Restarting my career after a 5 year break

Returning to work after taking a career gap can be a daunting prospect, never-mind doing so in a completely new country and culture. Through the support of the Women Returners Programme, Ratna found her Business Analyst role with us last year after a five-year gap to help her family settle into their new life in the UK. Almost a year on, we chat to her to find out what her experience of returning to work has been like and her words of wisdom to anyone else looking to restart their careers.

Tell us a bit about yourself… 

I’m Ratna Biswas, I’m a Business Analyst in the Actuarial Team. I joined Hymans Robertson almost a year ago after having a five year career gap to look after my family.  

I’m originally from India and moved to London in 2017. When we moved here my son was a baby and I felt the best thing for my family was to be a full-time mum and help us all settle into our new life and culture.  

At the beginning of last year I decided the time was right to return to the world of work, and found my role at Hymans Robertson through the Women Returners Programme.  

What was your experience of returning to work? 

Getting back into the world of work after quite a long break wasn’t as plain sailing as I’d hoped – a lot of employers seemed more interested in the gap on my CV than my previous experience and skillset.  

Thankfully I came across the Women Returners Programme – a scheme run by Skills Development Scotland that helps women who have been out of work and want to restart their careers. I applied for the programme and was really pleased to be invited to interview for a role at Hymans Robertson.  

The process was really smooth, I didn’t even feel like it was an interview, more just a chat to get to know me. Then after a successful second interview I was over the moon to be offered the job - after the struggle I’d had at the beginning of my search it was quite an overwhelming moment! 

How are you settling into your role so far? 

Going back to work after a five-year gap, in a country where I hadn’t experienced the work culture, was a really daunting prospect. Especially in this industry – things can move on so much in just a month never mind five years!  

Thankfully I had a really thorough induction process and lots of training in the first 6 months or so. There were also quite a few other women joining Hymans Robertson from the programme at the same time as me, so we had each other for moral support.  

And I couldn’t have asked for a better company to work for - Hymans are so understanding and flexible, offering hybrid working and working around my childcare needs. I have been here for almost a year now and have settled in nicely. The family friendly policies have really helped me as well as continued support from colleagues and management.  

Any words of wisdom to other women looking to restart their careers? 

Definitely look into the Women Returners Programme, and find an employer that doesn’t see the gap in your career as a negative. The thought of returning to work after a long break is always going to be daunting, but it’s a lot easier if you have a supportive and understanding employer.