Maternity Allowance for final year PhD student

[AgBag]

I'm hoping to complete my PhD thesis before I give birth in October, however I might not actually graduate by then so might still be registered as a full time student. If its worth my while I could try and graduate before the birth. My research is funded by a charity. Does anyone know if I'm eligible for any kind of maternity allowance? My research funding has now finished (I've over run due to time off for hyperemesis - I don't get sick pay either!).
Any ideas anyone? Your advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Sleepybump - you're not a hijacker at all! This discussion is completely relevant to you too. As I'm married and my husband works I don't think we are eligible for any of those benefits you mention, hope you manage to claim something!
If you do get those benefits, then I think that also entitles you to the sure start grant www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/Expectingorbringingupchildren/DG_10018854

I'll keep you all posted on what I manage to find out!

I had a thread who had to take 6 months unpaid due to illness but got told he wasn't allowed to claim any benefits because he was still registered as a PhD student. It was struggle for him as you cam imagine.

I had to deal with staff telling me to write and hand in before I gave birth because it would make it easier for me, whereas in reality it meant not only would they have have to pay mat leave but I would also finish 4 months early and my funding would stop altogether at that point. I told them I'd see what I could do

friend not thread

The student Unions are generally a bit more helpful after the baby has arrived.

I'd just graduated when I got PG so managed to work enough to qualify for MA and DH was on his year out, so went back when DD was 6 months old.

The Student Loans company were actually wuite helpful for once! They have a seperate department that deals with student parents in each area - ours only had 2 members of staff which meant they knew our case well etc.

There's also a Hardship fund at each Uni, student parents are a priority and they will take a break down of your expenses and what you've coming in, and top you up if you have shortfall.

If you are in a couple lving together the parent who isn't a student can apply for Housing Benefit income support etc if you've got a low enough wage between you. They will take into account your student loan and any funding into their decision as to whether your entitled to anything though.

Well, I've now received an email from someone else supposedly equipped to help, but what they've come up with is nothing new unfortunately... copied below for other's information:

"Unfortunately, I don?t have any concrete information for you but I have some potential leads.

Firstly, I am not sure whether you have spoken to anyone at your college about your funding situation, but I would strongly suggest if you haven?t already done so you speak with your tutor. They may suggest the Access to Learning Funding as it supports students in financial hardship who may need extra assistance in order to access and remain in Higher Education. Students with children (especially lone parents) are a priority group for support. For more information please go to www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/funds

Unfortunately I don?t have specialized knowledge regarding the types of benefits available to you, but I would suggest that you contact Job Centre Plus and speak to an adviser about your current situation. They can be reached on 0800 055 6688 or for more information please go to www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Jobseekers/ContactJobcentrePlus/DG_186347.

I hope this provides you with further leads.

Kind regards, "

Thanks Ag - so basically they are no help!

Did you talk to the childcare officer yet?

Yes, that last message was what I received from the childcare officer...

Wow, talk about unhelpful. Basically pushing you on to someone else. They should know these things! Surely more PhD students than us have got pregnant?

skimmed the thread - but i had DD1 at the end of my PhD and my funder paid me a maternity allowance of 4 months stipend which was great.

I took a leave of absence of 12 months from when she was born which meant i didn't incur additional writing up fees.

I don't think we have writing up fees at my uni. Once you've paid fees for 9 terms of your PhD you are done with fees as far as I know (I bloody hope so anyway!).

My funding has run out, unfortunately, so I am not eligible for any maternity funding from them.

katz Did you find it hard to go back to writing up your thesis after a 12month gap? I'm desperately drying to complete before I give birth as I really don't want the thesis looming over me, but I'm worried about whether I can manage it or not.

I didn't really stop! I did a science/engineering PhD and was working on the microscope up until the friday (36 weeks) before DD1 was born at 37 weeks, in mid Oct. I then took until christmas off doing nothing except babymooning, then from Jan onwards i wrote whilst she played under her babygym or slept. I then had a first draft done by July. I finally submitted the following Jan but that was more the slowness of my supervisors. The advantage of the leave of absence was that i just didn't incur extra charges by going over my 3 year time allocation.

I found writing with a baby ok - although many people i talk to are amazed i managed it, i guess it depends on how you work and what sort of baby you had. For me i didn't have a choice, i needed the experimental work to be able to write up and didn't finish that just before i gave birth. Had i not been pregnant i would have submitted a year earlier, i think.

The fee here is more of a fine so if you go over the time you pay more, i assumed this was normal.

katz I'm impressed you managed to work while with the newborn. Well done!
I'm going to try and bash out my thesis this summer before I pop in October!

Me too! I don't pop until December so I need to pull the finger out and write fast! At the very least I want all chapters written and the only things left to be corrections/bibliography/formatting. But rather get it all done. Impressed with your writing up with baby katz - amazing!

thanks - she was a very good baby and it did take me the first 9 months of her life to get the first draft written. Weirdly I loved writing my thesis and am still proud of it now, 7 years later.

I contacted the childcare office at my uni and they just sent me to that same Job Centre link that they gave you Ag and told me to also contact my college tutor. So basically not very helpful. Will ring up the Job Centre anyway and inquire - will let you know what they say!

I'm not quite in the same situation as I'm not actually pregnant yet - though there's a definite possibility it may happen during my PhD. But I've found exactly the same, it's almost impossible to get any definite information about what I'd be entitled to, no one seems to know or really understand the situation!

I think as PhD students we fall in a weird middle-ground between students and employees - I've sometimes thought we need funded PhDs to be recognised as proper employees like postdocs and research assistants are, after all we're doing pretty much the same job in many cases, we're working full days (and more!), we're being paid, we're employees in all but name.

I'm lucky in that I have RC funding and would get 4 months paid mat leave, but there are annoying things like not qualifying for working tax credits, DP not being able to take the new parental leave for fathers, as technically I'm not 'working'....

Ephiny - the problem is that financially it makes more sense to the funders/universities for PhD's to be bursarys/grants, as then they don't incur tax or national insurance or pension contributions like a salary would. It would make PhD's far more expensive and lead to less funding. However I fully agree with you, the benefit of actually being an employee would be good.

How did you get on at Citizens Advice? Has anyone had any progress on getting maternity allowances after being a student?!

I'm coming to the end of the second year of a fully-funded PhD. My tutor has recommended that I take six months for maternity leave, but I'm really worried about the potential lack of money if I take any time off. I'm seriously considering trying to continue writing and not taking any time off. I'm not sure I'm eligible for any maternity pay - am waiting for my 12 week scan and will then ask my funding office. It's patently ridiculous that there isn't any kind of funding whatsoever.

Hi molly, if you're fully funded by a research council they often do give some maternity pay. Try having a look on their website as I'm sure the one I was with had their policy on there.