ttc and a new job offer

[SuchaJem]

Hello

Would really appreciate any advice please! Have been trying 4 months now for the first time - no luck yet... And a job offer has come my way.

It's a promotion and a big pay rise. My current employer cannot match the offer or promote me anytime soon.

However I qualify next year for a 6 week paid sabbatical - quite hard to walk away from.

And where do I stand with ttc and starting a new job? Do I qualify for mat pay / leave if we conceive soon after joining?

Any advice gladly appreciated

As long as you're there for 1 week before getting pregnant you'll get SMP, but it's unlikely you'll get any enhanced maternity pay (if it's offered). If you're pregnant when you start you'll get maternity allowance (if you've worked enough during the previous year) which is the same as SMP, but without the 6 weeks @ 90%.

How will they know when I conceived? Did not think that would factor in!

Thanks for your reply.

Because you'll get an EDD (estimated due date) at your 12 week scan and all of your dates will be based on that (I was moved forwards 3 days with DD and a week with DS, so you'd need to factor in having an inaccurate scan into your timings!).

When you hand your MATB1 in to work (which needs to be done by the time you're 25 weeks' pregnant and is often done at your 20 week scan) your employer will write and tell you if you qualify for SMP by using the date on that form.

The employer has to work out your "qualifying date" which is worked back from your due date. It can get way more complicated but that's the basic.
Surely if the new job has a big pay rise then that is worth more long term than the sabbatical?
I stayed in a job as I was trying to conceive. Unfortunately it didn't happen and I regretted the lost time in a job that I wasnt very happy in.

The pay rise makes up for it money wise but I wouldn't be able to get that length of time off work. Which maybe isn't a big deal if I get pregnant and go on maternity?

It's such an impossible decision

It took us 20 months to conceive... I took a worse job but closer to home in preparation for getting pregnant. As it was, the job was a brilliant decision (best ever!) but if it had not been, i would have given up a job I liked to sit in a rubbish one for 20 (!!) months plus 9 months to bake the baby.

Gosh sorry it took so long for you, I really hope we don't have to wait so long - but you just don't know do you?

So many unknowns!