Seen dream job advertised, new baby

[Chickchickola]

Hi

I found out just after going on maternity leave that I was likely to be made redundant. I really love my job and similar roles are few and far between.

I have SMP until July 2013 and I am currently exclusively breast feeding my 6 week old baby.

I have seen a great job advertised but it is about an hours commute away, I don't know whether to apply or if I am just panicking. I really don't want to leave my baby but I'm terrified of being unemployed. Jobs are few and far between so another might not come up between now and the end of my paid maternity period.

I really don't want to start a new job with such a young baby but I can't get my head round being out of work, and I do worry about missing a good opportunity.

It is full time though and I only wanted to return part time which had been agreed for my current job before the redundancy. With my savings me and my DH can manage (cutting costs) until the end of 2013 as long as I could start work from Jan 2014.

I don't know what to do.

[Northernlurkerisbehindyouboo]

I think you're panicking a bit tbh. This job is an hour away, your baby is very young and you want part time - this is fulltime. You can manage for more than a year as you are. I would let this one go and start looking early next year when you'll be in a better place to judge what you want to do re childcare etc.

[janey68]

I agree.
Being perfectly honest, if you really want this job it's do-able. (Most
of my older colleagues took 12 week maternity leave and returned full
Time, so it's quite possible to do this, and continue to breast feed
too)
But it sounds as though you want to take a lot longer off work and
Just do part time when you return anyway- so is this really your dream job?

[coldcupoftea]

Nothing wrong with applying and stating clearly in your covering letter that you want part time only; they may be willing to consider it for the right candidate. If not, at least your name/cv is on their radar for the future.

[Chickchickola]

Thanks, I think probably it would be better to say 12 months ago it would have been a dream job. Right now my dream job is to be a SAHM if I am really honest, I would hate to leave my baby right now while she is so little.

Just part time opportunities never come up really and I'm really in a state about this redundancy and what I will do in the future. I just feel I should be going for any opportunity I can find.

[Rockchick1984]

There's a massive difference between a newborn and a 12-18 month old in terms of how you will feel about leaving them to return to work. I became a SAHM after having my DS (now 19 months) and one of the reasons was because I couldn't stand the thought of leaving him every day, and having to pay out a huge percentage of my wage for the privilege!

If I now was in a situation where we needed the extra money, I would honestly feel able to do it I think (although an so glad that I don't need to). By the time another job comes up you may feel ready to go back full time, with a view to applying for part time flexible working after 6 months.

I definitely wouldn't apply for this current vacancy unless you stated to them that you are on mat leave and therefore couldn't start yet (they can't discriminate against you for that, but obviously they may find another reason not to hire you). If you are the best candidate they may be willing to wait for you to return, even if you had to compromise and agree to return in say April rather than July :)

[scootle]

I wouldn't apply if I were you - I had just your attitude, and set up a cm for my baby so I could go back to work at 5 months. I really really hated it, and still regret it because I wasn't ready to leave my baby. If I hadn't been so panicky I could have easily managed for a year and then gone back to work. I am freelance so slightly different situation.

I would take the redundancy, enjoy the maternity allowance and the freedom to stay home with your baby and then seriously apply yourself to looking for a new job when the baby is 12 months. Good luck.