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I want a new job, worried about maternity leave.

MrsPinkPlayboyandBlueBumpMrsPinkPlayboyandBlueBump
in Trying to conceive
Hi,

Im desperate to leave my job, its in care, I really hate it, im getting really down and i dont look forward to it when i go in and i get spoken to like crap and nothings been done about it, Im getting to the point where i have to bite my tongue coz im about ready to burst and shout at them!

Im worrying about the maternity leave for when you start a new job. As im still in the process of finding out if im pregnant or not and if im not, my hubby still says i should stay where i am coz we would be TTC.

Im reading on the internet different things and dont know which is right.
Do you have to be in the workplace a year to get full maternity pay? I am seriously desperate to leave, im tempted to walk out but i know that wont do me any favours when it comes to future references.

MPP
xxx

Replies

  • fergyfergy
    Hi Hun

    I work in HR so in theory should know what I'm talking about....

    First of all, do you just get SMP where you are now?

    If so, and same for new job (ie smp only) then you could be entitled to maternity allowance, which is same money as SMP, but you get it if you are either self employed, or if you have been in employment for at least 26 weeks in the 66 weeks before your expected week of childbirth.

    So if you start a new job, and say you got pg straight away, as long as you stay in that job for at least 6 months then you'll get maternity allowance. There are other combos with numbers etc, but I guess that's the most likely one.

    So in a nutshell, if it's SMP where you are, SMP where you go next, then don't worry, you won't lose out!

    What you need to be careful of is if you get any company mat pay on top of SMP and each company will have different qualifying periods for this - some you qualify as soon as you join, others you need a certain length of service to qualify.

    hope that helps - it's a complicated system!

    xxx
  • MrsPinkPlayboyandBlueBumpMrsPinkPlayboyandBlueBump
    Yes very complicated but thanks your help.

    If i am pregnant right now then thats going to make things very difficult. Im in the process of looking for a job, so i havent got application forms yet and i bet it wont look good to them if i say im pregnant (if i am). I can understand for the jobs point of view and to them we could just take the money and not come back, im just stuck in a rutt on what to do, but i really am fed up now.

    MPP
    xxx
  • MrsMcDermott2bMrsMcDermott2b
    aw honey im sorry you feel like this,im always on directgov but i think i need to phone someone as i dont know what im entitled to as ive got two pt jobs!

    Anyway,i hope at least you find you have a BFP!!!!
    lots of sticky baby dust to you
    x x x
  • berly153berly153 Regular
    hi this happened to me when i got pregnant. i started the new job on the 29 sept 2008 after coming back from hoenymoon. i was only there 2 weeks when i found out i was pregnant, so was pregnant when i started. i was entitled to maternity allowance from the goverment which was ??126 per week. this is their max as i worked full time i was entitled to that much. if you work part time it will be less. this was paid until i went back to work in oct. i missed out on mat pay from my work which was 6 weeks full pay then onto the same as the allowance by about a month i think. but didnt let it bother me as i had exactly what i wanted.

    but i would say if you are ttc i would stay put if you can but if your job is that bad and you do get pregnant early in new employment its not the end of the world.

    now we are ttc again and i have only been back at work since end oct and my boss has all these big plans for me. at least she talks a good game but have yet to see anything happen!!! and i do feel that if i get pregnant they will all be thinking 'what again'. as it means more mat leave, mat pay and mat cover for my job and i appreciate that its not easy for them.

  • MrsPinkPlayboyandBlueBumpMrsPinkPlayboyandBlueBump
    Hi homefairy,

    I havent got a clue what youd be entitled to, i dont know about myself lol, probably worth ringing em. Would be so much easier if we are all just got the same amount no matter how long we have worked and how many hours.

    Hi berly, I know that if i am its totally going to mess everything up but its what i want right now, all this worrying about money is just not fair and theres people out there that cant be bothered to work and get lots of help. image
    If im not pregnant im going to have a look round for a new place. I can imagine what they will be like at work coz 2 other people are pregnant, 1 is on maternity leave and is due in 5 weeks and the other is around 12 weeks now, its gonna look quite bad if im the next, all that lovely maternity pay they are dishing out! LOL, Tough! i want a baby! my turn now hehe lol image)

    MPP
    xxx


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