Returning to work after long term sickness

Returning to work after long-term sickness can seem daunting, but with a positive attitude you'll be able to turn it into a fresh start. Remember, many people have time off work with sickness – you're not alone. Why not look at these steps you can take to get back into work?

• Consider your situation
• Identify new career opportunities if you can't return to your old job
• Make a fresh start in a new line of work
• Update your skills and knowledge
• Give your confidence a boost
• Be positive about your time off
• Get some experience
• Find out which training schemes you can access
• Get advice on benefits and other legal matters
• Get further help and advice

Consider your situation

Ask yourself the following questions:

• does my illness or injury mean I need to think about a new line of work?
• do I want to do a different job when I return to work?
• do I want to update my skills to get back into my previous line of work?
• do I need to boost my confidence?

If you work out your needs you'll be able to take the steps you need to get back into work. Talking to one of our Careers Coaches at the Careers Advice Service can help you to consider your situation and work out your route forward. You can call them on 08080 100 333. Lines are open 8am to 10pm seven days a week.

Identify new career opportunities if you can't return to your old job

If you had an active or physical job, your illness or injury might mean you can't return to your previous line of work. However, you can use your skills and experience in many other ways.

Think about your experience – for example, if you've worked in the building trade think about hardware retail, costing building projects or working in support functions such as human resources. Other options include general management and driving jobs. With these jobs you can use your experience without doing much physical work. If you've worked in heavy industry you could think about quality management or health and safety.

Many people who can't go back into their old job move into education and training. If you're qualified or experienced in a certain line of work you could study a teaching certificate and become a further education teacher in a college.

Get help making your decision from an experienced adviser. Find out how they can help in our guidance service section.

Make a fresh start in a new line of work

During your time off you might have decided you want a change of job. You might just fancy a change, or opportunities in your previous line of work might have decreased.

You could kick-start your career change by identifying which skills you've already got, which skills you want to develop and what type of work would interest you. Carry out our skills and interests assessment to get a picture of your current skills and which jobs you might like to move into next.

Our Careers Coaches can help you to interpret the results of the skills and interests assessment and generate career ideas. You can call them on 08080 100 333. Lines are open 8am to 10pm seven days a week.

Update your skills and knowledge

If you want to get back into the same line of work you were in before, check your skills and knowledge are up to date. You might need to update yourself on developments in the field and new working practices may have come in. You can get up to date by reading a trade website or magazine or by calling your professional body. You could contact old colleagues to ask them what's been going on.

Due to the pace of change in technology, your computer skills are the most likely skills you'll need to update. You could bring yourself up to speed by joining a college course or doing a course on your home PC.

Our advisers can help you choose the right course for you to update your skills. They can also put you in touch with the professional body for your line of work. You can speak to an adviser by calling 0800 100 900. Lines are open 8am to 10pm seven days a week.

Give your confidence a boost

Whilst you're out of the workplace your confidence can take a knock. You build confidence from doing things and achieving things, and work can play a big part in this. You'll start to gain confidence again if you take a positive step and do something new and challenging, such as starting a course or doing some voluntary work.

There are loads of other ways you can boost your confidence – why not read our article on building your confidence?

Be positive about your time off

Employers will understand why you've been off if you're honest about the nature of your illness or injury. But it will help them to build up a positive image of you if you mention any personal development activities you've undertaken whilst you've been off. Activities like these will impress employers:

• completing courses
• joining societies
• volunteering
• being active in your community
• undertaking projects in the home
• spending time with your family.

Get some experience

Employers are big on experience because it gives them recent evidence of what you can do. If you're aiming for permanent full-time work but want to ease yourself back in, you could consider temporary work, part-time work and voluntary work. You'll also get a reference and it could lead to a full-time job.

Find out which training schemes you can access

If you're receiving health-related or disability benefits you can access the New Deal for Disabled People (NDDP). An NDDP Job Broker at your local Jobcentre Plus office will help you decide which jobs might suit you best and will help you with any training or courses you need to update your skills. NDDP Job Brokers understand the barriers to employment you might face, such as mobility issues. You can find out more about NDDP on the Job Centre Plus website.

You should also be eligible for other schemes for unemployed people, such as Work Trials, where you get a work placement that enables you to show an employer what you can do.

If you need additional employment support because of a disability, you can see a Disability Employment Adviser, who will usually be based at your local Jobcentre Plus office.

Get advice on benefits and other legal matters

If you're off work due to injury, your local Jobcentre Plus can advise you on benefits. They can advise you on whether to move from Incapacity Benefit to Jobseekers' Allowance.

You can get impartial advice on legal matters such as compensation from your local Citizens Advice Bureau.

Get further help and advice

You can get more help with returning to work on our job hunting pages:

• how to write a CV
• application forms
• interview skills
• finding a job   

Our Careers Coaches can help you to identify your skills and help you decide which skills you need to develop. They can also help you put together a CV and help you with your interview skills. You can speak to an adviser by calling 0800 100 900. Lines are open 8am to 10pm seven days a week.

You can get also get help looking for work from your local Job Centre Plus. You can speak to their advisers or use their resources to search for vacancies. 

Related items

• help for students with disabilities
• choosing the right course
• what are transferable skills?