Re-establishing your Career with a Returnship

Many of us have times in our lives where we step back from our careers. Perhaps you’ve had a significant time away from work due to parenting or other care giving responsibilities. Or you might have had a period of unemployment due to an injury, study or extended travel.?

Whatever the cause of your career break it can be challenging returning to work. Which is why a number of Australian companies are now offering returnships.

What is a Returnship?

• Returnships are a bit like internships but for people who have already had a career.
• They have been designed for experienced professionals to help them re-enter their careers or launch a new career after an extended absence.
• Returnships last between a few weeks and a few months, and typically involve paid work that aligns with a person’s level of experience.
• The emphasis is on training and mentorship to ensure the person is up to speed and across any major technology and industry changes.

Benefits of Returnships

For people transitioning back to work after a pause, returnships can be extremely helpful for:

• Reducing the stress of returning to work
• Learning new skills and sharpening old ones
• Networking opportunities
• Experience for your resume
• Confidence boost
• Discovering which direction you want your career to take next
• Utilising prior experience so you don’t have to start at the bottom again
• Increasing your chances of employment

Companies offering Returnships

There are a number of Australian companies helping people transition back into employment particularly in the finance sector. For example: Deloitte’s Return to Work program, Macquarie Group’s Returner Program, EY’s EY Reconnect Returner Program and Accenture’s Career Reboot Program.?

It’s definitely worth looking into whether a company you’d like to work for has a returnship style program in place to assist you in reigniting your career.