Smartdevconnect
Return-to-work plans that respect Elternzeit, childcare hours, and the job you want next.
Employment consulting in Germany for parents ending parental leave and professionals restarting after a longer pause — concrete timelines, employer talks, and documents that fit real family life.
Flagship consultation
Return-to-Work Planning
A three-to-five session engagement that turns leave-end dates, preferred hours, and career goals into one written plan you can take to HR, a recruiter, or your partner.
We map skills to current German vacancy language, rehearse the return conversation, and build a first-ninety-days checklist that leaves room for Kita closures — not a motivational speech.
Who this is for
- Parents finishing Elternzeit and negotiating Teilzeit or phased return
- Career re-starters after caregiving, relocation, or an extended pause
- Professionals changing employers rather than returning to the same desk
Related consultations
Other ways we work together
Career Restart Sessions
Focused one-to-one sessions for people whose break was longer than a parental leave — rebuilding narrative, updating documents, and choosing a realistic first step back.
Employer Conversation Prep
Practice the return talk with your current employer — hours, phased return, and how to name family needs without undermining your professional standing.
Lebenslauf & Application Review
A careful rewrite of how your break appears on paper — honest, Germany-market appropriate, and ready for both human readers and standard application portals.
From a recent return
“We spent the first session only on Kita hours and my partner's rotating shifts. It felt almost too practical — until the written plan made the HR conversation straightforward.”
— Miriam K., project coordinator returning after Elternzeit
Guides
Field notes for the weeks before you return
Short articles on Elternzeit countdown decisions, explaining a career break in interviews, and negotiating Teilzeit hours that still hold after month three.