Encouraged By Family To Return To Work

 

Carol had planned on having an early retirement and filling her days with a host of leisure activities. It was her son’s persuasion that made her re-think her plans.

“I had worked for many years at various organisations and I’d even run a food stall at a school previously, so I wanted to wind down and just relax,” she explained. “But, after resting for some time, my son felt I still had many productive years to go and with my vast working experience, he encouraged me to return to the workforce.”

With little computer knowledge and skills then, Carol was initially hesitant about looking for a job. But all that changed when she saw a poster at the South-West Community Development Council (CDC) encouraging people to step out and return to the workforce.

 

Returning to Her Profession After Years Away

In 2000, Priya had moved to Mauritius shortly after marriage, because of her husband’s job. The birth of first her son, and then her daughter three years later, kept her fully occupied, with little energy to consider anything else.

 

It was only when her son turned eight that Priya and her husband decided it was time to return to give their children a better education, even though her future back in Singapore was uncertain.

 

Moving Back Home

“Frankly, I was worried about coming back alone. I knew I definitely needed a job to manage our living expenses. But having been away for 10 years, I didn’t know if I was still relevant and employable,” Priya recounted of her early fears.

 

All Priya could count on then was her training and prior experience as a nurse. To improve her chances, she wrote to most of the hospitals in Singapore while preparing for their return.

Bringing Knowledge From Home to the Workplace

 

Jasmine Lai has been a home maker since she got married, and became a stay-at-home mum to look after her kids. Now, with all her children in school, it did not take Jasmine long to realise she wanted a more meaningful activity in the mornings. “Ever since my youngest son entered primary school, I considered seriously about going back to work. But I was not sure what I could do as I had lost touch with the job market during the 14 years I stayed at home to look after my three sons,” she shared about her early doubts.