Can I work whilst on maternity leave?

[MrsCK]

I am a teacher and considering doing some exam marking whilst on maternity leave...is this allowed?

I'm going to do some pre-SATS tutoring I think, but that's a bit different because it can be for cash. So, I'm interested in the answer too!

I pretty sure you cannot work during mat leave, as if you do it legally ends your mat leave. The only exception is KIT days (keeping in touch days), where you can go into work, for upto 10days, at your usual place of work, which you are on leave from.

Ask either hr, a union or similar to be certain.

No you can't as you are already employed. But if you use KIP days then yes that's allowed & you get normal pay.

I'm going to save my KIT days for year 6/SATs revision sessions in early May I think - that's just before I go back, and they might actually need my help at that point for something specific.

Still thinking about the tutoring thing though.

So I could use my KIT days for exam marking?

No KIT days must be with the employer you are on maternity leave from. They also must be by mutual agreement, i.e. they can't make you do them if you don't want to but they also have no obligation to offer them to you if they don't need those days work. You could get into trouble with your employer and the inland revenue for doing other cash in hand work.

My boss has practically begged me to go back to do 'booster' type sessions for various kids. I'm quite expensive, so I'm surprised he wants me there, but if I could do one day a week or so for awhile that might be quite nice.

Ah I see! Ok, thanks for clarifying. Such a shame...some exam marking would have been ideal towards the end of my mat leave! I don't think my employer 'does' KIT days. Certainly nobody else has been in until they have fully returned back to work.

Would you be self-employed for the exam marking? You can undertake self-employed or voluntary work while on SMP from your regular employer.

SMP is designed to keep you under contract with your main employer, so if you weren't pregnant, would it be reasonable for you to do the exam marking according to your contract? I'd assume that the marking would be done at evenings/weekends/holidays so wouldn't interfere with your normal working hours, and it's unlikely to cause a conflict of interest (unless you end up marking your own pupils!).

KIT days don't have to be whole days either, I know a lot of people use them to go in for team meetings or training sessions to help get back up to speed in the run up to their return. You get a whole day's pay even if you only come in for an hour, so it's definitely worth doing!

Ah fab! I assume it is the same for exam boards at secondary. Thanks for the info.

Where I work KIT days are limited to 10 in total and paid at the end of mat leave. If you do any other work, like work for an agency, then your maternity pay is deducted from your earnings, i.e. it's only worth doing at the end of mat leave when you are no longer getting any maternity pay. I think you also have to have your employers permission to work for anyone else.

I think it depends if you had the job before you got pregnant and if taking mat leave from one employer means you don't get it from the other and prob other things!!! I had two jobs before I got pregnant and was able to continue my part time job whilst on mat leave from my full time job,

Might be worth asking on a teacher forum such as TES? In our school teachers sometimes come back to some inservice days as part of their KIT or a handover day with their covering teacher or to have a "getting to know you" time with their class.

I think you can. Definitely if it's in the period where your smp has ended. Otherwise I think perhaps it affects the smp pay. Interested to know for definite though...