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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Pregnant and have a job interview

22 replies

Icanonlytry · 17/09/2010 16:55

This is my first post on AIBU so be gentle ..
I applied for a new job a few weeks ago and just assumed that because I hadn't heard anything from them I hadn't been short-listed.
But I got a voice message this afternoon to say I had been short-listed and they wanted to see me for an interview.
Problem is I have just found out I am pregnant (due in May so still very early days) and don't know if it would be wrong for me to go for the interview and take the job if it was offered to me or if I should ring them back and explain my situation and not go for the interview.

I have been waiting months for a job like this to come up and would be really disappointed to miss out.
What should I do??

OP posts:

BooBooGlass · 17/09/2010 16:56

Go. Why on earth would you not? And don't mention the pregnancy either.

HecateQueenOfWitches · 17/09/2010 16:58

go. and you don't need to tell them you are pregnant if you don't want to.

congratulations, btw.

sapphireblue · 17/09/2010 16:59

If you want the job then you should definitely go. Whether or not you tell them you are pregnant depends entirely on your moral stand point I think!

I was made redundant in the very early stages of pregnancy with DD1. I managed to get an interview pretty much straight away through a contact of my boss.....I didn't tell the new company that I was expecting. I needed a job and we would have been financially in deep do-do if I had told them and they had decided not to employ me (which I think they would have done).

If you currently have a job though, and it's secure, then I think I would go for the interview and tell them at the end.

sapphireblue · 17/09/2010 17:02

Oh, and Hecate is right, you're under no obligation to tell them.

You should probably also be aware that if you do get the job you won't be entitled to maternity pay as you are already pregnant when you start. You should qualify for maternity allowance through the job centre though.......it was £112 a week when I had it 3 years ago. If your current company has a better maternity pay structure than that, it may be worth staying put if money will be tight!

Original poster

Icanonlytry · 17/09/2010 17:07

BooBoo I didn't know if I should because I would only be able to do the job for 5/6 months before going on maternity.
I wouldn't mention the pregnancy if I did go,
Thanks for the congratulations, I am so excited, only been trying since June after 7 years on the pill so didn't think it would happen for ages yet
Unfortunately I work in a school and the child I supported left the school at the end of last year which basically left me without a job we are ok for money at the moment but I can't be out of work long term.
Thanks

OP posts:

Original poster

Icanonlytry · 17/09/2010 20:20

sorry Sapphire missed your post.
I am currently out of work due to my contract ending and nothing else being available at my old place of work.
So as it stands now I wouldn't be entitled to any kind of maternity pay anyway so even if it was only maternity allowance it would be better than nothing.

OP posts:

howdidthishappenthen · 17/09/2010 20:22

Go. Don't tell them. They'll deal with it if you're good at the job. I am an employer in our own company - has happened to us, and we didn't bat an eyelid. Good luck!

RobynLou · 17/09/2010 20:25

You will probably be entitled to MA even if you don't get another job -

to qualify you
must have been employed and/or self-employed for at least 26 weeks in your 66 week test period (the 66 weeks before the baby is due). The 26 weeks do not have to be in a row and it does not matter how much you earn.You do not have to be actually physically at work to be employed or self-employed; you might be off work sick or have been on Statutory Maternity Leave for an earlier pregnancy for example.

Weeks when you have not worked a full week count towards your 26 weeks.

To get MA your earnings, on average, must be at least equal to the Maternity Allowance Threshold (MAT) which applies at the beginning of your test period. The MAT is £30 a week so you must earn on average at least £30 a week. If you have more than one employer, all earnings will count when working out the average.

Look here www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/specialist-guides/technical-guidance/ni17a-a-guide-to-maternity/maternity-allowance-ma/

you have to apply for it through the job centre.

and go to the interview and don't tell them you're pg!

lazarusb · 17/09/2010 20:30

I was in the same situation once. I phoned and told them and they still wanted to interview me. I'd tell them at the interview. Congratulations by the way :)

scottishmummy · 17/09/2010 20:32

go for interview,take it from there.congrats on pg

kelly2525 · 17/09/2010 21:46

I would go and not mention the pregnancy, but only if you havent had it confirmed by a doctor, otherwise it might come back and bite you on the bum, i know employers arent allowed to discriminate, but if they find out later that you knew and didnt tell them, then they are gonna think you cant be trusted.

BooBooGlass · 17/09/2010 21:49

That's nonsense Kelly. I didn't tell my employer until well past 12 weeks. Nor was I legally obliged to. Didn't mean I couldn't be trusted. Shoudl we all be declaring it to our bosses within minutes of peeing on a stick?! Without being on a downer, plenty can happen before 12 weeks, so there's no point in telling them.

kelly2525 · 17/09/2010 22:08

Dont patrionise me BooBooGlass. I never said we should all declare it within in minutes of peeing on a stick, nor did i say she was legally obliged to tell her prospective employer, what i mean is, surely its better to be upfront and honest, even if i didnt mention it right away, i would if i was offered the job. I told mine the week i found out i was pregnant, but then ive worked for my employer for ten years, i wasnt going for a new job that i knew i`d have to take at least a month off from within the year. If the OP doesnt tell them until after 12 weeks, and then decides to go on mat leave as soon as she can, it doesnt leave the employer much time to find a suitable replacement. Theres two sides to consider, not just one.

ChippingIn · 17/09/2010 22:25

Definitely go to the interview, don't tell them.

To put it bluntly, you are only just pregnant, anything could happen.

If you get offered the job, you can decide whether to tell them then or not, you have no obligation until you are much further along.

Congratulations on both though

eToTheiPi · 17/09/2010 22:34

Congratulations on your happy news.

If you work in a school are you employed by the authority? If the new job is within the same authority as far as I'm aware you will be entitled to full maternity pay from when you started with the authority, not the school - may be worth checking???

brassband · 17/09/2010 22:41

saphineblue wrote 'Whether or not you tell them you are pregnant depends entirely on your moral stand point I think!

Umm why is it a moral decision for her??The law is that the employer must ignore a pregnancy when selecting the best candidate for the job .
So if teh employer is planning on following the law, why would it be ' moral' to reveal a pregnancy before the selection stage?

fiordgirl · 17/09/2010 22:47

The moral point comes from taking a job knowing full well that you won't be there to do it for an extended period, thus submitting your employer to repeating the recruitment process to cover maternity leave.

taintedpaint · 17/09/2010 22:47

In an ideal world kelly, all employers (or prospective employers) would look at the merits of the person they are interviewing and see past personal details. In reality, this doesn't always happen. If the OP really wants the job, she should not risk telling the employer about her pregnancy, it will, right or wrong (and I think it's wrong), put her at a probable disadvantage. I quite agree, it would be better to be upfront, but not at the expense of the job, they are hard to come by these days as we all know. It's unfortunate, but that's just how it can be.

Icanonlytry, go to the interview, they can't ask you about your intent to start a family so you won't be under pressure to reveal your situation. I would settle in for a month or two, then when I felt comfortable, I'd speak to the manager.

taintedpaint · 17/09/2010 22:47

And congratulations! :)

brassband · 18/09/2010 00:20

But the fact you are pregnant is irrelevant.The only time it WOULD be relevent is if the employer is planning on ignoring sex discrimination law, in which case it is the employer being immoral

wineandroses · 18/09/2010 00:38

Speaking as someone who has offered a job to a lady in early pregnancy and also offered job to someone who didn't mention she was 5 months pregnant until she started job I know I prefer people to be upfront. I would not think twice about employing someone who is pregnant; best person for the job etc. That being said I must admit to feeling a bit cheesed off that lady number 2 told me on her first day that a) she was 5 months pregnant and b) she intended to take 1 year off as was her right. I thought - ffs that means I have to recruit almost immediately for cover. I think I would have offered her the job anyway as she was so qualified but I felt a bit duped frankly.
In your case OP it is early days so I would probably wait until you are in 2nd trimester just to be on the safe side. Then tell them.

Original poster

Icanonlytry · 18/09/2010 08:50

Thanks for all your advice and opinions. I am definitely going to go for the interview, then if I get the job I will settle in and then tell them once I have had my 12 week scan.
Robyn, I didn't know that I could still be entitled to MA because I will be working in the same authority. I wont have been employed by them from the end of august to the middle of Oct (when the job is due to start) so will have to check if that will cause a problem.

Thanks for the congratulations, we haven't told anyone yet so is nice to hear

OP posts:

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