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Advice for pregnant teacher!

Hi I currently teach year 1 and coming to the end of my NQT year. I have been offered a coordinator role starting in september, but Im now pregnant, baby due 12/12/12! Does anybody have any advice?? Im unsure what school will say as I am still an NQT at the moment. When should I tell school? Does anyone know what maternity pay Im entitled too? HELP please!!! Im worried that things might change at school and the head is a bit of a tyrant, so Im concerned about her reaction! Maybe Im just over-reacting and over thinking things?!?

If anybody has an opinion or advice please let me know! TA image

Replies

  • Hi, I can't really advise on the entitlement aspect as I'm not a teacher and don't understand the nqt or whether its temp or permanent. What I would do is ask for the offer and terms and conditions in writing or via email so you have a record of the job offer. I would then at the time of accepting be honest and tell them I'm pg. I think you will have been employed long enough to get smp. Congrats on your pg. Let us know how you get on x
  • Hey I am a teacher!  Firstly congratulations!! x

    Your maternity shouldn't affect the coordinator position - I was offered a coordinator shortly before going on maternity - plus they are not allowed to discriminate becuase you are pregnant.

    As for entitlement - google the burgundy book and it sets out exactly how many weeks you get of full pay, 90% pay, 60% pay etc.

    Anything else you need just ask image

    x

  • Thanks snugglenush!!

    How did u tell your head? How long did u take off? I'm just really apprehensive about telling them at school. Did you go back to the same year group? My job is a permanent position so everything should be ok, hopefully! Do you get any help with child are costs?

    image

  • Well I told my head really early - well before my 12 week scan cos I had a child in my class (year 3) who was violent and he threw something at me. She was fine, very happy for me. 

    I was lucky in that i was due in september - so I technically started my mat leave on the day they all went back to school, so I had all summer off but was getting paid!! I only took 6 months off as that was when the money ran out!! Once you get to 6 months, it goes down to just smp which is not alot at all!!!

    Yes I went back in to the same year group - it was still hard work though!! But I was only back for a term and a half so it was just long enough to get me back in to it but not too long to be very daunting lol!! But ds went to a nurser round the corner and really loves it!! We get childcare vouchers - your head should be able to get HR to send you a pack about it. 

    How many weeks are you now?

    x

  • I'm 13 weeks now so going to tell them when I go back after half term! Eek! I'm due December so was going to try and stay at school till end of November and then go back about this time next year! Oo you timed it well having a September baby. How have you found school since having a child? Ru trying for another baby now? I keep reading all these things online about child tax credits and working tax credits but it's just going over my head! Too much to take in.



    Did you find out what you were going to have?

  • I found that first term back really difficult, but I was looking forward to returning to work. I had loved that time with my son but was ready to regain a bit of myself!! I went back 4 days a week - but then went back up to full time when I was offered a promotion in September.  And now I am just in a routine to be honest - I drop him at nursery on the way to work, he really enjoys it. I get to stay after work for a little while getting my marking done and stuff so that I pick himi up and have time to spend a bit of time with him before bedtime.  

    Tax credits are complicated!!! I got them in the beginning but not anymore but I have a HUGE tip for you! Apply anyway - regardless of whether you are in the boundaries or not. The original application goes off your previous years earnings - which is obv going to be alot more than next years cos of mat leave. Then when you go back to work - ring them and tell them you are oging back to work and that you have been on mat leave - SMP doesn't count in your earnings, so they will recalculate and you will get a lump sum. I got quite a bit cos when you take smp off your maternity earnings, it's hardly anything. 

    Yes I am trying for another baby now! The head knows or atleast has a very good idea and she is fine with it. I must be mad - my little one is almost two! But I know I will manage.

    And yes i found out what I was having! Although I had guessed all along!! Luckily both me and hubby wanted to find out straight away. Will yo find out? Had you been trying long??

    x

  • Yes I definitely want to find out! Want to get things ready and buy all the right colours! I'm convinced it's a boy but not sure if it's just my boyfriend putting it in my head because he keeps calling baby he.

    Thanks for the tip, looking for as much help as possible really because my boyfriend doesn't earn a great deal. Hopefully we should be able to get some tax credits and help towards child care costs. Fingers crossed! It's hard because I moved down south and my family are all up north so won't be able to get as much as I would like from them.

    Ah would you like another boy or a girl?

    We were trying for about 4 months so it happened quite quick. Quicker than we thought!

    Sorry to ask so many questions but how much does child care cost for you then? Does your son go 5 days a week?

  • Well we are having a go at the scientific method for conceiving a girl!! I am not that bothred though to be honest - i love having a boy and would love another!!

    He goes to nursery 4 days a week and on a wednesday he has daddy day and hubby looks after him. Once we have another - there will be 2 daddy days (he works every weekend). It costs us £144 a week for 4 days!!! Ours isnt the cheapest nurser though - but also not the most expensive!

    We weren't eligible for childcare help, even when we got te tax credits. You'll just have to wait and see what they offer you.

    x

  • Hi ladies!



    Overthemoon- sounds like Snugglenush has given you loads of fab advice. There's also a pregnancy forum on the TES website which could be handy!



    Do you guys find teaching exhausting during pregnancy? I trained as a primary school teacher but changed careers after 18 months of supply, without doing my NQT year. After almost two years as a prison officer I moved to the education dept and have been teaching prisoners for over 3 and a half years! Because of the nature of my job, I am now on non-contact so am doing admin jobs rather than teaching, and I am shattered without even having to teach. xx
  • Hi,

    I have just come across this post and even though I am not pregnant at the moment I am looking for some advise. I'm almost 28 and my partner and I really want to start trying for a family as soon as possible however I am in the process of changing my career too. I start my Pgce this sept (2012) in secondary physics. I don't think it would be a wise decision for me to try and become pregnant during my pgce but, and this is where I am after advise, I was wondering how it might affect things such as my chances of getting a joorder if we were to get pregnant during my nqt year hopefully so the baby would be due after I had completed the nqt year. Since I have not started my pgce yet I am not 100% sure how the nqt to qts works, do u get employed by a school for your nqt year and get to stay there afterwards or is it a case of once I have completed my nqt year I have to star looking for jobs as a qts? I am prepare to put of getting pregnant for a year or two so I can get my teacher career started so we can provide the best we can for any children we do have but at the same time I don't want to leave it too long and then find it also takes us several years to conceive!! Any help and advise at all would be greatly appreciated!

    Thank you on advance!
  • Hi Sarah Martin2.

    I am a teacher.

    Once you finish your PGCE you can apply for any job and will be applying alongside other NQTs and more experienced teachers. The amount of time you spend in that job simply depends on the job on offer, it is not affected by being an NQT or not.

    So you will be an NQT for a year (if you are full time, it took me longer because I was part time). And in that time you will get an extra 10% non contact time and you will have a mentor who will help you meet the standard to pass your NQT year.

    The transition from NQT to fully qualified is pretty seamless and there is no reason for you to change jobs unless your contract is at an end anyway.

    I think it would be wise to wait until the end of your PGCE because it will be quite a tough year time wise, and you will need to focus. And it probably would be best to finish your NQT year first too because once you start it you only have so long to finish it.

    After then its personal choice. For me I have got to a point now where i am confident in my job and hopefully time off wont dint that too much

  • Hi Catherine88.
    Thank you for the advice. I at least now know how the NQT year works and the fact that i dont have to start looking for a new job at the end of it (if my contract isnt uo) makes things alot easier. I have been reading alot of forums and they all seem to agree with what you have said, to at least wait untill the end of the PGCE which we had decided anyway. After reading and talking about it we have decided to wait untill at least easter of my NQT year and then that way if we catch on early and worse case scenario that I am ill from early on in pregnancy then that way hopefully it wont make things too difficult with the end of the NQT year. In the long run 18-24months isnt all that long to wait to be able to establish my career first so we can provide the best we can for a baby.

    Thank you

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