Sample Letter of Resignation

Sample letter of resignation: Leaving a job to start a family

Many family-related situations can cause a person to resign from a job. In particular, women often leave their jobs to focus on starting a family and caring for a child. After all, being a mother is considered a full-time job.

Please note that while it is perfectly acceptable to mention this family-related reason in a formal resignation letter, it is not wise to mention other family situations such as divorce. Don't forget that your letter of resignation goes on file in the Human Resources department of your company, and can be shown to future employers calling for references. Leaving a job because of a divorce may make a future employer think you are an unpredictable employee. In the case of divorce case, it is better not to mention why you are leaving.

Women leaving their jobs to have a child and to become full-time mothers can use the sample letter of resignation below. Because this is only a sample letter of resignation, you will want to change dates, names, and other facts accordingly.

October 24, 2005

John Lucas
Director of Research & Development
Sun Technology, Inc.
24 Temple Street
Boston, MA 02114

Dear Mr. Lucas:

Please accept this letter as my formal resignation from my position as Software Engineer with Sun Technology, Inc. I have chosen to make my last day of employment November 7, 2005, which is two weeks from today.

Although it saddens me to leave such a successful and first-rate company that has treated me exceptionally well for the past 5 years, I have made the decision to start a family with my husband. Because having a child requires a great deal of dedication and much time, I feel that this will prevent me from fulfilling my work commitments at Sun Technology. This would not only be unfair to the company, but it would also be unfair to my husband, my unborn child, and myself.
Therefore, I have made the decision to focus on my family instead of pursuing my career.

I would like to sincerely thank you for the opportunity to work for you and for Sun Technology. I will look back on my experiences here with great fondness, and I will certainly keep in touch.

Sincerely,

Jill Albert
Software Engineer