After tabling a motion in Parliament calling for better support to help women juggle their families and careers three weeks ago, MP Tin Pei Ling yesterday revealed that she will start work at an investment firm next month.
Currently the only full-time MP in the People's Action Party, Ms Tin said she will join Jing King Tech Group as its group director of corporate strategy.
In a Facebook post, the MacPherson MP said the local firm is "firmly positioned in the innovation and fintech space".
The 33-year-old has been a full-time MP for six years - she quit her last job as a consultant for Ernst & Young in June 2011, after winning the general election as part of the team for Marine Parade GRC.
She said in an interview then that she would not be looking for a job for up to a year, to focus on her role as an MP.
Much has happened since.
She was re-elected in MacPherson after it was carved out as a single-member constituency in the 2015 General Election, and is now a mother after giving birth to a son that same year.
Ms Tin said she is now able to return to work for several reasons - her 21-month-old son is in daycare, while her grassroots leaders and party activists have "built up a certain momentum" and put in place clear processes to help residents.
"Even when I became a full-time MP, I was always open about going back to work one day if it offered job flexibility," she told The Straits Times yesterday.
She expects to continue fulfilling her commitments as an MP.
"The company understands that there are times when duty calls, and they will support me when I go to Parliament sessions or have emergencies," she said.
"At the same time, I have to be responsible and ensure that work products are delivered on time."
While Ms Tin has managed to find a job with flexible arrangements, she reiterated her recent call in Parliament for companies to provide more support to mothers returning to the workforce.
"I have been very fortunate this time, but I have also come across women who have tried very hard and still cannot find a job," she said.
And while women have to stay relevant by taking courses and upgrading themselves, she added that employers have a big role to play: "They have to be open-minded and give these women an opportunity."
Asked whether the heavier workload may deter her from politics in the future, Ms Tin said: " I have spent a lot of time in the grassroots and this is something I will never give up.
"If I have to work doubly hard, I will."
