To go for a promotion I can only do for 3 months?

[AmyRhodes]

I'm a teacher. My Head of Department goes on maternity leave in December. I'm her deputy. In June, my headteacher and two deputy headteachers all verbally told me I will be covering her maternity leave from late December/January.

I've since found out I'm pregnant, EDD April 15.

Basically, I want the role (and the appropriate maternity pay), but I'll only be able to do it for about 3 months before my own mat leave starts.

The role has been promised to me, but I'm fairly sure my school will be planning an official application/interview process around November/December. By this time, I'm likely to be showing. I doubt I will get anything in writing anytime soon.

What should I do?

Just to say SMP is calculated based on your average salary in weeks 17-25 of pregnancy. If you're due in April then that would be approx mid Nov - mid Jan, so the salary will make v little difference. I believe the same weeks are used for enhanced pay but not 100%.
In terms of the promise, can you prove they promised it? E.g. emails? If so then you should be fine, if not it becomes a he said she said scenario...

@Nanna50 I originally didn't respond to you, but since you're reading so avidly....

The poster I was rude to said that she hoped my students and my own future children fail all their exams.

I'm not sorry.

I think you're right @Ohhgreat I may not be entitled to any increased pay.

And yes, I have some informal references in emails. My SLT are very reasonable so I'm hoping I won't need to refer to them.

Not really sure why you've posted. You've seemed very clear on your rationale from the beginning of the thread and not remotely interested in alternative opinions. Is it just to sound out what other staff members might think? You don't seem to need any support in your decision making.

This is the single most depressing thread I’ve ever read on Mumsnet. No wonder we have a gender pay gap and thank god we have laws against maternity discrimination!
The OP has repeatedly said that the promotion is a management role and won’t affect the way teaching is covered so unless you believe no teacher should be allowed maternity leave then you are being totally unreasonable to suggest she shouldn’t take this role.
I was in a similar situation recently having been tipped off about a promotion coming up and knowing I was pregnant. I told them as soon as the 12 week scan happened and before I started to show. I was about 22 weeks at the interview and found out at 26 weeks that I’d got it. I’ll be starting at nearly 30 weeks. I’ll do it for 2 months alongside the contractor who’ll cover my mat leave then do it again, likely for 3 years before I get the chance to change roles again.
Thank goodness I’m not employed by any of the posters who think that mat leave is abhorrent and a disruption to the business.
I assume OP will be returning after mat leave if she’s concerned about her career so she’s not just doing it for 3 months.

Oh you confirmed my assessment of you Amy I can stop reading now

@ourkidmolly

I suppose I am/was bothered about the perception of really wanting a role I can only do for a short time.

In other words, I guess I believe I'm NBU but I was interested in how others perceive it.

Perhaps shouldn't have posted in AIBU as others have said. Sorry to trouble 😕

@DrWhy

Thank you for your post. I'm surprised at the number of women who seem to think they are entitled to so little rights in the workplace.

I look forward to telling my child about how I got a promotion 3 months before they were born 💪

@DrWhy and congratulations on your promotion! 🎉🎉

DrWhy. I’ve certainly never said the OP wasn’t entitled to apply etc etc. I think it might have been the insinuation that the OP wasn’t going to tell the school she could only cover 12 weeks out of the secondment (I’ll be showing by the interview) that might have created some of the issue.

The OP later clarified that wasn’t the intention so all good.

And, before you say she doesn’t legally have to tell them, that’s correct but life isn’t always just about someone’s legal rights and sod everything else. It’s also about doing what’s right and fair in the circumstances. Your situation was different as you were going to do the role for theee years....a big difference to three months.

People like you are the reason so many employers promote men.

Pretty sure if you do this you'll add to problem of employers thinking it's best to avoid promoting young women.

Do you already have children op?

If not how do you know you’ll want to go back full time? Or if you’ll cope? Or that you won’t want a none stressful, part time role?

Also your pregnancy might not be straightforward, what then? What if you don’t get the 4 months to impart all your knowledge to someone else?

Go for it. I know people who have applied for a promotion when heavily pregnant and took up the role on returning from mat leave (NHS).

Amy, it sounds like you have it all in hand and are going to do the right thing by yourself, your employer and your family but I also think you need to beware of hubris.

I hope it all goes swimmingly for you, but I expect a lot of the posters are expressing caution not because they are stupid or old fashioned or unaware of their rights but because they've been there and juggled family and careers. The role I did before my maternity would have been disastrous if it had to be handed over to someone else in 4 months. All work places are different and it sounds like your school is a very friendly place to work.

Great if 3 months on your CV will make a difference to your career, it seriously never would have in my work place or for anyone that I know. If it was me I would save all my bargaining chips for when I was going back.

If you get promoted to HOD whilst the original member of staff is on maternity, and they come back to that job after maternity, are you going to have no role after you’ve had your baby? If you take the maternity cover, it’ll only be a year? Will your old job be there when you get back?

Absolutely go for it. I’m also a teacher and I have a former colleague who was interviewed and promoted during both of her periods of maternity leave. You need to think about your own career.

@DrWhy congrats on the new job! Did I read it right that it took 4 weeks between interview and appointment?! In teaching (at least in Scotland) you generally hear the same day! I once had to wait overnight and I was raging!

Are all the people criticising actually reading what the job is? Its Head of department. If anything will mean less teaching not more....
They're being dicks. Please ignore them
Also- forgot to say congratulations!

This is so depressing to read. So women who are ambitious and want to be promoted, not giving up as soon as they get pregnant are the reason sexist illegal companies only hire men? FFS.
Instead she should give up on any ambitions once she finds out she's lucky enough to get pregnant hey? Give up everyone - once that baby's there you are worth less, you're just a mum now. don't even think about promotion. You can't take a year off! That would be selfish... i am sick just reading these posts.
Anyway- those of us who have kids, took new jobs or got promoted whilst pregnant, who continue to look for new opportunities with kids and are going to be having more(!) stand by you. And raise two (slightly swollen) fingers at the rest of you.

Sorry! Total rant! I'll go get a drink and chill out now!

@Ketayuzu
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

@ClemHFandango
Sorry for the confusion, I’m not in teaching and it was probably more like 3 weeks, one of the other people appointed was an international transfer, which it took ages to get approved and held everything up.
I guess it’s slightly different that my role is permanent whereas the OP would be covering mat leave, although it still puts her in a better career position for getting a full time promotion when she comes back.

As other posters have said, HOD roles are mostly admin and leading a team but results in teaching fewer classes, so fewer kids would be impacted anyway (and would be impacted regardless) - in my faculty I also try to re-arrange timetables to cover exam groups rather than have them go to cover - all normal. Good luck OP!

Totally agree that pregnant women should be able to apply for a promotion and not be discriminated against.

But this is a maternity cover that OP can’t fulfil and no guarantee of a promotion after that unless I have misunderstood.

Maybe teaching is a very different profession to mine but 3 months as a step up maternity cover would mean very little in my industry.

From an equalities viewpoint the role should be advertised and the school should go through its usual recruitment procedures. The role will be fixed for the duration of the maternity cover (so you will loose it if the perm role holder returns early). If you can't fulfil the role for the full duration of the maternity leave then I don't see you being offered the job.

Just tell the school that you’re pregnant if they offer you the job. Unfair to do otherwise and they’ll remember it.