{"id":2400,"date":"2020-07-14T10:28:50","date_gmt":"2020-07-14T10:28:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/?p=2400"},"modified":"2026-04-20T14:35:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T14:35:38","slug":"returning-to-work-after-career-break","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/the-essentials\/returning-to-work-after-career-break\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Back to Work After a Career Break"},"content":{"rendered":"

Performer and creativity coach Abiola Ogunbiyi offers practical tips and words of support for those\u00a0planning a return to work after time away from the industry.<\/h2>\n
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Whether your reasons were personal, professional, or the result of a global pandemic, working your way back into the industry can be an opportunity to clarify your goals<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A career break happens for many reasons. Some are completely under our control and may be\u00a0part of a deliberate decision to give another area of our lives the time and attention it deserves. However, some reasons are much less invited, where unforeseen circumstances render it physically, emotionally or financially unfeasible for you to continue working or looking for work as an actor.<\/p>\n

This article has been written as industries slowly recover from the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, and with no certain plans in place for much of the entertainment industry, it’s understandable for us to be questioning what there is to come back to in the first instance.<\/p>\n

Whichever way a career break has become part of your professional journey, one of the most important things to remember is that, though your reasons are unique to you, your experience is extremely universal. Not only is acting a career of repeated ‘breaks’ as we each strive to cross the bridge between the end of the last job and the beginning of the next, but we also live in a\u00a0world<\/em>\u00a0of the unexpected that, even with the best intentions, we cannot fully direct. Having a master plan is a great way of getting a sense of direction, but if we punish ourselves when real life doesn\u2019t mirror our plans, we forget one of our best assets as professional actors: our adaptability.<\/p>\n

Whether your reasons were personal, professional, or the result of\u00a0the pandemic, working your way back into the industry can be an opportunity to clarify your goals and re-enter your field with an outlook that uses your time away to proudly serve your time to come.<\/p>\n

Make Peace With The Past<\/h3>\n

As you begin your second act, any negativity about your break must be left where it belongs: the past. It\u2019s very likely ‘what you\u2019ve been up to’ will be brought up in your meetings; you want to be able to put a positive, or at least an accepting, spin on your experience. Share all the things that you’ve learnt during your time away and how excited you are to be back having new opportunities. The way we view our experiences can impact us far beyond the experiences themselves. Believe that your break was a professional interval rather than the curtain call.<\/p>\n

If your break was caused by a situation you did not actively seek out, such as burnout or financial instability, understand exactly why those events happened and be sure you have strategies to support your reentry and sustenance in what may often be a hectic and fluctuating career.<\/p>\n

Know What You Want<\/h3>\n

Did getting up-to-date with your favourite drama programmes renew your interest in working on screen? Or did time away give you serious headway on writing your piece for radio\/live performance\/who knows? Are you keener on comedy? Or do you want to delve into the world of motion capture? Paint a vivid and honest picture of where you see your career going now that you’re returning to it. Make your team fully aware of what this new and beautiful picture looks like as they\u2019ll be working to reintroduce you to the industry and a clear sense of your goals will ensure that both their time and yours is used as efficiently as possible.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to audition for everything just because you\u2019ve been away. In fact, your post-break demands might not even allow this to be a possibility, so clarity is even more crucial. Pick out your ideal projects from things you\u2019ve already seen and have an upfront conversation with your team about how you can work together to bring your goals to fruition.<\/p>\n

If you are re-entering the industry without representation all these tips still apply, though some of these conversations will be with yourself whilst you work on getting representation.<\/p>\n

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Your first few auditions back may feel more like warm-ups. Don\u2019t let that throw you off. Think of them as practising the best job you can do.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

(Re-)learning The Ropes<\/h3>\n

Though you may want to leap right back where you left off, appreciate the jump that your mind and body will be making back into the industry.<\/p>\n

Avoid early burnout by:<\/p>\n