Changing a job just before starting process

[Kegbot]

Hi!

We have been approved to begin stage one and have our planning meeting next Thursday. Excited, nervous, all the feelings. But we're ready. We did our initial readiness to adopt interview a year ago, but wanted to wait until Covid situation was more under control to proceed in the end.

They'll need to do some employment checks etc and my current employers are really supportive. However, I desperately don't like working there. It's incredibly stressful, which I don't think I need.

I have an interview next week for a position with better pay, more flexibility and a smaller organisation (this would be a charity).

Bad timing, but I think it would be a better long-term solution.

Would changing your job just before or during stage one be a problem, do you think? If I got the job I likely wouldn't start until January and we'd be happy to do the six month break until stage two if we passed to give some time to settle.

Just a little awkward having to get an adoption reference from an employer when you've just started!

I changed in the middle. It did delay things a bit because I wanted to wait a few months before I told the new employer.

If you are the going to be the main carer and take the adoption leave I would think very carefully though.

I left a charity because it only paid statutory adoption pay and I couldn't afford a year off.

I went back into the civil service, and whilst its not my dream, I could take a year off, and go part time.
A lot to weigh up

I changed mine mid approval process and was questioned by my social worker and both at approval and matching panels about it. I explained my reasons and why it made sense in terms of adoption. In both jobs I was only entitled to statutory pay. Loss of benefits had been our SW's main concern when we told her. I didn't need to delay the process because of how slow it is at each stage and so had accrued enough time in my new job to be entitled to statutory pay.

Thanks everyone. I think I'm going to go ahead with the interview and then see if I can get a call with the SW in before our planning meeting to just discuss what (if any) impact this would have before accepting (if I even get offered it...)

Even this morning I was supposed to be having the day off and have spent all morning running around trying to sort out last minute 'urgent' requests....I'm not sure staying here is sustainable either. Overworking is just expected.

Even staying I'd only have Statutory Adoption Pay as it is. They don't have an adoption policy at the moment and are writing one up, so maybe that could improve.

The other benefit of potential new job is the small charity works with children with complex needs, which can only surely be beneficial for an adoption process. Work in communications, but there will be some direct working with children and families etc.

You're not having a baby. You're having a child who may not be able to cope with you going back to work. This may be it in terms of your career.
Do some hard heated fact searching about what happens if you or your partner can't go back to work... Ever.

I changed job mid process to one which was much more family friendly with more regular hours and less stress. It was seen as a positive move and didn’t affect the process. I moved from a charity to local authority which was better in terms of flexible working, better hours etc.

Do your homework in terms of organisational culture before you move, some charities are fabulous (and you’d hope one which works with complex needs would be supportive) but that’s not always the case.

The not being able to go back to work issue is a separate one from where you work during the adoption process and for adoption leave. I’d always suggest having a few options of working life (eg if you’re adopting with a partner one goes part time, both go part time, one stops work etc etc) so depending on the needs of the child you can flex your working arrangements. Does your current employer offer enhanced maternity package - if so I’d start negotiating that they bring their adoption policy in line because it could be considered discriminatory to offer enhanced mat leave while offering statutory adoption leave.