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What to ask your employer before going on parental leave

Parents who have taken parental leave will tell you that being prepared for your departure and potential return to work in advance makes the whole experience much less stressful for everyone involved - baby included!

“I wish I had thought more about this before I went on leave” is a common response from working parents.

New to CareerMums?

Welcome to CareerMums - Australia's leading careers centre and jobs board for working parents and parents returning to work.

To make the most of the CareerMums service, please use the following guide for either Candidate or Advertiser.

How to survive when 2 incomes become 1

Maybe you have received a redundancy. Or one of you has stopped work to be a full-time parent. Perhaps you’ve decided to study full-time, or your partner has started his/her own business. Whatever the reason, the switch from two incomes to one can be challenging. Here are some practical tips to help you survive without getting deep into debt.

Resumes - Time to update?

CareerMums provides a free resume service to our users. We review your resume and give you a few ideas on how to improve it. Some of the continual challenges we see in resumes are content structure, design, and how to tackle the full time parenting gap.

See our resume resources to help you get it right.

Results of Latest CareerMums Survey

View the results of our recent survey. Find out just how skilled and experienced CareerMums candidates are, and how many are currently working but looking for a more flexible role.

You can also view what makes a job attractive to working parents.

BT Super: Aussie women not confident they will retire in comfort

BT Super found that most Aussie women will not accumulate the same amount of retirement savings as men over the span of their career, because the majority will leave the workforce either temporarily or permanently to raise a family.

Returning to work and the challenges of childcare

It's quite simple really..... when a child starts going to childcare, he/she will most probably catch everything going around the centre.

To match this, you have work deadlines, limited sick days and unlimited guilt because you should be with your child but your pile of work is building up as well. How do you deal with this?

Government paid parental leave

Find out everything you need to know about Government paid parental leave including if you are eligible and how it works with your existing leave entitlements.

The initial proposal has been revised to minimise the inpact on employers. It is due to start in January 2011.

Government subsidised training

Anyone looking to complete a course this year should explore the Government funded Productivity Places Program. it is for both job seekers and employees.

Check out the courses available and the Registered Training Organisations in your area. Courses can be done either online or face-to-face or both. It is extremely flexible to suit parents!

A game plan for your career in 2010

The holidays are a great time to start planning your career in 2010. Sit back, take a fresh perspective, and make work work for you.

View our guide for parents returning to work or our guide for working parents.

CareerMums enewsletter - Latest issue

View some of our latest flexible jobs now; Find out what employers have won awards for flexible work practices; Checklist of questions to ask your employer before going on parental leave; Starting your own business; Free CareerMums webinars; SBS Insight Program on work, motherhood and the balancing act; and more.

Tips for dealing with recruiters

Like it or hate it, recruiters tend to be one of a few employment channels we pursue when looking for a new job. CareerMums surveys have shown repeatedly that parents have not been impressed with recruiters, particularly post-child.

Find out how to stay in control.

Working from home

Working from home is something most of us would love to do. Being able to work part time and structure work around your family is so appealing.

Current skills shortages combined with globalisation and technological advances are changing the mindsets of organisations about working flexibly.

Find a flexible job

Finding flexible working conditions can still be a challenge. Some of our CareerMums have expressed frustration when dealing with recruitment firms who are not as excited about their potential in the job market when they say those 3 little words: “part time job”.

Don’t be discouraged. There are employers who want your skills and experience, and are more than happy to ‘think flexibly’.

Take on the workforce again

We are dedicated to helping parents return to the workforce with confidence. How do you start building that confidence? With the best information.

We provide you with the answers to the key career concerns and questions working parents need resolved so you too can start thriving again at work.

Keep your skills current

During parental leave, many parents often experience a lack of self confidence when it comes to their career and the prospect of returning to work. It is so common, and happens simply because you are removed from the workplace for a period of time.

In order to make the transition back to work as smooth as possible, it’s important to maintain your skills while you’re on leave.

Flexible Work Options

Working flexibly explained and examples of flexible work arrangements such as part time, flexible hours, compressed working week, work from home, job sharing, job splitting, purchasing leave, career break, gradual return to work and more.

Managing your career as a parent

Managing your career becomes more challenging after you have children. Before children, all you had to worry about was your career, your social life and your personal relationships.

Children add a whole new dimension of responsibility and selflessness to your life, and unashamedly to most people, they take priority to a career.

Making your case for telecommuting

It's a rare worker who has not, at one point or another during his or her career, thought it would be great to work from home instead of commuting to work. Perhaps you have a new baby. Maybe you have an elderly parent to care for.

If you're seriously thinking you'd like a job where you can telecommute, a few reality checks are in order first.