Toast is proud to offer a returnship program with our R&D function in partnership with Path Forward. Returnship programs are designed to support individuals returning to the workforce after leaving their careers to focus on caregiver responsibilities. 

In this series, we will be spotlighting Toasters who participated in a returnship program, and then decided to join Toast full time.

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Preety S.

Senior QA Engineer

She/ Her

Prior to relocating to the US with my family, I was working with IBM India. I was not used to being at home, not working. The initial years in the US were a good relief from the hectic work schedule and I was enjoying it. At the time, my daughter was about 9 years old, and my son was 5. I was able to spend time with them and be part of so many activities in their school.

During this time, I volunteered at various organizations. I volunteered at my childrens' school, was part of an organization that conducted cultural events related to classical Indian dance and music, contributed as a social media media and marketing analyst for a non-profit working against human rights violations, and as a business development analyst for a construction firm. There were various factors why I started volunteering my time, but ultimately, I wanted to give back to the society I live in. For example, my children went to a public school where education is free and I thought that as a parent, I should help the schools in whatever way I can. Volunteering at the cultural organization was purely out of my love of Indian dances and music. I never got the chance to get involved in such activities while I was working. Volunteering at a non-profit and construction company was a way to give back to society, while also picking up new skills.

Eventually I started feeling that I was missing something in my life, but the fact that my kids needed me here in a new country where they were getting used to a completely new environment, kept me going. Once they were well settled, though, I wanted to go back to work. 

Due to my spouse's Visa status, I was not able to apply for a work permit. I tried to use this time to upgrade my skills and go for higher education. Going for a master's degree was one of my dreams and I thought I should utilize this opportunity to study further. After successfully preparing for and taking the entrance exams, I was able to begin my MBA journey at UMD. It was so refreshing to be able to go back to college again and sit in a classroom. I thoroughly enjoyed my time during the MBA program.

As soon as I had completed my MBA, I could not wait to join the workforce.The course, the various group projects, individual presentations and lots of interaction with my class had boosted my confidence. I was very excited as well as nervous to join back considering the technology changes that have happened over the years I was not working.

By the time I completed my MBA, I had obtained a work permit and was ready to join the workforce. Due to the considerable gap in my career, I decided to apply for the returnship program at various companies that offer it. I consider myself lucky that Toast offered the role of a QA engineer through a returnship program and I had considerable experience in this field.

The whole interview process at Toast was very positive. The HR team was so supportive, answering all my questions and even calling me on my phone to prepare me before the interview. I had never had this experience in any other interview before. My recruiter told me that having a gap in my career does not mean my previous work experience and skills have been negated. The people whom I met at the interview were very friendly and I felt at ease. One of them is my manager, Katy, who has been very understanding. She is always there to listen and resolve any issues I have.

Toast has been so supportive in terms of providing everything I need to perform my role. Right from getting my laptop delivered on time, to getting support to set things up, there were helpful people all around. The Slack channels are amazing- you get an answer to any kind of questions you may have. I got complete independence while performing my job role along with a lot of good guidance from my managers.

For others who are considering returning to the workforce after a period of time, I would advise them to look for jobs at the right places, like Toast, that value your skills. I wasn’t even aware of this returnship program and just chanced upon this on someone’s LinkedIn post. I wish I heard about Toast’s program sooner- it would have helped me avoid the frustration and disappointment I faced while applying to places and getting rejected without even an interview.

Eventually, I ended up accepting Toast’s offer because of the environment, the kindness and support I got from my managers and colleagues, and the flexibility I have that allows me to maintain a good work/ life balance. Apart from that, the technologies I have been exposed to and the opportunities I have to showcase my skills motivate me to stay here.