Plan your career
Returning to work after having children
Thinking about if or when to return to work after having children is an important decision. It's a big step and there's a lot to think about, so it's normal if you feel a bit anxious. There are many things you can do to update your skills and present your time off in a positive light.
The National Careers Service can offer practical advice on returning to work. We have some great tools that can ease your journey back into work - a good place to start would be to develop an Action Plan.
Returning to work – your questions answered
"I'd like to return to my old job but I feel as though my knowledge and skills are out of date - how can I update them?" Commonly asked questions about returning to work are listed here.
Take your parenting skills into work
If you've been looking after children full-time, it can feel like your skills have been on hold since you left work. But this is not the case: you will have developed many useful skills that you can transfer into the workplace.
Help and advice for lone parents
If you are bringing up children on your own, there are schemes available to help you get back into learning or work. Visit this financial help for lone parents page on the Directgov website for more information.
Have you considered part-time work?
If you want to go back to work you could consider taking a part–time job at first, especially if you've been off work for a number of years. It is normal to feel that going from full-time homemaker to having a full-time job and caring for your children is a big step to take.
A part-time job can help you to ease your way back in, fine-tune your skills and get used to the working world again. The advantages are that you will be able to keep in touch with the world of work but still spend plenty of time with your children. You might want to think about getting advice before changing your situation because it could affect your benefits. Your local Jobcentre Plus or Citizens' Advice Bureaux should be able to help with this.
What help can I get to prepare me for going back to work?
If you're not ready for work just yet, you could try these steps to ease your way back into the working world:
Contacting the National Careers Service
I wish I'd known about the National Careers Service sooner!
Need advice on returning to work
Speak to an adviser about your future today. We have a number of ways for you to get in touch, select an option below 
