to apply for jobs knowing I want to become pregnant soon?

[jojomo]

Go easy on me please, I haven't posted here before! The situation is that I have an interview for a fixed term contract position (until end March 2011) and I have a fairly good chance of being offered the job. But I know that I want to start ttc in the next year so I feel guilty that I would take the job and the training etc and then potentially go off on maternity leave before the contract finishes. It's a government employer not a small business. And of course I may not be lucky enough to become pregnant in that time and we do need the money. Am I being daft to worry about this or is it a really crap thing to do?

You are a daftie. I think you know this yourself! Go for it and if you get pg, then big deal. Such is life.

There have been threads on this sort of thing before.......

I cant see the problem. The jobs only till March 2011 and you want to start ttc in the 'next year or so'. Delay ttc ing till back end of next year (as per your intentions) - problem solved.

YANBU. You don't know what will happen. When I first started ttc I applied for a job, found out I was pg, had the interview, had a miscarriage and then was offered the job. In the end I decided to take it, as it had taken several months to conceive and then we'd lost the baby anyway, so who knew what would happen now. As it turned out, I got pg within 3 months and that was dc1, but it didn't matter, no-one was cross (again, not a small business).

I know someone else who stalled something big at work and told her boss it was because she was planning a baby. 6 months later her dp had walked out on her with no ttc . Not saying this will happen, of course, but she turned down a good opportunity for what turned out to be no reason.

If it's a job you want in the circumstances then go for it. Maternity leave is there for a reason. Any woman of childbearing age could become pregnant any day and employers have to deal with that.

Don't feel guilty!
Go for the job. It may take you a while to get pregnant anyway and would have been awful to have turned down the job. Hopefully though you will get pregnant quickly and employer will need to find someone else - it happens all the time so really don't feel bad. Definitely take the job!

Oh, and my boss said to me when I got pg (in amongst her shrieking delight ) that things happen with staff all the time that need dealing with and that she'd far rather be arranging cover for me because I was pg than because I'd gone under a bus. Actually, as a manager I know I would feel the same.

Thanks for the replies everyone. My dh told me I worry too much about stuff like this aswell so I will give it my best shot and not feel guilty!

yanbu there is nothing wrong about that whatsoever

Go for it, years ago I got made redundant not long after getting married, I was desperate to get pregnant so we had been trying. We decided we better put trying on hold until I was settled in a new job. Anyway I applied for jobs, I got offered a new job on the Friday, found out I was pregnant on the saturday. I was so worried so as I had accepted the job. I was honest with them and they turn round and said, well congratuations! and we still think you are the right person for the job so we'd still love for you to come to work for us! Happy ending!