the place of work?
At what times and in what time frame you want to be gainfully employed?
How important is a career advancement to you? What are you willing to do for it?

3. get fit for the job of your dreams

Check your skills:

Which skills and knowledge you bring with you?
Which skills you need to refresh or acquire new?
Which funding opportunities and support programs can you take advantage of?
Which offers possibly makes your potential employer?

4. apply for suitable jobs

You are ready for the next step? Then it's now time for the job search and application:

Where can you find suitable job offers?
What do you need to consider when applying?
How do you prepare for the interview?

Information services and exploration tools

The job market has changed in the course of digitalization. You will find open positions less in daily newspapers, but increasingly on the Internet. Orient yourself preferably on the common job and job portals.

Examples of portals of individual disciplines are mentioned here:

Under www.jugendhilfeportal.de/stellenmarkt you will find the specialist portal of the child and youth welfare.
The portal for jobs in the field of child day care NRW can be found at www.kita.nrw.de/kita-stellen

The Federal Employment Agency provides extensive digital tools and information services. If you would like to get an initial overview of which qualifications are in demand on the job market and which professional development courses can increase your chances of re-entering the workforce, feel free to use the following exploration tools:

NEW PLAN: This will help you find out which development opportunities and further training courses suit you. You can also get inspiration on which career alternatives suit you.
BERUFENET: On these pages you can find out about professional and personal requirements in your desired profession.
Entgeltatlas: The search engine provides information about the earnings opportunities in your desired profession.
Job Futuromat: Learn how your profession is affected by digitization and which technologies are changing the profession.
Change profession: Sometimes a change of profession opens up new perspectives. If you want to use the re-entry for a new start in your career, find out on these pages what paths you can take.

"Creating Perspectives: An online offer specifically for women

The Internet portal www.perspektiven-schaffen.de of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs is aimed directly at women with extensive professional information. Using the interactive advice center map, you can search for employment agencies, equality bodies and other advice centers.

You're thinking about setting up your own business?

Women interested in setting up their own business can find information and services specifically tailored to them on the path to self-employment at http://www.existenzgruenderinnen.de/.

Is it even worth getting back into the business?

Surely you will ask yourself what re-entry will bring you in financial terms. The re-entry calculator helps you answer this question. With the online tool, you can quickly and easily calculate what income you can expect in your desired profession.

The calculator also shows you what impact your salary will have on your pension. This gives you a good estimate of your retirement security. The accompanying flyer "Re-entry calculator - Check your financial perspective" from the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs provides further impetus and advice.

Local networks to support people returning to work

The state of NRW promotes joint activities to improve professional re-entry processes. You can find out about support services at the following local and regional networks:

Where can I find help and advice?

If you have questions about your career re-entry, it is best to contact your local employment agency or job center directly. You can use the contact form to make an appointment for advice -,in person, by phone or by video.

You can get advice there about training and continuing education opportunities for career returnees: inside, career orientation courses as well as the assumption of costs.An interactive consulting center map, on which you can look for employment agencies and/or job centers, establishment consultation and further consulting mechanisms, find you on the portal www.perspektiven-schaffen.de

Also trade unions and professional associations offer consultation to the topic re-entry. This can be about other topics, for example, which financial subsidies you are entitled to, how a qualification can look like, which flexible model of working hours fits for you or how you bring family management and career together well. Together, you can check whether self-employment can be a path for you.