Personal stories

Never underestimate that uphill journey back into the workplace after having had your baby/babies. No matter how long you choose to (or need to) absent yourself for, you come back having experienced all manner of horrors during your period of matrescence, yet life in the office has oddly stood still. I found my cases hadn’t progressed much and for everyone else around me I may as well have just been away for a bank holiday weekend. Yet my mind didn’t seem to work in the same way, my priorities had shifted, I had (an)other human being(s) to keep alive, I had 9,641 things to think about during the day on top of my usual workload and shock horror I had to leave in time for nursery pick up. The morning shift was no easier- ignoring the sleepless nights and the general exhaustion, some days I had been up since 5am having fought various emotional battles on route to work and would walk into the office feeling like a cross between superwoman and an intruder. Validation, understanding, empathy, a leg up, a shoulder to cry on, as your professional body, CIOT are happy to provide all of these things. Don’t just feel supported, feel embraced. You’ve got this. Be patient. Don’t wish away the years - your career is a marathon, not a sprint. 

Helen McGhee Partner, Joseph Hage Aaronson LLP

“Shortly after I qualified as a CTA, I had my first baby and took a year of maternity leave. After a year back at work, my second child was born and I took a further 10 months leave. Coming back to work after this second break was very difficult. I felt completely out of touch – there had been some fundamental changes to the property and corporate tax rules that formed the basis of my practice and I was acutely aware that I had been out of the workplace for two of the previous three years. I was very fortunate to work in a supportive team and for a law firm that agreed to my request to return part time, but felt the pressure to prove to my colleagues that they were right to ‘back me’ by firing on all cylinders and not having any gaps in my knowledge. I looked outside my firm for resources to get back up to speed. I didn’t find the perfect, packaged ‘returners course’ I was after, but did make some great connections within the CIOT that I enormously value eight years on. I firmly believe that individuals returning to the tax profession after a break bring with them a unique dedication to succeed and a valuable fresh perspective. It is incumbent upon all of us currently working in tax to create a supportive environment in which ‘returners’ can thrive.”

Julia Cockroft, Tax Partner, Bristows LLP

If you would like to share your personal story do get in touch with the Head of Member Services, Emma Barklamb [email protected]  

Emma is also available to support members on a 121 basis, to schedule an appointment contact [email protected] or call 07867 530574