Pregnant and PGCE teacher training, what rights do I have

[Lovelylace]

Yikes, I have been offered a place on a teacher training course starting this autumn, and I have just found out I am 8 weeks pregnant, which is great as I was told I was infertile...But now we get to the problem, what to do, and what rights do I have? My 12 week scan is about a month before I start, and first of all I feel that I want to wait until then before I tell the College about it, and preferably I would like to be able to do my autumn term, and then defer the spring/summer terms until the next year, (as I am due the 25th of feb, if all goes well) but not sure how they would feel about that as I then wouldn't pay for the terms when I do not attend, or are you liable to pay for the whole year although you do defer?..I feel like I have attained the place under false circumstances..but I am sure I cannot be the first woman that this happens too either..If I start in September and tell them after the course start, maybe they feel that I have tried to con them into something (or am i being completely silly and hormonal here?)...and that they probably rather have me deferring the whole year, even though that is the worst case scenario for me...any help and advice would be great.
Thanks

You really would be better deferring for the whole year. Sorry but the PGCE is a pretty full on year - I'm not even sure you would be allowed to defer halfway through. Best thing is probably to talk to the university and get advice.

Yes, I have understood that it is pretty hardcore..but I probably should wait until my 12 week scan before I do anything in case anything goes wrong?
Basically I have had a history of VERY unregular periods, i.e could go six months in between them and then having two in one month etc...when we started trying for a baby 3 years ago I underwent all sorts of tests and was told that apart from hormonal inbalances, I had blocked tubes and polycystic ovaries, we had three live cycles and three frozen cycles on IVF all with no result, and as I decided that enough was enough, I decided to apply for this course..true to fomr I kept on missing periods and didnt think anything of it until all of a sudden I start throwing up last week, I do a test and VOILA, 7 weeks pregnant...which is a miracle...but also of course the worst timing possible..and now I am completely in a tizz about the whole thing...

I did my PGCE in Wales and luckily I was due a month after finishing the course. But,'my friend who was on the same course as me dropped out half way through to have her baby and they were completely fine about it. She then went back the following year to finish the second teaching placement that she missed. It was no prob at all. I would go as far as u can if I were u as it's a lot harder to do teaching placements and assignments with a baby than it is with a pregnant belly. I was 8 mo this preg during the most stressful part of the course and it was manageable. The course isn't easy whether you're pregnant or not! Good luck with whatever u decide cxx

so if i start the course and then have to skip the spring and summer terms, will i be liable to pay the tuition fees for those two terms anyway? I will be in my second trimester during the autumn term and as i feel pretty ok now, apart for being sick three times, I still do muck out my horses, exercises them (although not riding) walk the dog, look after the chickens, lamas etc..and yu are supposed to have even more energy in the second trimester hopefully i will be able to start the course at least..god I will be going insane with all this..

No she just paid for the the one year but it was split into 2 years. So she had her loan etc for the first half of the year, dropped out, deferred the financial side of things then restarted the following year where she left off. I'm sure the Uni will be able to offer u some advice. You don't have to say who u are x

hrrm..yeah I reccon i will atleast wait until my 12 week scan before I decide to do anything..thanks for the advice tho :-)

Yeah I would honestly advise waiting til next sept. it is full on, especially the first placement when you're really getting your teeth into it. You'll be tired anyway and then it'll be so much harder to go back halway through rather than just starting from the beginning.

Of course you may be super woman but, speaking as a 25 weeks pregnant lady with exhaustion and crazy hormones who definitely demonstrated similar traits during her PGCE year I DEFINITELY would not want to combine the two!!

Congrats on your pregnancy!

Agree with those saying defer (assuming all goes well - good luck!) as it was easily the hardest year of my life and I was young, fit and had no kids/wasn't pregnant! Teaching itself is a doddle in comparison! I'd also really recommend asking about it on the forums on TES - I have seen threads like this on the pregnancy forum here and lots of good advice given from people who have been in the same situation. All the best :)

Thanks and great link to the TES, as well, will have a look at that..If I can I would like to do atleast my autumn term now..but as said, it might well be a better idea to try to do it all in one go after the baby is out..presuming all goes well..